The Celestial Railroad (2006): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2006, The Celestial Railroad is a fantasy, adventure and animation film directed by Kagaya, running about 48 minutes. “The Ultimate Splendor - A fusion of Scientific Accuracy and Rich Imagination” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Welcome aboard the fantasy train in the stars! "Fantasy Railroad in the Stars" is a fantastic journey of a boy, Giovanni, in a dreamscape created into a colourful full-dome CG animation picture with inspiring background music. Based on the famous Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru story written by Kenji Miyazawa in the early 20th century, Kagaya, a digital fine artist, has breathed new life into the unique imaginary world using creativity and precise astronomical knowledge. The starry sky is depicted as the Celestial Field made up of a river, a field of silver grasses, flowers, birds, survey towers, railway signals and more. Across this amazing beautiful scenery, the Celestial Railroad runs along the Milky Way. It is a fantasy world in full colour, but designed with scientific accuracy.

Who’s in it. The Celestial Railroad stars Shigeru Muroi, Houko Kuwashima and Mahito Ōba.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.0/10, The Celestial Railroad has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Celestial Railroad page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Celestial Railroad tend to enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Green Mile, Spirited Away and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.