The Cat Returns

There are a group of fans who believe that Ghibli can do no wrong. Yet even the studio who gave us classics such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, and Spirited Away, are capable of turning out a second-class effort. The Cat Returns, a curious entry to the Ghibli library, is one such movie. Directed by newcomer Hiroyuki Morita, this film is a spin-off of Yoshifumi Kondo's magical Whisper of the Heart--almost unheard of for a studio that strives on original productions. The story, which involves Haru, an unlucky high school student, whisked away tothe Cat Kingdom after saving a feline from being run over by a truck, is serviceable but uninspired and predictable in a Disney-ish sort of way--a trait that Miyazaki and Takahata's works never shared, and that is a detriment to this film. More problematic, however, is the "believe in yourself" message. Rather than allowing the viewer to watch the struggles of the protagonist and determine what she has to learn in order to return to her homeland, Haru is given this very message verbally about halfway through the movie. Not only does this undermine the theme, it makes the ultimate resolution less satisfactory than it should be. The Cat Returns is not a bad film by any means. It has its preciously delightful moments (an adorable scene where we see a young girl feeding a small, filthy kitten fish crackers and a very charming ballroom dance sequence), a healthy share of comedy (mostly in the form of a grouchy fat furball named Muta), and one truly memorable character, a suave, splendidly dressed "aristocat" antique by the name of Baron (his presence carries the movie as a whole). But while unquestionably fine for children and families, the film is ultimately a weaker effort, both narratively and artistically (the artwork, although colorful and imaginative for the most part lacks the polish that we have come to expect from Ghibli), and consequently, is not especially memorable. Aurally, The Cat Returns cannot be faulted. The musical score from Yuji Nomi (Whisper of the Heart) is pleasantly orchestral and charming, and the ending theme song which accompanies the closing credits is lovely and catching. And of course, Disney does yet another fabulous job of providing a top-notch cast to translate the movie into English. These include Tim Curry, Peter Boyle, and Elliot Gould. Special credit in particular goes to Cary Elwes (Donald Curtis in Porco Rosso), who is perfect as the suave, debonair Baron. On the other side of the spectrum, Anne Hathaway's Haru, although good, sometimes comes across as too whiney. Granted, this is how she is supposed to be, but it does detract from the likeability of the character. As mentioned, children will obviously enjoy The Cat Returns, but in contrast to the studio's more memorable features, it falls disappointingly short. Although better than the worst animated features out there, The Cat Returns, so far, ranks as the weakest of the Studio Ghibli films. Ghibli completists will pick it up just for the sake of "owning the entire collection", but chances are it will not be among their top ten lists.

A pretty good effort from Studio Ghibli, here. The story here is very similar to many other Ghibli movies. A character is thrust into a magical land, or sees something out of the ordinary. However unoriginal it may be, it's well done. It's well written, and it's well paced. The art style is a bit mediocre for a movie. The characters are drawn very simply, and lack shading to make them look more three-dimensional. The background paintings are very beautiful, though. Soundwise, it is very well done. The music is high quality, and the stereo sound is mastered well. The English dub is done pretty well, nocomplains there really. The character is very relatable, especially if you are a girl. My sister and one of her friends were watching this, and fell in love with the movie. I believe the reason for this was the central female protagonist. She is portrayed realistically and believably as a teenage high school girl. Although a bit short for a Ghibli movie, it's a concise, memorable and whimsical adventure into a fantasy world that is worth seeing. It is a good movie overall; if you like Miyazaki's work, give this one a go. You can watch my video review of this anime HERE.

Story - This has to be my favourite Studio Ghibli film so far - it is so engaging in every aspect. Unlike most movies, you never properly feel like the characters are in danger, and this movie ends up being more of a relaxing film to watch due to how soothing and cute it is. I am a big fan of action, and although there was not a lot in this, I still found this to be an AMAZING movie. Art - If you compare this movie to the rest of Ghibli's works (other than My Neighbours the Yamadas), it stands out as odd. It isn'tbad by a long shot, but it just felt a tiny bit lacklustre at times as sometimes it can look a bit goofy. Sound - The music in this film was phenomenal and engaging. The sound quality is a bit old and there a couple of Natoru's lines which seem a bit too far from the microphone or have a slight echo. Character - Every single character in this movie is loveable. A lot of anime movies would have at least one character who you would think needs to shut up, but not in The Cat Returns! The Baron, the Cat King, Haru, Muta, Lune, all of them - loveable characters with distinct personalities that don't clash and make this an amazing film. Enjoyment - This movie was super enjoyable the entire way through, from the very first scene to listening to Ayano Tsuji's singing over the credits at the end (she was also an amazing choice and sang it beautifully). Every single little bit about this film was enjoyable for anyone and everyone. Overall - This movie is highly recommended, I give it a 10/10 and I already want to watch it a second time, and I only just finished it.

Studio Ghibli has a long history of film making and is known for its great producers. They've made a name for themselves as one of the best studios in the past few decades with all the movies that have risen to fame quickly and cultivating fans throughout their entire run. Everyone has probably watched a Miyazaki film or heard his name. His movies are always top quality and tend to outshine the other films Ghibli makes. Neko no Ongashi or The Cat Returns is one that has received both good and bad opinions over the years. I discovered this movie due to watching a marathon ofGhibli films and at first this movie seemed quite bland and boring, but it entertained me with the concept and I unexpectedly enjoyed it. The story follows Haru, a girl who has an ordinary life and is nothing too special in beauty, nor special qualities. She stumbles upon a cat on the road and runs to save it without a second thought and it turns out to be a cat prince. The story from there takes off into an adventure of cats trying to please her and repay for what she did to save the prince. Over a time period she gets a proposal to be engaged with the prince and it takes off to the perfect comedy/fantasy themed story. Shes taken to a place where cats can talk and live out their daily lives, basically like their land. She gets turned into a cat the more she stays there and if she doesn't leave by a specific time shes stuck a cat forever. Ghibli has a art style that doesn't match today's high quality art style like most animes, yet still makes it perfect and wonderful to watch. Art for an anime is something i'm really picky about. If the art isn't something I can enjoy then I usually judge the anime harsher. Though the art for this is nothing great, it's perfect for the time it was made and fit the movie greatly. The characters were really nicely drawn and the cats were all different and had a unique trait to each of them. Though the art may not be top quality, some scenes were just beautiful to watch and had some effort really put into them. The sound for this movie was probably the thing I enjoyed the most. The background music for each scene was actually very calming and made the mood of the movie all around really good. The voice actors were all really good, especially baron, and you can really feel the emotion that they all put into trying to bring the characters to life. Now the ending for this movie is probably on the most calming song i've ever heard. It's really catchy and really did a good job finishing off the movie. The characters for this movie were actually really pleasing to watch and made the movie even better. You have Haru, a girl who is just living an ordinary life who gets thrown into a world she is unknown to. This brings out for a lot of adventure and comedy from the reactions that she gives. Second you have baron, a cat that helps everybody and is very cunning. He makes the movie even better with his heroic deeds and actually starts to attract Haru's attention. The rest of the cast is built of cats and they made the movie fun to watch. The king is someone can be misjudged, but his intentions aren't bad. The prince doesn't get too much show time, but really sticks out when he's in the scenes and makes it even better. Lastly you get Yuki, a cat that knows Haru when she first enters the cat world and makes a good mystery for how she knows her. This movie is one that gets overshadowed by the more popular films, but can compete with them. The story of it is unique and was the first time i've seen it tackled. The art was perfect quality for its time and still very enjoyable for the genre and audience that it's aimed at today. The sound is something I greatly enjoyed throughout the movie and the ending song is just perfect to me and I fell in love with it. The characters are pretty unique and what makes this movie what it is. It gives a nice feel to the main being taken away to a new land and the adventures awaits from there. I recommend anyone who loves Ghibli to check this out!