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It is an adaptation of a manga by Aoi Hiiragi, just like Whisper was. To me, The Cat Returns is much more like typical anime than most of the other Ghibli films. While fantasy elements and an adolescent female lead are present, which characterize a lot of the Ghibli films, The Cat Returns stands out as a different film than the rest, given Miyazaki’s lack of involvement. Hiroyuki Morita took up the challenge and directed this film. Originally intended as an amusement park short before the project was cancelled, Miyazaki converted the basic ideas into a test concept for future directors in his studio. And it is far from the worst Ghibli film ever (oh, that one’s coming, rest assured). Parts of it are fun as an adventure and it has a few endearing characters. Now that’s not to suggest it is no way delightful, or that it’s uninteresting or dull. Taking the quote above and others like it in the film about the trite mantra of “believing in yourself” or “trusting your heart”, which Disney has been spoon-feeding generations of moviegoers without explanation, you get the barest sense that The Cat Returns has not much to add and nothing to say. It appears to be a film which says little in the little time it runs.
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It seems as if the quality of the animation took a step down, and takes steps down as the movie goes on, especially in comparison to Spirited Away. This film is short and parts of it are forgettable. Haru, the protagonist, isn’t as compelling as the other Ghibli heroines. Unlike Whisper of the Heart, which was directed by Yoshifumi Kondo but written by Hayao Miyazaki, Hiroyuki Morita’s Cat Returns lacks the length, appeal, message and pull of the movie it spins off of. Neither Hayao Miyazaki nor Isao Takahata had practically anything to do with the production of The Cat Returns and it shows. Shizuku and Seiji do not appear and the story has nothing else to do with Whisper, not even thematically. These characters return here in different forms and with much different personalities. This film is a very loose spin-off of Whisper of the Heart, featuring the Baron statuette from Shizuku’s stories and Muta the cat she chased around town. The Cat Returns may be the closest thing to a “cartoon” that Studio Ghibli has produced. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear.” It also offers options for the original Japanese audio or the English dub, which has a delightfully bonkers voice cast (Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Tim Curry, Peter Boyle, Elliott Gould, Kristen Bell, Andy Richter, and Judy Greer.“Always believe in yourself. GKIDS’ colorful Blu-ray has numerous extra features, including a trailer reel, feature-length storyboards, and a Making Of featurette. Still, it’s a serviceable children’s adventure film, with some memorable moments. When it comes to grand fantasy tales of little girls lost in wonderfully strange worlds, The Cat Returns is no Spirited Away.
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(The runtime feels especially short, coming from Ghibli – it feels like they did the bare minimum to expand a short for as long as they could.) The animation, too, is less fluid than the usual Ghibli joint, more like something you used to see on Saturday morning American TV sets than the art they typically spoil us with. For a lot of it, though, the pacing feels slow, and that’s a real issue in a 75-minute movie.
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Haru’s increasing frustration with the cats’ clueless attempts to shower her with gifts – a locker full of mice, a pocketful of catnip – is fun, as is a passage where the Cat King summons entertainers to bring a smile to Haru’s sullen face. (The job was ultimately won by Hiroyuki Morita, who had been key animator on My Neighbors the Yamadas.) It’s also somewhat of an indirect sequel to Whisper of the Heart, as it stars The Baron – who featured in the brief snippets of the fantasy novel written by that movie’s lead character – as well as the mischevious Muta.Īs a whole, The Cat Returns is an up-and-down viewing experience. It started as an animated short commissioned for a Japanese theme park ride when that project fell through, Hayao Miyazaki tasked his animators with expanding it. The Cat Returns’ origins are about as weird as you’ll find for any Studio Ghibli film. The only ones willing to help her are the debonair, swashbuckling Baron (a well-dressed, talking cat), Muta (an oversized talking cat), and Toto (a raven, also able to talk.) When she’s whisked away, unwillingly, to the Cat Kingdom, it’s up those three to mount a rescue mission of their own. This good deed turns out to be a huge mistake: the feline she saved is the prince of the Cat Kingdom, and its king is determined to kidnap Haru and make her marry his (cat) son. Haru is a bashful teenager who risks her life to rescue a cat from being run over in traffic.