The Cat Returns | Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada

The Cat Returns | Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada | This may be my favorite Studio Ghibli film...

DVDs:

The Cat Returns

	The Cat Returns Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2005 average customer review:based on 71 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

From the creators of the Academy Award(R) winning SPIRITED AWAY (Best Animated Feature Film, 2002) comes the visually stunning THE CAT RETURNS, a spectacular animated journey to a world of magic and adventure. Haru, a schoolgirl bored by her ordinary routine, saves the life of an unusual cat, and suddenly her world is transformed beyond anything she ever imagined. The Cat King rewards her good deed with a flurry of presents, including a very shocking proposal of marriage to his son! Haru embarks on an unexpected journey to the Kingdom of Cats where her eyes are opened to a whole other world and her destiny is uncertain. To change her fate, she'll need to learn to believe in herself and appreciate her everyday life. Featuring the sensational voice talents of Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Tim Curry, and Elliot Gould, THE CAT RETURNS is a magical animated adventure that will delight and inspire everyone.

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A surprisingly good movie!

Based on other reviews of this, and knowing Miyazaki was not at the helm for this one, I was a bit worried about its quality. But it's the only Ghibli movie we didn't have, so we got it for our son's b-day.

Other than the awkward transitions from scene to scene (the screen goes black for a few seconds, as if it were about to cut to a commercial (!), the movie was quite up to the normal Ghibli standards. The animation was good (nothing IMHO measures up to "Howl's Moving Castle" as far as animation goes) and the story was remarkably good. It was a very uplifting story. People on IMDB are always complaining about the English dubs of Ghibli films, but we thought the voices were fine. We don't speak Japanese anyway, so we'd never really be able to tell if the voices were dubbed "wrong" or whatever.

Highly recommended. We all liked it much better than "Whisper of the Heart," which was the first Ghibli movie featuring the "Baron" cat character. This movie is not a sequel - other than the Baron, nobody from "Whisper" is in it - and contains its own good story.

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This may be my favorite Studio Ghibli film...

Most reviewers seem to count this as a rather mediocre Studio Ghibli effort. Oddly though, it's my favorite. I really enjoy the fairy-tale feel of this movie; it has a heavy dose of fantasy elements that really keep you from getting bored. I also found the characters to be cute and funny (especially Muta). I've watched The Cat Returns several times already, and it just never gets old. Thus, the creators did a very good job of keeping the story lively and imaginative enough to keep the viewer interested. For example, there's a scene where Haru (the protagonist) is being transported to the Cat Kingdom while riding on the backs of several cats. It's a very visually interesting scene, as well as being an imaginative mode of transportation.
Another aspect I love about this movie is the pacing - there is never a dull moment. When I watched Whisper of the Heart (The Cat Returns is a spin-off of that movie), I kept feeling that about 1 hour of the 2 hour movie could've been cut out. That's part of the reason that I love The Cat Returns so much; there isn't any parts of the movie that feel like they are just "filler".
Furthermore, this is a truly family-friendly movie, as I did not notice any objectionable material at all. So, this is a good one to show the children. Plus, it's entertaining enough that adults will enjoy it too.
Overall, I highly recommend The Cat Returns. I loved it (though I may be biased because I love cats), you might love it too.

P.S.- Unlike other films released by Studio Ghibli (in America, anyway), this one actually has some decent bonus features. It includes a nice and lengthy making-of segment, and a featurette on the voice actors. There's also some trailers (of course) and a storyboard (does anyone watch those?). Personally, I was greatly pleased with the "making-of" part because other Ghibli movies haven't included one. So, that's just one more reason to get this movie!

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The Cat Returns

Just to clear up a misconception - this film should not be considered a sequel to Whisper of the Heart. Although the two cat characters, the Baron and Muta, are shared in the two films, the stories have absolutely nothing to do with each other, other than the lead female character being a schoolgirl in a uniform, and both showing a realistic glimpse of life in Japan. In Whisper, Muta is truly Mute, while here he is a wisecracking albeit faithful warrior, who sounds not entirely unlike Nyako Sensei, a 1970s anime.

If you like Ghibli, cats, Japan, fantasy adventure, or good Anime, you might like The Cat Returns.

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Another fun movie

Although not as intense as Miyazaki films, this is a fun story with a good message for children (and the rest of us, for that matter).

Charming, but ultimately medicore.

This is basically a fullm movie expanding on some of the ideas you may have seen in Whisper Of The Heart. The whole thing moves at on odd pace, and is usually too slow for me. Would be good for the younger female crowd. Doesn't have a broader age appeal like Howl's Moving Castle has.

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