Customer Reviews

The Cat Returns

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Let me start off this review by saying the movie itself is a five star treat. I rented, after being on a Miyazaki and Ghibli streak, wanting to see all this Japanese studio had to offer. This one blew me away. It made me renew my love for cats, and I know this is one that my best friend, a feline fanatic himself, will probably be proudly displaying next to his What's Michael? japanese comics. Something the collective asian conscience gives them an affinity for cats, and it helps this movie shine. Anyone who has kids or cat lovers will enjoy this tale, but some may be a little lost. There was a movie before this one called Whisper of The Heart, not translated into english, but it isn't the same storyline, just the same characters, so you wont be missing any info, just dealing with a huge plot. Its worth investing in though.

WARNING!: Long Plot Ahead! (You should probably just skip to the end and then watch the movie, but it's here for the confused)

School girl Haru has problems. She can't seem to get up on time, make it school, or keep it together in class. She has a crush on the coolest kid in class, but he just got a girlfriend. Her self esteem is way down. On her way home from school, her and her friend observe a cat with a gold chain carrying a package. They watch it look both ways, and cross the street. It's carrying a small package in its mouth, and trips in the street, dropping the little package. They gasp, and Haru rushes into the street. As a truck is about to squish the little cat, she scoops him up with her lacrosse stick (carried home from school) and sweeps him into a bush. Upon landing in the bush alongside, she breaks her stick. The cat gets up, and then stands on it's hindlegs. After brushing himself off, he bows and says 'Thank you for saving my life. I will repay you.' and skitters off. Haru thinks she's crazy. When she tells her mom she replies that she has said the same thing before, that she could talk to cats when she was little. She shrugs it off, and heads to bed. In the night, however, the King of Cats and a procession of cats (including the most hilarious black cats, who have a suit-and-tie pattern in their fur, and are the kings secret service) and walk up to her door. She has snuck down to see the commotion, and the steward for the king speaks. He tells her that the cat she saved was Prince of the Cat Kingdom, and they would repay her starting the next day, handing her a list of the gifts. She sleeps and wakes, thinking it's a dream. But, the scroll remains, and the things start happening from the scroll (a hilarious scene where her friend is at school, knee deep in lacrosse sticks had me laughing for about five minutes). Soon, she is overwhelmed by it all, and the last gift is revealed. She must marry the prince, and go to the cat kingdom to live in their palace! Distraught, she is told by a mysterious voice to find a big white cat, and he will lead her to the Cat Bureau. Once found, big cat Muta leads her to a tiny town, with a tiny cat. This is the cat pictured on the box. He introduces himself as Baron von Gikkingen, but The Baron works fine.(because his creator gave him a ridiculous name). A crow statue named Toto comes to life and Haru finds out that Baron and Toto were both given souls because their creators loved them so much, and started the Buearu with refugee Muta. With that, The Baron agrees to help Haru and visit the Cat Kingdom to talk sense into them. Just in time, because the cat vanguard arrives to take her away. The Bureau pursues, and Muta and Haru are whisked away, with The Baron and Toto in hot pursuit.

Whew.

Anyway, this movie is by director Hiroyuki Morita, his first head directing credit. Most other Ghibli movies had been done by Miyazaki or Takahata, with the major exceotion of 'Whisper of the Heart', a detailed picture about a young writer who meets the Baron and he inspires her. Miyazaki wrote it and boarded it, then passed it to Yoshifumi Kondo, who died tragically after the release. So, Miyazaki passed this project (the 'sequel') to Morita. Many on the review boards don't like his style. I think it's grand, a soft and more modern approach for the story of a soft and modern girl thrown into a fantasy world. It's still beautiful and has great art direction throughout. The cats are well done, making me marvel at how they captured so many nuances. In just an hour and almost a half, Morita tells his five hundred page storyboard, with 900 lines of dialouge. And it never gets boring, kids wont be dulled by the dialouge and they'll learn a lesson (it's not just about believing in yourself, it's about loving who you are)

The quality of the video is great, not the best of the disney transfers, but its soft lensed look adds instead of subtracts from the story, and the audio is amazing. The score is special, as it contains a complete orchestra, something that Ghibli hadn't done before. The theme song is also unique, as its theme was done by an artist Ayano Tsuji, with just her amazing vocals and a Ukelaili. All of the info on the audio and art can be seen on the Making of featurette.

Speaking of:
There is a Behind The Microphone featurette, covering the voice cast of the american dubbing. This features stars such as Cary Elwes as the Baron (from Princess Bride), Anne Hathaway as Haru (from the Princess Diaries), Peter Boyle as Muta (the dad from everybody loves raymond), Tim Curry as the King of Cats (from lots of movies) and Andy Richter as Natoru, secretary to the king (from... no one remembers his show). Next is an in depth Making Of featurette, that covers the original, the process of making the movie, scoring it and promoting it. Last, the second disc, which features a Complete Storyboard. It's just the audio from the movie set to these storyboards. It's a treat for art students and superfans, casual observers and families will pass this disc by.

Overall, a fantastic movie, with a great and deep plot, proving that Ghibli has a bright future even after Takahata and Miyazaki aren't directing their features. Compassionate, creative and cool, Cat lovers and families need this movie!

I am not doing this review based on the Disney release, but on the original Japanese release. This charming little story is a product of Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, but it is directed by Miyazaki's associate, Hiroyuki Morita. It is actually a sequel to the excellent and equally charming Whisper of the Heart, another beautiful though very low-key Ghibli product. The strange thing is that Whisper of the Heart has never been released in the U.S.; releasing the sequel before the original is a bit odd.

That being said, a wealth of details about the films (and everything from Studio Ghibli) can be found on the tremendously informative nausicaa.net Web site. Since this film is being released with Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind and Porco Rosso on February 22, it can only be hoped that it will ride somewhat on the coattails of the two better-known Miyazaki works and will have decent sales. It's an excellent family film and is a refreshing change (like all of Ghibli's works) from giant robots, ninjas, vampires, brainless lowbrow comedy mixed with mindless violence, and the other junk that pervades way too much of contemporary anime releases.

The studio that released brilliant films such as Grave of the Fireflies (1988), Kiki's Delivery Service (1989), and Spirited Away (2001) brings the audience another fantasy tale. This script was passed over by the anime master Hiyao Miyazaki and the first time director Hiroyuki Morita got his chance to make a film. Morita proves that it is very difficult to follow in the footsteps of his mentor Hiyao Miyazaki with whom he worked when they made Kiki's Delivery Service. Nonetheless, Hiroyuki Morita gives his best effort, as he presents to the world his first feature, Cat Returns.

The young high school girl Haru struggles with her life, as she frequently oversleeps, her clumsiness surface due to stress, and she often arrives late to school. Her peers only notice her when she comes late, or something awkward happens to her. On top of this she seems to be a magnet for accidents, as balls hit her head and she is at the wrong place at the wrong time. This leads Haru to question why these bad events happen to her. Her best friend points out that it might be a bad omen, and her life might get much worse in the near future.

On the way home from school Haru notices a cat that is about to cross the road. What the cat does not see is that a truck is about to run him over, but fortunately to the cat's best interest Haru leaps across the street and saves the cat with her lacrosse stick. When they land the cat stands up on his two back paws and brushes off the dust. Haru cannot believe her eyes and when the cat begins to talk it is too much for her. The cat promises to return later to properly express his gratitude, which only leaves Haru in a stammering bewilderment.

During the night Haru receives a Royal visit from the Cat King of the Cat Kingdom who wants to personally display his appreciation of the brave rescue of his son. The Cat King on the other hand is a laidback furry thing that seems to enjoy his sleep more than anything, as he ushers out the words "Thanks a lot, babe." The cats hand over a parchment to her, which states what they promise to give her, as a gift of their deepest appreciation. These gifts, however, are more suitable for cats, as Haru is overwhelmed with cattail plants, catnip, and neatly packaged mice.

After a tough day Haru bumps into one of the Cat King's clerks to whom she vents her anger and expresses that she has no use for the gifts that were given to her, as she is not a cat. Embarrassed for the mistake the cat clerk seeks to rectify the error, as he hears about Haru's troubles. This leads the cat clerk to disclose that the Cat King has decided to make Haru his daughter-in-law.

Troubled by the Cat King's persistence she fears that she might not escape the planned marriage to the cat. When her anxiety is at its strongest, in regards to the cat marriage, she hears a voice out of thin air that tells her to go to the Cat Bureau for help. Haru follows the voice's suggestion, which leads her to meet Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, Muta, and Toto. Together with her new friends she is about to embark on an adventure to try to stop the arranged cat marriage, which does not come with little difficulty.

The use of humanoid felines brings a cheerful, yet bizarre atmosphere to the story. Creepiness of the film is further enhanced through the story, as the main characters enter the Cat Kingdom. The journey into the Cat Kingdom and the Cat Kings behavior brings notions of Alice in Wonderland, which also has an eerie mood through Alice's venture with the mysterious land that she entered. The Cat King's true nature appears later when the audience meets him for the second time, and he is not the same nice and laidback pussycat that he was the first time.

Cat Returns borrows some elements from other animated films such as Whisper of the Heart (1995), which introduced the Baron. The strong element of felines is also present in Kiki's Delivery Service, which seems to follow the director. These borrowed elements do not harm the cinematic experience. On contrary, it enhances the film, and its value. However, the character development is rather narrow and limited, unlike Spirited Away or Kiki's Delivery Service. This could possibly have something to do with the short running time of the film, which is no more than 75 minutes and within this narrow time frame much must be covered. In addition, the theme does not seem to be fully developed, as there seems to be some plot holes in the story. This means that Morita does not measure up with his mentors, but he shows a strong promise as a future anime artist. Nonetheless, Cat Returns offers a joyous cinematic experience that will most likely be mostly enjoyed by anime fans, children, and feline lovers.

"The Cat Returns" has all of the charm, incredible animation, and intensity of a Hayao Miyazaki film. But it's not directed by Miyazaki. As the documentary included on this DVD says, Miyazaki began wondering about the future of Ghibli because the founders are "getting on in years". The hunt began for a new young director. They found Hiroyuki Morita who ended up creating such incredible storyboards for "the Cat Project" that Ghibli decided to let him direct it as a feature. Their instincts served them well. "The Cat Returns", at only 75 minutes, contains all of the magic of other Studio Ghibli releases. It also contains Miyazaki's favorite theme: a young girl who finds herself through a strange journey (Miyazaki receives credit for "Project Concept"). In this case Haru, a Japanese schoolgirl - complete with signature outfit - saves the life of a cat with a lacrosse stick and finds herself transported into a surreal and bizarre world of ensouled creations. She finds herself semi-forcefully betrothed to this same cat, but the Baron (a right and proper aristocratic cat who runs "the Cat Bureau" and who first appeared in "Whispers of the Heart") comes to her aid with the help of the enormous Muta (who usually steals the scene). Even though the movie runs 75 minutes the incredible volume of action makes it feel like a full-length feature. The animation, as always, is incredible. If Morita represents the next generation of Ghibli directors, the studio should prepare itself for years upon years of further successful releases.

Voiceover talent in English includes Cary Elwes ("Farm Boy" from "The Princess Bride") perfectly cast as the Baron, Elliot Gould (from too many things to list) as the Crow, Anne Hathaway ("The Princess Diaries") as Haru and Tim Curry ("Rocky Horror Picture Show") as the Cat King. The English and Japanese versions play differently mostly due to the voices. Curry's King has more of a hippy feel whereas the original sounds more like a corrupt and evil king. Regardless of the differences, it's great to have both versions on one DVD.

The DVD also includes a great documentary on the making of "The Cat Returns" including scenes from the voice sessions for the Japanese version, interviews with Miyazaki, Morita, Toshio Suzuki (longtime Ghibli producer), and others. It also discusses the movie's music with Yuji Nomi and the ukulele-playing Ayano Tsuji. And, as on other Disney/Ghibli releases, "Behind the Microphone" lets the english voice talent talk about their experiences with dubbing the film into English.

Any Studio Ghibli fan will enjoy "The Cat Returns". It has everything anyone would expect from one of the world's best animation houses. And, judging by this release, it will likely remain one of the best well into the future.

I feel there is no need to go over the basic plot of the story since so many have done a far better job than I could ever do. Instead I will cover a few minor points that weren't mentioned in other reviews.

Having seen this movie on a big screen in original Japanese, with English Subtitles, I fell in love with this movie immediately. With a few exceptions, like the substitution of a few lines (e.g. a couple light "perv" references) and the numerous annoying "Babe" comments, the essence of the original was retained in the American release. I am slightly displeased that the subtitles are off of the English dialogue, not the Japanese. Nonetheless this is a great movie to add to any animation collection.

I loved this movie. It's so cute. I even got my sister to watch it and she hates anime style movies. I consider it to be more of a Disney movie than an anime though it doesn't have as strong of a story as say Nausicaa, or Princess Monoke, but the director shows promise.

This is the story of Haru, a drama queen who lives with her mother. It starts with Haru saving a cat from being hit by a truck, the cat turns out to be the cat prince. His father the King is so grateful that the whole kingdom decides to give Haru gifts, the trouble is that they are gifts that only cats would like (like catnip), then they ask Haru to come to the cat kingdom and marry the prince. She then seeks help from the Baron and Muta. It's a great story about believing in yourself.

Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries) as Haru. Cary Elwes (Robin Hood: Men in Tights, The Princess Bride) as the Baron. Peter Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond) as Muta. Tim Curry does a great job as the Cat King.

This is a great movie for older kids, younger kids might be scared because cats talk and because of some violence.

I really like this movie and I highly recommend it along with the other Studio Ghibli films I am so glad that Disney has finally taken notice and released these films.

Oh BTW, I did watch these dubbed and in Japanese and I didn't notice that any real dialogue had been changed other than a word here and there.

Fans of Miyazaki-san and Studio Ghibli will appreciate this release, even though, once again, the Guardians of American Culture at Disney have tinkered with the dialog and plot line to suit their agenda. The release seems ham-handed and rushed.

Quite annoying and unforgivable is the use of so-called "dubtitles" to accompany the Japanese dialog. Thus we get the altered meanings, extra conversational clutter and hip dialog revisions of the English dub, instead of a literal translation of the Japanese script. Why no true subtitles? Probably a budgetary/profit margin decision.

Anyway, it's not too bad, even though, as other reviewers have noted, the release to the N. American market suffers from lack of antecedent -- just who is The Cat, and why should we be excited at his return? Return from where, exactly?

The Cat Returns is the sequel for the slow-moving Whisper of the Heart. The link between these two stories is the nattily dressed cat called The Baron. However, this story is much different than the one of Whisper of the Heart.

Haru is the girl in this story. She's a clumsy, stressed-out geek, and basically pitiable. But one day she sees a cat that's about to get hit by a car, and saves him. To her shock, he stands up on two paws, brushes himself off, and then politely bows, thanks her, and leaves!

This is the beginning of Haru's adventure. In the next few days she's showered with mice, cattails, catnip, and even an offer of marriage! In the end she has to confront the King of the Cat Kingdom to get her life back to normal.

The extent of the story is dotted with comedy and lightheartedness. Haru grows up tremendously over the course of time, and in the end we see a girl who's much happier with her life. This is a very enjoyable movie and, regretfully, I liked it much better than Whisper of the Heart.

(I have to say that Peter Boyle did a great job as Muta the irascible, portly cat. He brought the character to life perfectly. Sometimes Muta really makes the movie!)

Rounding out the trio of the second wave of the Studio Ghibli DVDs distributed by Disney is THE CAT RETURNS, a curious entry to the Ghibli library. The film, directed by newcomer Hiroyuki Morita, is actually a spin-off of another Ghibli production, Yoshifumi Kondo's WHISPER OF THE HEART. I've practically enjoyed all of the Miyazaki movies I have seen thus far as well as Isao Takahata's GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, for all of these movies are artistically beautiful and not just masterpieces of Japanese animation, but true classics, period.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for THE CAT RETURNS. The story, which involves a moody high school student whisked away to the Cat Kingdom after she rescues 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. The biggest problem I have with the movie 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, she 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 fare 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 THE CAT RETURNS is unquestionably fine for children and families, it is ultimately a lesser 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.

Still, take my review with a grain of salt and check out THE CAT RETURNS. Even if it is essentially the weakest of the Studio Ghibli films I have seen thus far, I did enjoy it for what it was, and Ghibli at its least is 205% better than some of the worst animated features out there.

While I'm on it, though, I should mention that Disney has done yet another top-notch job in terms of the DVD and dubbing presentation. The visual transfer is crystal clear and vibrant (no surprise since the film is an all-digital production), and the English voice acting (which this time includes Anne Hathaway, Tim Curry, Peter Boyle, and Elliot Gould) is fabulous as always with special credit to Cary Elwes (Donald Curtis in PORCO ROSSO), who is perfect as the Baron. The extras are the same as the other Disney/Ghibli DVD releases--voice talent featurettes, trailers, and storyboards... but it DOES contain a half-hour long piece on the making of THE CAT RETURNS. Strangely, I found this more interesting to watch than the movie itself, especially considering the source of its inspiration (a stray cat). There is only one catch about the DVD release, though, and that is that the dubtitles provided for the Japanese language track. Considering that Disney has included literal translations for almost all of its Ghibli releases (KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE was dubtitled, but not the same way that this one is), this is a major disappointment for fans that prefer watching Anime in Japanese. As mentioned, though, this is the only shortcoming in the package.

Although THE CAT RETURNS is not the masterpiece that its Ghibli predecessors are, it is, as mentioned, still enjoyable for kids and families. And once again, Disney provides another first-class release (aside from the dubtitles) of a Ghibli production.

I wonder if it's OK to have a temporary crush on a cat. Not a real cat, an animated cat that dresses in a grey suit, drinks tea, and is voiced by Cary Elwes. I'm talking about none other then The Baron in The Cat Returns. The Baron is this really neato cat that helps save the heroine from having to get married to the Cat Prince. When Haru saves the Cat Prince from getting run over by a car the Cat Kingdom is eternally grateful. They send her presents like mice in her locker. The cat ambassador of sorts thinks that she agrees to marry the Cat Prince and stay in the Cat Kingdom. The cats are going to take her away that night when she hears a voice telling her to find a white cat and ask him to take her to the Cat Bureau. There she meets the dashing Baron, the crow voiced by Elliott Gould, and gets to know more about the white cat, voiced by Peter Boyle. As she is whisked away to the Cat Kingdom and faced to marry the prince, the Baron, Toto the crow, and Muta, the white cat have to save her. During her time in the Cat Kingdom she begins to turn into a cat making it all the more important that she leave the Cat Kingdom before the change is permanent!
Also of note: Tim Curry does the voice of the evil Cat King! Anne Hathaway does the voice of Haru. It took me a while to get used to Anne Hathaway's voice because I recognize it from some of the other films she has been involved in.

It was SUCH a cool movie! Of course I would think so because it involves cats but still! The director, Hiroyuki Morita, is sort of a protegee of Hayao Miyazaki and Nozomu Takahashi (the two directors that alternate directing Studio Ghibli films as I learned in the Special Feature section :) ). I really liked this movie and hope that Hiroyuki Morita continues to produce more great movies.