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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I want a kitten., October 17, 2005
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!
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63 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A surprising choice . . ., November 10, 2004
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.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Next Generation of Studio Ghibli..., January 21, 2006
"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.
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