But with this film, it's a little more simple.
#CAT KING THE CAT RETURNS MOVIE#
Superficially, the movie is a bit like Spirited Away, which is also getting a Blu-ray and DVD release this week, in that it also features a heroine who's been whisked away into an enchanted kingdom and must escape before she loses herself. Watching The Cat Returns makes me feel like a kid again.
#CAT KING THE CAT RETURNS WINDOWS#
There are scenes that never fail to bring a smile to my face-like Haru being chased through the streets by a throng of adoring cats, and the setting sun lighting up the windows in the alcove that houses the Cat Bureau, and the exuberant chase scene through the Cat Kingdom maze, led by the huffing and puffing Muta. What The Cat Returns lacks in a splashy Ghibli stable production staff (fans may recognize head writer Reiko Yoshida's name from K-ON, Kaleido Star, and a host of other prominent titles), it makes up for with good old-fashioned charm, quaint settings, a colorful set of characters, and a rollicking sense of adventure. That these scenes are so lively are not a surprise-prior to The Cat Returns, Morita had drawn key animation under both Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon, both renowned for their cinematic eye and attention to detail. It shines the most in its action scenes, which features characters dashing up winding staircases, running from tuxedo-patterned cats, jumping over buffets, and zooming into portals atop giant ravens. For a first time effort, though, The Cat Returns is a splendid film, filled with thoughtfully planned movement and charm. Remarkably, it was the first director credit for Hiroyuki Morita, who had previously worked on Ghibli projects before as an animator, and since then has directed only Bokurano and a One Piece special. In that regard, for those who are keeping score, The Cat Returns is not as good as the pantheon of Miyazaki or Takahata classics, but certainly worthy of the shelf space next to them. Whether they're directed by Hayao Miyazaki or not, everything is perpetually compared and contrasted.
It's difficult to talk about Studio Ghibli films without comparing them to one another. There, she realizes that she's slowly turning into a cat, and must find a way to make it back to her own world before the transformation is permanent.
Before he can do anything, she and a fat cat named Muta are whisked away to the Cat Kingdom by a horde of cats. She hears a voice that tells her to seek help from the Cat Bureau, where she meets a handsome cat named Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. When her shock is registered as acceptance of the proposal, Haru realizes she needs to find a way out of the arrangement. Soon after, she's showered with gifts from other cats, and eventually asked if she'd like to marry the prince of Cat Kingdom. One day, she saves a mysterious cat from an oncoming truck, and is surprised when he stands up to thank her. Haru is an ordinary high school girl with a clumsy streak and a love for cats. Haru appears at first too compliant to offer any real resistance but (with a touch of The Velveteen Rabbit) Haru discovers an alternative universe where objects once loved by humans have come to life, and then three friends to help her escape the clutches of the comically nasty king of cats.ĭirector Hiroyuki Morita, whose first film this is after working as an illustrator on several Ghibli animations, does not yet have the confident sweep of Spirited Away's Hayao Miyazak.īut The Cat Returns has a sweet charm and an old-fashioned storyteller's feel. Beautifully handpainted in what could be water colours, its story is in many ways a twist on a typical Brothers Grimm tale of a girl punished for nothing more than being good.
#CAT KING THE CAT RETURNS FULL#
The following are representative quotes only the full text is available online at:Īlthough it comes from Japan's Ghibli animation studio, which gave us Spirited Away, the often wondrous and adult-hued children's fantasy that offered an alternative pole in the animation universe to Pixar/Disney, The Cat Returns is a different beast.īased on a graphic novel by Aoi Hiiragi, it is sweeter, plainer and more traditional in both look and structure than Spirited Away.