Theres an old Chinese proverb that says if you save someones life youre responsible for that life and thats exactly what happened to seventeen year old Haru. An otherwise normal high school girl she spent her days being passionate about sports having to skip breakfast because her alarm clock didnt wake her up for school worrying about a boy she liked and wondering if shed ever truly be able to find her place in the world. One day on her way to school she saw a stray tomcat in the middle of the road about to be run over by a truck so she rushed out to save the poor creature. A familiar set up to say the least but instead of the truck sending her into a fantasy world its the cat who would ultimately turn her life upside down when he stood up thanked her for her help and scurried off back to the cat kingdom. In return for her act of heroism the cat king began sending her gifts that only a cat would enjoy culminating in her engagement to the prince she saved With her human life slipping away from her and her only hope lying in the hands of a mysterious Baron working with the Cat Business Bureau will she ever return to the human world or will she be trapped forever in the bonds of holy meowtrimony? The Cat Returns was directed by Hiroyuki Morita a one time director for Studio Ghibli for whom this would be his only project. It was originally conceived as a twenty minute animation commissioned by a theme park who wanted Ghibli to make them a short film about cats which is PROBABLY why it landed in front of one of the studios storyboard artists rather than one of their more prominent names. It was ultimately a producer who was so impressed by what Morita was doing that he convinced Hayao Miyazaki to green light The Cat Returns as a full length cinematic feature and while a backstory like that MIGHT give the impression that this movie probably has an uneven tone and a ton of filler that isnt the case at all. The animation is very smooth and fluid and while there are some exceptions to that... maybe one or two scenes that feel a bit stiff... its very deliberate. At any given time the animation matches the tone of the scene and for such a fast paced story the slower moments are few and for between mostly concentrated in the human world such as when Harus sneaking into her classroom. Basically corners are cut in moments that are important for a characters identity and development moments youre not likely to remember by the end. This is a level of sensibility youd expect from a director who cut their teeth on storyboards and it works perfectly with the pacing and comedic timing of the film. Each setting is full of life and history and drawn with such a high level of detail that even a field of grass can look breathtaking in some shots. With pretty much any female protagonist in a Ghibli film theyre going to be a bit on the generic side but also fairly pretty or fairly cute depending on their age. The main character Haru does fall into the former camp but shes also one of the more interesting leads that the studio has featured at least in terms of design. Its hard to say any anime character looks realistic but she probably looks the most believable in a modern day Japanese setting somewhat awkward but still growing into her looks as we can see the huge difference a simple haircut can make later on in the film. The cats also look believable which is high praise coming from a cat lover in regard to a movie that was directed by an alleged cat hater. This is how cats should be animated... No CGI no human faces imposed on fursuits no digitally removed buttholes. The music has a folksy quality to it very easy on the ears but nothing youd really seek out afterwards unless you got a tune like Mutta wo Otte or Neko to Ohanashi stuck in your head. The English dub as is usally the case with Studio Ghibli films is almost entirely a celebrity affair but for the most part I feel like it works really well here. Unlike a lot of the young starlets that usually get cast as the protagonist of a Ghibli film Anne Hathaway was both old enough and trained well enough to slot directly into her character. She ranks right up there for me with Kirsten Dunst in Kikis Delivery Service and Claire Danes in Princess Mononoke as one of the best Ghibli leading ladies even though her film isnt anywhere near as grand or dramatically intense as theirs were. Elsewhere in the cast is Carey Elwes reprising his role as The Baron from Whisper of the Heart further proving hes far more suited to playing a smoothtalking debonair gentleman than whatever the hell he was doing in Porco Rosso. Kristin Bell plays a small supporting role that I wouldnt even mention if it wasnt for the fact that I swear to God I mistook her for Cherami Leigh at firstwhich is definitely praise. Andy Richter does a great job playing an upbeat middleman for the King despite the fact that his character was clearly intended to be female Peter Boyle is a lot of fun in his only ever anime role and then you have Tim Curry playing a role so unlike any other Tim Curry performance I cant help but imagine him muting his mic between each take so they wont catch him giggling. English Ghibli dubs are usually a mixed bag and it is true that some of the actors attached to this project are far bigger than the part they playedIm so sorry Judy Greer I still really like the way this one turned out. They found some clever workarounds for Japanese wordplay jokes but its otherwise pretty faithful and I highly recommend checking it out. When you hear the name Studio Ghibli whats the first thing you expect to see? It depends on the director frankly. From the legendary Hayao Miyazaki himself you expect magic artistry a film that focuses more on visuals and music than story but still manages to immerse you in another world anyway. From the late Isao Takahata you expect something a bit more grounded as his films usually contain some degree of realism along with a thoughtful message about culture and the environment. From Goro Miyazaki... Well lets just not go there. In the hands of Hiroyuki Morita The Cat Returns doesnt really deliver on any of this. The visuals are high quality but theyre not quite as magical as the studios other projects. It kind of has a message to it but it feels like an afterthought. There is an element of the comingofage narrative thats become a hallmark for the studio but its very subtle. The Cat Returns came out one year after Spirited Away a film thats adored by millionsYou know exactly how I felt about it and carried a level of sensation and spectacle that earned it the only Oscar for Best Animated Feature that an anime has ever received although later Ghibli films would also be nominated. The Cat Returns looks almost quaint in comparison and it joins films like The Secret World of Arrietty in a very weird spot... Its not regarded as one of the bad films like Earthsea and Pom Poko but it s also not considered a hidden gem like Only Yesterday or its sister film Whisper of the Heart. The Cat Returns is to Ghibli what A Bugs Life is for Pixar... Its a fun decent movie that a lot of people like but that you wouldnt hold up as an example of the studio. As far as critical and commercial success and cultural relevance it does feel like one of the lesser Studio Ghibli films. I know that this is going to sound weird but in my opinion all of that works entirely to this films advantage. There is a quality to this film that sets it apart from the rest of the Studio Ghibli catalogue. Theres something it does that makes it work on an entirely different level from the rest of their output and that spins its diminutive status into a selling point. I might be wrong about this and correct me if I am but The Cat Returns is quite possibly the only straight up comedy that the studio has ever released. This movie may not thrill you it might not give you chills or goosebumps or the feels or any of that other media goodness that we all love injecting into our veins but it will make you laugh from start to finish with its surreal imagery its brilliantly casual weirdness and laid back atmosphere that allows you to take it all in without being overwhelmed. The Cat Returns never takes itself seriously and it never asks YOU to take it seriously. Rather it encourages you to approach it the same way Haru does... Bewilderment at first followed quickly by an understanding that things are the way are and an eventual willingness to embrace the weirdness around you. Harus not the most deep or developed character but the film is very efficient at letting you know who she is and why you should like her very early on and the details given during that time tie in flawlessly with her acceptance of the shifting reality around her. Shes quite similar to the unnamed protagonist in Humanity has Declined in her ability to guide you through a bizarre civilization without ever giving the impression that a bunch of sharks are being jumped. The comic timing is spot on. Certain shifts in environment are delivered with just as much uncanny surrealism as necessary to make the viewer ever so slightly disoriented just enough to keep us receptive to the journey were being taken on. The further we go into the Cat Kingdom the more sight gags there are on display to the point that you sometimes have to keep your finger on the pause button to catch them all. Theres always something entrancing to me at least about a story that puts animals in the place of humans but still manages to include animal like behavior in them so that theyre not entirely anthropomorphized. The story is full of cliches not only from high school based anime but also medieval fantasy stories but almost none of it is played straight rather as an excuse for more feline imagery and cat puns. It even goes as far as including small plot elements from previous Ghibli films on a very specific level but never overrelying on them so they stay just below the radar. The two films it borrows the most from are Spirited Away and Whisper of the Heart both of which are amusing nods for very different reasons and theres even a little Kikis Delivery Service thrown in there. There is a flying scene as youll find in most Ghibli films but because this movie cant play anything straight to save its life the characters are literally walking on a flock of birds. Again this isnt the film youre looking for if you want to experience the prestige and grandeur of Studio Ghibli but if youre just looking for something fun unique and creative you could do a lot worse. The Cat Returns is available from Gkids both in DVD Bluray and steel case forms. The license originally belonged to Disney which is why there are so many different versions on the market and also probably the reason that video reviews have been so difficult to come by on any site that takes the copyright goblins seriously. The same is true on every point for its sister film Whisper of the Heart. Theres also a picture book and manga but I cant find much information on either. I cant exactly call this one of the great Studio Ghibli movies. Objectively speaking if I were to rank the top ten best films from their catalogue this one probably wouldnt make the cut mostly due to stiff competition on all sides but what I can say is that Im glad Ghibli has something like this in their library. With every other Ghibli film either offering an emotional roller coaster or a boring disappointment The Cat Returns is somewhere in the middle... A chill laid back lighthearted comedy that follows its own whims explores its own creative vision and just has fun throwing around all possible varieties of cat jokes. It may not be one of the best Ghibli films ever made but for me personally? Its on my top ten. I give The Cat Returns a 7/10.