![]() ![]() It’s still a Studio Ghibli film, with likable leads, a solid set of side characters, a creative world, and a fun villain. Now, that doesn’t mean The Cat Returns itself is lacking substance. It’s just an easy-to-get-into fantasy adventure film. It’s a film that knows what it wants to do. It’s a fantasy adventure film that uses its 75 minutes well, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. The story is very light, and while that might sound like a downside, it’s not. It can definitely lead to more fluid animation, and for a film like The Cat Returns, it suits it. Everything is a touch more simplistic, and the human designs aren’t in the traditional Studio Ghibli design, and are more anime-style. It’s still the fantastic 2D animation you know from such a studio, but it’s the designs that are for the most part, different. The first thing you will notice about the film is the animation style. It is up to The Cat Baron, along with his sidekick Muta, voiced by Peter Boyle, to help Haru escape the Cat Kingdom. He decides to help her out, but right when he agrees to help her, Haru gets kidnapped and taken to the Cat Kingdom. She then meets a whimsical character known as The Baron, a small humanoid cat-like being, voiced by Cary Elwes. After some misunderstandings and complications, Haru ends up getting engaged to the prince, and tries to find a way to get out of the situation. ![]() The prince thanks her, and later that night, Haru is visited by the prince’s father, The Cat King, voiced by Tim Curry. By luck, the cat she saved happened to be a magical cat prince, voiced by Andrew Bevis. After coming back from school one day, she ends up saving a cat that was about to get run over by a car. Haru is having a rough spot in her life, where it seems like nothing is really working out for her. The story follows a high schooler named Haru, voiced by Anne Hathaway. Let’s claw our way in, and check out The Cat Return. We didn’t get this film until 2005, and by that time, people were more focused on Miyazaki’s newest film, Howl’s Moving Castle. Morita went on to direct the anime series Bokurano, and was mostly an animator for stuff like Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Tales from Earthsea, Afro Samurai: Resurrection, Lupin III: Bye Bye Lady Liberty!, and Tenchi Forever! As it stands, The Cat Returns is one of the few animated films from the studio that was not directed by Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. His name might not sound familiar, but he has done some work in the industry by starting at Ghibli as a key animator for My Neighbors the Yamadas and an in-between animator for Kiki’s Delivery Service. The individual sitting in the director’s chair this time around was Hiroyuki Morita. Unfortunately, they canceled the project, but Hayao Miyazaki decided to use the idea for his own studio. It was released back in 2002, and was originally conceived as a 20-minute short film for an amusement park. This is definitely an oddball of the Ghibli filmography. I think that’s why for this two year special, I decided to choose the Studio Ghibli film, The Cat Returns. In short, I want to be able to put in a movie, not have to be in a certain mood to watch it, sit back, and relax. I like to be instantly dropped in, and be able to not be distracted by in-your–face-world-building elements. ![]() However, I tend to mostly pick a film that I can watch with no need to learn about something beforehand, or require to research some lore or backstory before watching the film, so I can get into the story. I wouldn’t say I’m a hardcore film fan and watch every single classic film, but I watch what looks like something I would enjoy. I tend to enjoy a large variety of genres and different directors. Well, it’s been two years since I started reviewing animated films, and I feel like it’s time to talk a little about myself, and what kind of movies I like to watch. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you like this review!) It would help support my work, and keeps the website up. If you would like, consider contributing to my Patreon at. (If you like what you see, you can go to to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films. ![]()
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