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| | Salesrank:
Released: March 13, 2007 |
| Our Price: $47.96 |
| Used Price: $51.34 |
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MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The Cat Returns (2002) brings back Muta, the cranky fat cat, and Baron von Gikkingen, the elegant statue, from the feature Whisper of the Heart (1995). On her way home from school, Haru, a confused 17-year-old, prevents an elegant gray cat from being hit by a truck. She's inadvertently saved the life of Lune, Prince of the Cat Kingdom, and his royal father decides to thank her. He fills her locker with gift-wrapped mice and decides she should come to his kingdom and marry Lune. Haru seeks help from the Cat Bureau, and eventually returns to relatively normal life, with the assistance of Muta and the Baron.
The Cat Returns recalls Whisper of the Heart and Takashi Nakamura's Catnapped, but it offers neither the wistful charm of the former nor the bold visual imagination of the latter. Hayao Miyazaki has been seeking young directors for Studio Ghibli for several years. After preparing the script and storyboards for Whisper, he turned the film over to Yoshifumi Kondo, who died tragically shortly after the film's release. The Cat Returns was directed by Hiroyuki Morita, who shows promise, but lacks Kondo's elegant sensibility. The DVD extras include a fulsome making-of documentary, Morita's voluminous storyboards, and mini-interviews with the vocal cast that includes Tim Curry, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle, and Elliott Gould. (Rated G: minor scary imagery and cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon
Das Konigreich Der Katzen Reviews:
The Cat Returns 
2008-11-30 - Excellent story line and wonderful animation. Exactly what one would expect from Studio Ghibli.
This may be my favorite Studio Ghibli film...
2008-09-12 - Most reviewers seem to count this as a rather mediocre Studio Ghibli effort. Oddly though, it's my favorite. I really enjoy the fairy-tale feel of this movie; it has a heavy dose of fantasy elements that really keep you from getting bored. I also found the characters to be cute and funny (especially Muta). I've watched The Cat Returns several times already, and it just never gets old. Thus, the creators did a very good job of keeping the story lively and imaginative enough to keep the viewer interested. For example, there's a scene where Haru (the protagonist) is being transported to the Cat Kingdom while riding on the backs of several cats. It's a very visually interesting scene, as well as being an imaginative mode of transportation.
Another aspect I love about this movie is the pacing - there is never a dull moment. When I watched Whisper of the Heart (The Cat Returns is a spin-off of that movie), I kept feeling that about 1 hour of the 2 hour movie could've been cut out. That's part of the reason that I love The Cat Returns so much; there isn't any parts of the movie that feel like they are just "filler".
Furthermore, this is a truly family-friendly movie, as I did not notice any objectionable material at all. So, this is a good one to show the children. Plus, it's entertaining enough that adults will enjoy it too.
Overall, I highly recommend The Cat Returns. I loved it (though I may be biased because I love cats), you might love it too.
P.S.- Unlike other films released by Studio Ghibli (in America, anyway), this one actually has some decent bonus features. It includes a nice and lengthy making-of segment, and a featurette on the voice actors. There's also some trailers (of course) and a storyboard (does anyone watch those?). Personally, I was greatly pleased with the "making-of" part because other Ghibli movies haven't included one. So, that's just one more reason to get this movie!
Another fun movie 
2008-09-07 - Although not as intense as Miyazaki films, this is a fun story with a good message for children (and the rest of us, for that matter).
Charming, but ultimately medicore. 
2008-08-17 - This is basically a fullm movie expanding on some of the ideas you may have seen in Whisper Of The Heart. The whole thing moves at on odd pace, and is usually too slow for me. Would be good for the younger female crowd. Doesn't have a broader age appeal like Howl's Moving Castle has.
The Cat Returns
2008-05-10 - Just to clear up a misconception - this film should not be considered a sequel to Whisper of the Heart. Although the two cat characters, the Baron and Muta, are shared in the two films, the stories have absolutely nothing to do with each other, other than the lead female character being a schoolgirl in a uniform, and both showing a realistic glimpse of life in Japan. In Whisper, Muta is truly Mute, while here he is a wisecracking albeit faithful warrior, who sounds not entirely unlike Nyako Sensei, a 1970s anime.
If you like Ghibli, cats, Japan, fantasy adventure, or good Anime, you might like The Cat Returns.
