The Cat Returns (2002)
"Neko no ongaeshi" (original title)

After helping a cat, a young girl finds herself involuntarily engaged to a cat prince in a magical world where her only hope of freedom lies with a dapper cat statuette come to life.

Director:

Hiroyuki Morita

Writers:

Aoi Hiiragi (comic "Neko no Danshaku, Baron"), Reiko Yoshida (screenplay),

Stars:

Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Aki Maeda

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chizuru Ikewaki	...	Haru (voice)
Yoshihiko Hakamada	...	Baron (voice)
Aki Maeda	...	Yuki (voice)
Takayuki Yamada	...	Lune (voice)
Hitomi Satô	...	Hiromi (voice)
Kenta Satoi	...	Natori (voice)
Mari Hamada	...	Natoru (voice)
Tetsu Watanabe	...	Muta (voice)
Yôsuke Saitô	...	Toto (voice)
Kumiko Okae	...	Haru's Mother (voice)
Tetsurô Tanba	...	Cat King (voice)
Yô Oizumi	...	Additional voice (voice)
Youko Honna	...	Additional voice (voice)
Ken Yasuda	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Anne Hathaway	...	Haru (voice)

Storyline

A young girl rescues a mysterious cat from traffic and soon finds herself the unwelcome recipient of gifts and favors from the King of the Cats, who also wants her to marry his son, Prince Lune. With the assistance of a fat, grouchy real cat and a an elegant cat statuette come to life (both characters featured in Studio Ghibli's earlier anime "Whisper of the Heart"), the girl visits the Cat Kingdom and narrowly escapes again.

---

Plot Keywords:

cat | anime | talking cat | chase | based on comic | 

---

Taglines:

Neko ni nattemo, iin janai?

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

---

Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Disney Official site

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

19 July 2002 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Cat Returns

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$522,911 (France) (1 August 2003)

Gross:

$522,911 (France) (1 August 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hakuhodo, Mitsubishi, Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was originally going to be a short straight-to-video project, but Toshio Suzuki was so impressed with Hiroyuki Morita's storyboard, and especially the main character of "Haru", that he encouraged Miyazaki to give this cinematic release.

---

Goofs

When Haru's friend calls Haru, she is seen beside a table with a plant and vase. In the next scene, the table is gone and she is somewhere else.

---

Quotes

Muta: That's enough, Baron. Turn it off. No one's impressed with your cheesy light show, okay?

---

Crazy Credits

The credits have a series of still images from the film. The last image before the film fades is Haru feeding the small white kitten on the pavement.

---

Connections

References Whisper of the Heart (1995)

---

Soundtracks

"Kaze Ni Naru"
Written by Ayano Tsuji
Performed by Ayano Tsuji

User Reviews

A wonderful fantasy film

After the wild but fully justified furore surrounding Spirited Away, Studio Ghibli's next production is a much lower key affair, clearly aimed at a younger market. Having said that, this cynical thirty-something loved it to bits. Ghibli purists seem to be somewhat snobbish about the studio's output, but If this is an example of one of their films designed more for harmless family entertainment, I can stand to see a lot more of it.

This is a wonderful fantasy film, cute and funny, and full of remarkable and memorable characters. The animation is solid and detailed, occasionally even breathtaking, and the soundtrack is gorgeous. The brisk running time ensures the light story doesn't outstay its welcome. In fact, I could easily have watched more, and I'm already looking forward to Ghibli's or Miyazaki's next flight of fantasy.