Neko no ongaeshi (2002)

Director:

Hiroyuki Morita

Writers:

Aoi Hîragi (comic "Neko no Danshaku, Baron") and
Reiko Yoshida (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 July 2002 (Japan)

Genre:

Adventure | Animation | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Journey to another land.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Cat | Anime | Tower | Manga | Love

Cast

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 Ôizumi	...	Additional voice (voice)
Youko Honna	...	Additional voice (voice)
Ken Yasuda	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Anne Hathaway	...	Haru (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

The Cat Returns (International: English title)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | French | Portuguese | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Australia:G | Germany:o.Al. | South Korea:All | New Zealand:G | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:S | Ireland:G | Singapore:G | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:G

Company:

Hakuhodo

Trivia:

The English-language title of this movie is "The Cat Returns". There are a number of possible reasons for this title. The character of the Baron is recurrent: he originally appeared in Mimi wo sumaseba (1995) as a statue, but was nonetheless one of the main plot-points of the film. The title could also be a reference to Muta, the large cat who reveals himself to be "Renaldo Moon" who has returned to the cat kingdom after many years. He is a notorious criminal in the Kingdom as he devoured a whole lake of fish in one session and the story of his "crime" has been written on the walls of the tower in which he reveals his true name. Another possible reason for the title is the return of the cat prince at the end of the feature, his return sets everything back to the way it should be.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the very first scene of the movie, there is no mailbox in front of the Baron's house. When Haru arrives at the cat bureau, there is a mailbox in front of the house.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References Kurenai no buta (1992)

Soundtrack:

Kaze Ni Naru

Not on a terribly grand scale, but immensely enjoyable.

Although Hiroyuki Morita has worked with renowned directors Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon, and Isao Takahata, he has a style quite his own. While not nearly as refined as Miyazaki, his talent his clear for a newcomer. It isn't a perfect film, however. The first half is rather better than the second, and displays an uncanny view into the life of a teenage girl.

I was also impressed with the quality of the voice acting (the original, not dubbing), especially Chizuru Ikewaki. She was quite excellent, even though I am unaware of the subtleties of the Japanese language. Overall, I found "The Cat Returns" to be fun and extremely enjoyable fare, if unambitious.

7.5 out of 10