Neko no Ongaeshi

There are a group of fans who believe that Ghibli can do no wrong. Yet even the studio who gave us classics such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, and Spirited Away, are capable of turning out a second-class effort. The Cat Returns, a curious entry to the Ghibli library, is one such movie. Directed by newcomer Hiroyuki Morita, this film is a spin-off of Yoshifumi Kondo's magical Whisper of the Heart--almost unheard of for a studio that strives on original productions.

The story, which involves Haru, an unlucky high school student, whisked away to ... the Cat Kingdom after saving a feline from being run over by a truck, is serviceable but uninspired and predictable in a Disney-ish sort of way--a trait that Miyazaki and Takahata's works never shared, and that is a detriment to this film.

More problematic, however, is the "believe in yourself" message. Rather than allowing the viewer to watch the struggles of the protagonist and determine what she has to learn in order to return to her homeland, Haru is given this very message verbally about halfway through the movie. Not only does this undermine the theme, it makes the ultimate resolution less satisfactory than it should be.

The Cat Returns is not a bad film by any means. It has its preciously delightful moments (an adorable scene where we see a young girl feeding a small, filthy kitten fish crackers and a very charming ballroom dance sequence), a healthy share of comedy (mostly in the form of a grouchy fat furball named Muta), and one truly memorable character, a suave, splendidly dressed "aristocat" antique by the name of Baron (his presence carries the movie as a whole). But while unquestionably fine for children and families, the film is ultimately a weaker effort, both narratively and artistically (the artwork, although colorful and imaginative for the most part lacks the polish that we have come to expect from Ghibli), and consequently, is not especially memorable.

Aurally, The Cat Returns cannot be faulted. The musical score from Yuji Nomi (Whisper of the Heart) is pleasantly orchestral and charming, and the ending theme song which accompanies the closing credits is lovely and catching. And of course, Disney does yet another fabulous job of providing a top-notch cast to translate the movie into English. These include Tim Curry, Peter Boyle, and Elliot Gould. Special credit in particular goes to Cary Elwes (Donald Curtis in Porco Rosso), who is perfect as the suave, debonair Baron. On the other side of the spectrum, Anne Hathaway's Haru, although good, sometimes comes across as too whiney. Granted, this is how she is supposed to be, but it does detract from the likeability of the character.

As mentioned, children will obviously enjoy The Cat Returns, but in contrast to the studio's more memorable features, it falls disappointingly short. Although better than the worst animated features out there, The Cat Returns, so far, ranks as the weakest of the Studio Ghibli films. Ghibli completists will pick it up just for the sake of "owning the entire collection", but chances are it will not be among their top ten lists.

Studio Ghibli has the reputation of making nothing but classics that will forever be remembered. Even as I've started marathoning through some of the lesser known titles in the Ghibli library, even the obscure ones were surprisingly good. This is the first Ghibli film to disappoint me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It was just a vanilla story.

Story (6/10) The concept was very good. But the way it was handled felt too easy. The fact that the cat happened to be a prince was a funny coincidence. But then the fact that Haru just happened to have a voice tell her where ... she needed to go was too easy. The fact that they were willing to help her for no explained reason was too easy. Even after things start going wrong, there's just a deus ex machina that comes in and solves the problem each time. It was all too easy. There was no real struggle for the happy ending.

Art (7/10) For 2000s animation, this is pretty good. There weren't any real breathtaking scenes, but the dance scene was done very well. Aside from Haru's character design, everyone was drawn very well.

Sound (6/10) It does its job. I didn't really hear anything to memorable, but it did what it was supposed to do.

Character (4/10) This was easily the most frustrating part of the movie. I literally cannot tell you a thing about Haru, or the Baron. Haru is nice...and that's it. She literally doesn't do anything else. The Baron is a typical cool heart throb character, aside from being a cat. He saves the day, and sounds cool while doing it. That said his personality is just as bland as Haru's. The only character that stood out was Muta. Ironically, he's the one that got the most back story.

Enjoyment (7/10) This movie was in no way unpleasant. There is nothing "bad" about it. But coming from a studio like Studio Ghibli, the movie feels worse than it actually is. If this was made by someone else, I could see it being a popular kids movie. But when you put this movie next to other works like the Miyazaki movies, or even its parent movie (Whisper of the Heart) it looks really bad.

Overall (6/10) This movie was more disappointing than it was bad. I understand why some people would like it. There are some cool ideas in this film. But I feel like none of them were pushed hard enough. It works as a nice easter egg for those who liked Whisper of the Heart. But as a stand alone, it isn't anything to write home about.

The Cat Returns/Neko no Ongaeshi review, originally written for my Letterboxd account.

The Cat Returns is one weird movie. At the same time I did find it enjoyable, largely because of how silly it was, but at the same time when it ended, I wasn't left with that much to take away from it.

A lot of it might be because of its runtime. It's just a bit over an hour long, and so it doesn't spend too much time in the cat kingdom, and a lot of it does feel kinda rushed.

However, with its beautiful animation and entertainment value, it is worth a watch, especially if ... you're a fan of Whisper of the Heart, a film to which this one is connected to through one particular character.

The original manga of The Cat Returns by Aoi Hiiragi has a much more subtle, evocative message than its movie adaptation. The manga's primary theme involves coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, and it has a more magical realist touch that blurs the line between inner and outer. However, the movie solely places emphasis on believing in oneself, which feels trite by itself. It, thereby, changed significant plot elements, which degraded Aoi Hiiragi's original numinous vision. Moreover, the manga has many oneiric scenes that the movie left out, some of which tread on metaphysical territory that is difficult to discuss without ... spoiling. The manga has a high-art vibe that makes you question whether our inner worlds could be considered "alive" and what it means to bond with other beings; it effectively conveys such profound, deep questions through its use of ambiguity during key moments, giving it an ethereal and mysterious atmosphere. The manga somewhat resembles a story by Kenji Miyazawa.

Overall, I recommend the manga. The movie did a disservice to Aoi Hiiragi's vision. It is very hard to appreciate a movie adaptation when you see how superior the original source material is. Granted, I still recommend watching the movie but only after you've read the manga. It is nice to compare and contrast them. Finally, on a humorous note, the title "The Cat Returns" doesn't make sense in the context of the movie's plot, but it does makes sense in relation to the original manga.

The original manga of The Cat Returns by Aoi Hiiragi has a much more subtle, evocative message than its movie adaptation. The manga's primary theme involves coming to terms with the loss of a loved one, and it has a more magical realist touch that blurs the line between inner and outer. However, the movie solely places emphasis on believing in oneself, which feels trite by itself. It, thereby, changed significant plot elements, which degraded Aoi Hiiragi's original numinous vision. Moreover, the manga has many oneiric scenes that the movie left out, some of which tread on metaphysical territory that is difficult to discuss without spoiling. The manga has a high-art vibe that makes you question whether our inner worlds could be considered "alive" and what it means to bond with other beings; it effectively conveys such profound, deep questions through its use of ambiguity during key moments, giving it an ethereal and mysterious atmosphere. The manga somewhat resembles a story by Kenji Miyazawa.

Overall, I recommend the manga. The movie did a disservice to Aoi Hiiragi's vision. It is very hard to appreciate a movie adaptation when you see how superior the original source material is. Granted, I still recommend watching the movie but only after you've read the manga. It is nice to compare and contrast them. Finally, on a humorous note, the title "The Cat Returns" doesn't make sense in the context of the movie's plot, but it does makes sense in relation to the original manga.

The manga is one volume and pretty short. My criticism of the movie is that it changed the fundamental meaning of the story. The movie did adapt pretty much everything from the manga, but it changed some significant plot elements.

The Cat Returns is a mediocre and forgettable expansion of the fictional world created in Whisper of the Heart. The story told here feels similar to Alice in Wonderland without all the iconic distractions along the way, or Labyrinth but without David Bowie. The introduction of the movie was very cool how the cats lead the girl into the cat world and she meets the cat baron, but from there on it becomes boring. The style of this movie is different to the usual Ghibli style and the characters look strange. This is most similar to a Mamoru Hosoda movie, a director I hate, so ... I find it hard to appreciate anything from The Cat Returns.
Instead of a weak attempt at a spin-off, a creative new idea should have been animated. This is like a B-movie of Ghibli.

“I f—king love pussy, I don’t know how I’d live without it. Reiko! Write a movie about pussy!” — Hayao Miyazaki

“Already done, sir.” — Reiko Yoshida

“Oh, well….ummm. You know, yeah, this is probably, uh, this probably better than what I had in mind.” — Hayao Miyazaki

The Cat Returns is a simple film, so simple that it flies over the head of a sizable segment of the viewing audience. At first glance, it appears to be an innocent, unsophisticated “kid’s” movie about bipedal cat’s who live in a feudal system of sorts, mimicking the behaviors of human culture. Their permanent residence ... (i.e. the Cat Kingdom) is a sanctuary for them to live freely and detach themselves from captivity of being domesticated. Of course, when a young girl named Haru saves their Prince, they return the favor by entering the human world, and showering her with gifts that are befitting for a cat, but ill-suited for a human being. Not easily deterred, the Cat Kingdom arranges a marriage for her, in which she would wed the Prince, and gain access to all the privileges of being part of the royal family. In a moment of thinking out loud, Haru ponders the advantages of being a cat, and even relishes the opportunity of being happily lazy. And thus begins a series of events, in which Haru must escape the Cat Kingdom, with the aid of the Baron and Muta, to return to her rightful place in human society.

Now they we covered the main plot points, we must decipher the meaning behind the work.

In the course of the pre-wedding build up, Haru’s body begins to transform in some interesting ways — in other words, she is becoming a cat. Evidence of this “transformation,” however, begin far before the physical features become noticeable. Whether its oversleeping in the morning, staring off into space as a volleyball hits her in the head, or fantasizing about a superficial relationship (i.e. a “shiny” deterrent from reality), Haru has become disassociated from the rigors of human existence and yearns for a more indolent lifestyle. But it’s not so much that Haru wants to become a cat that initiates this modification in her appearance, it’s her aversion to becoming a self-reliant adult that triggers the events to come. This sort of thinking happens a lot in young adults, as they are expected “take off” the metaphorical training wheels of adolescence to inject themselves into a society where no one will take care them, except for themselves.

In a sense, Haru is not attempting to escape from the Cat Kingdom, so much as she is trying to “escape” her own adolescence. Think about it: she still talks to cats as a seventeen-year-old girl; envisions herself as a slothful, unaccountable cat; and stares at the “cool” Baron in ways that might suggest that she is falling in love with him. Perhaps if this was a Disney movie, she would marry the Baron, be whisked away to a distant kingdom, and live happily ever after (is that phrase trademarked? God, I hope not.). But not here. Because there are no fairy tale endings in real life, leaving Haru with only one pragmatic choice: becoming an adult. And as she gains the confidence to embrace her new responsibilities, a pair of new moms pass Hiromi and her on the street; and while Hiromi stares with apprehension (still concerned with superficial relationships), Haru gazes with a new found confidence and optimism for the future — fully prepared to commence the next phase of her life.

***As a quick side note, I consider a “6” to be an extremely respectable score. Far above my current average of 3.56.***

There’s so many CATS. A student, whose life was not going so well, got stuck in cat’s world and had to get out.

This movie is a sequel to the Ghibli movie Whisper of the Heart because the imaginary cat character from Whisper is in this movie.

The first thing I noticed was the small change in animation. The human characters’ eyes had more attention and resembled more of the modern anime. This didn’t affect the movie really much, but it was a noticeable change.

The story was a lot more simple than other movies, and there wasn’t any strong themes or things like that. ... It was just a fairly pleasant adventure with some thrills.

Despite this, the main point of the story was about the main girl changing her outlook on life. I felt this aspect was pretty weak, partly because the movie focused more on showing cats and adventure. The adventure that the character went through didn’t really justify the change in her attitude.

Overall, a pretty okay short adventure. If you like cats, then you would have a very good time. 6.5/10