Neko no Ongaeshi (The Cat Returns)

High school student Haru Yoshioka is bored with the monotony of life. One day, she saves Prince Lune of the Cat Kingdom from being run over by a truck. As a token of gratitude, the Cat King sends her "presents" and invites her to the Cat Kingdom to become Lune's wife. Haru's inability to properly communicate with the cats leads to the misunderstanding that she has accepted the proposal.

As Haru ponders on ways to escape the predicament, a mysterious voice instructs her to search for the Cat Bureau. However, not long after she finally arrives at the bureau, a horde of cats swarms in and forcibly takes her to the Cat Kingdom, along with a member of the Cat Bureau. Concerned for their safety, owner of the Cat Bureau, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, follows close behind.

The more Haru immerses herself in the activities of the Cat Kingdom, the more cat-like she becomes. To her dismay, she soon learns that, unless she can find her true self, she may become a cat permanently. Haru's adventures in the world of cats lead her down a path to self-discovery, allowing her to return as a more confident person.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

The Cat Returns is a spin-off of the movie Whisper of the Heart, and although some characters are crossed over, the stories in the two films are not related. Studio Ghibli began work on the movie as the 20 minute "Cat Project" in 1999 for a theme park in Japan. Although the theme park canceled the project, the 20 minute short film turned into a 45 minute project, and then a feature length film.

The movie was the second Studio Ghibli film to be directed by someone other than Hayao Miyazaki or Isao Takahata. It won an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival. It also won the Feature Film Award in the 7th Animation Kobe Awards in 2002.

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Baron: Neko no Danshaku
Parent story:	Mimi wo Sumaseba

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Characters & Voice Actors

Baron Humbert von Gikkingen

Main

Hakamada, Yoshihiko
Japanese

Yoshioka, Haru

Main

Ikewaki, Chizuru
Japanese

Moon, Renaldo

Supporting

Watanabe, Tetsu
Japanese

Yuki

Supporting

Maeda, Aki
Japanese

Prince Lune

Supporting

Yamada, Takayuki
Japanese

Cat King

Supporting

Tanba, Tetsurou
Japanese

Natoru

Supporting

Hamada, Mari
Japanese

Toto

Supporting

Hiromi

Supporting

Satou, Hitomi
Japanese

Natori

Supporting

Satoi, Kenta
Japanese

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Staff

Suzuki, Toshio

Producer

Ishii, Tomohiko

Assistant Producer

Morita, Hiroyuki

Director, Storyboard

Yoshida, Reiko

Script

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Opening Theme

No opening themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an opening theme here.

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Ending Theme

"Kaze ni naru" by Ayano Tsuji

Reviews

Jan 6, 2008

kahlua_coco

Recommended

This is my first review, but hopefully it is of some use to the community here.

Story: The Cat Returns is a side story to the Studio Ghibli film, "Whisper of the Heart'. In essence, it is a separate story within a story, which makes the concept quite clever. It brings back old characters from the original showing, into a plot that has a similar atmosphere to The Nutcracker or Alice in Wonderland. It is a fantasy, in a which a shy girl is carried off into another land, and in the process learns more about herself. The moral behind the story is a touching ... one, and it is delivered well. Perhaps the only drawback that someone might find, is that it all ends too happily [or that the story is too predictable].

Art: The art was decent, considering it came from a studio that is well known for its high quality animation. Yet I saw the film in a site where the movie had slightly lower quality then what might be seen on a dvd or television screen. There are some scenes in which the art is commendable. This includes anatomy of the animals, and the city scenes. Some scenes were very well detailed, although the color at times wasn't as vibrant as it could be. [This could simply be a style presented in the film]. It can't compare to some of the more vibrant shows of today, but it is still well done.

Sound: The sound was decent, although it could have been better. If there were any songs, they were not strong or memorable. It was straight forward sound that was good enough to deliver the show. The voice actor for the main character did a good job, making Haru [the girl] quite comical at times. Audio was not the strongest area in this film, but it was not bad.

Character: The character's personalities were probably typical for a story such as this one. Yet there are many aspects that they portray in the film in order to help the story flow. There is also character development within the main character, Haru, although the change was rather sudden and short-lived. It still makes it all fit together nicely in the end. The characters themselves are not as strong as the story or the enjoyment, but they are quite comical.

Enjoyment: In my opinion, this is the strongest point of the film. There will always be a moment in which something ironic, or humorous occurs. They try their best to make the audience laugh. If it isn't the witty or silly remarks made by the characters, then it is the very actions within the plot itself. I enjoyed the film very much, and haven't felt so light-hearted in a while.

Overall, The Cat Returns, is a comical and sweet tale. It isn't something meant to be taken seriously. It is an odd, wacky fantasy with jokes and general mischief at every corner. I feel that it is a must see for any Studio Ghibli fan. Yet even if you are unfamiliar with the other works in Studio Ghibli, I feel that this story will still leave you with a nice (if not wacky) impression.

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Mar 15, 2008

JTurner

Mixed Feelings

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.

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Aug 4, 2020

mingyingli

Not Recommended

I watch this movie right after Whispers of the Heart, and I can not express how disappointed I am.

The plotline is not very complex and is relatively easy to follow. Although it is not delivered very well, the message is very meaningful ("be yourself").

The art is distinctive compared to other Studio Ghibli movies, which can be quite refreshing if you're binge-watching the movies.

The worst is probably the characters, especially the protagonists. Some of my favourite characters are the crow and Muta which are only comic reliefs. There's no character development and the characters hardly ever struggle to reach their goal. Throughout the ...

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Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Neko no Ongaeshi Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Beatnik - Jul 10, 2008	72 replies	by gannoncannon55 »» Mar 22, 6:31 PM
Could this be one of the versions of the story written by Shizuku? InfiNitrous - Jul 14, 2023	2 replies	by animedude1287 »» Jul 15, 2023 5:38 AM
I enjoyed the barons character a lot more than i thought does that make me a furry doodlenoodle613 - Jun 18, 2021	3 replies	by Sakura_2345 »» Jan 9, 2023 10:53 AM
But what about Bunnies in another world? Kuriko-san - Apr 20, 2019	3 replies	by Alpha_Druid »» Jan 21, 2022 4:30 AM
Best movie of Studio Ghibli ProxyLain - Sep 19, 2019	4 replies	by Alpha_Druid »» Jan 21, 2022 4:25 AM

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Moon, Renaldo

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