The Cat Returns The Cat Returns

Journey to another world.

Haru, a schoolgirl bored by her ordinary routine, saves the life of an unusual cat and suddenly her world is transformed beyond anything she ever imagined. The Cat King rewards her good deed with a flurry of presents, including a very shocking proposal of marriage to his son! Haru embarks on an unexpected journey to the Kingdom of Cats where her eyes are opened to a whole other world.

Chizuru Ikewaki Yoshihiko Hakamada Aki Maeda Takayuki Yamada Hitomi Satô Kenta Satoi Mari Hamada Tetsu Watanabe Yôsuke Saitô Kumiko Okae Tetsurô Tanba Yô Ôizumi Youko Honna Ken Yasuda

Studio Ghibli Hakuhodo DY Media Partners Mitsubishi Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) Toho Company Tokuma Shoten

foreign animation drama adventure family fantasy

75 mins   More details at IMDb / TMDb

Recent reviews

More
  • Jordan Richardson

    Review by Jordan Richardson ★★★½

    An expansion of Whisper of the Heart, sort of, this picture is simpler than most Ghibli films but still effective in its simplicity.

  • Danny Webster

    Review by Danny Webster ★★★★

    The Cat Returns is Studio Ghibli's strange, fun and amusing film in which Haru, who after saving a cat's life is showered with amusing cat gifts courtesy of the Cat King and offered the opportunity to visit the Cat Kingdom and marry the cat she saved - the Prince.

    The film as a whole is a charming and simply story that due to my status as a "cat-man" is hard to dislike. Hiroyuki Morita directed this and although lacking the reputation that some other Studio Ghibli possess is still an underrated and still quite excellent animation that has a very simple message - be true to yourself and your identity. This message is a good one and it is prominent through out.

  • Paul Robinson

    Review by Paul Robinson ★★★★

    Film No.1 in my Anime Marathon

    "Always believe in yourself. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear."

    The Cat Returns is a lovely and sweet story, with it's swift 75 minute run time, making it so it does not outstay it's welcome. With some great visuals, and decent humorous moments throughout.

    Coming from the famous Studio Ghibli animation film studio. The Cat Returns is such a delightful fantasy family film that anyone should be able to enjoy. The lead character Haru is such a wonderfully written character, with such an innocent and charming personality, helping us to follow the story The story follows her as she saves a cat from being run down,…

  • Andrew Ramseyer

    Review by Andrew Ramseyer ★★★

    In what has been overall a Studio Ghibli kind of month for me, both in revisiting old favorites and seeking out previously-unseen selections, this 2002 effort from the renowned animation studio is perhaps the least remarkable new addition. With a runtime of only 75 minutes and a less detailed animation style, particularly when it comes to human animations, the film feels a little slight compared to other Ghibli efforts. The plot follows an average girl who has self-esteem problems, whose regular life is interrupted when she saves a cat from being run over by a truck. The cat turns out to be a prince, and the girl finds herself involuntarily engaged to him as a "reward" from the other cats…

  • The Infinite Radness

    Review by The Infinite Radness ★★★★

    Okay I don't think I can name a film that goes as quickly as The Cat Returns. Ninety minutes or so passes by so quickly that it's hard not to love this film. It's a simple but wonderful story that is loosely based around The Wizard Of Oz and I could honestly watch it any time of day. I watched the English dub and it featured a bunch of great voice actors, led by Anne Hathaway, so that didn't hurt either. The film has a fairly plain moral but it's an important one and as it's fundamentally a kids story I guess that doesn't matter. I've always been a bigger fan of Studio Ghibli's larger-scale epics, but I'd forgotten just…

  • Cosmic Vagrant

    Review by Cosmic Vagrant ★★★

    The Cat Returns is the only Studio Ghibli film directed by animator Hiroyuki Morita, it is an indirect sequel to Whisper of the Heart.
    In 1999, Studio Ghibli received a request from a theme park to produce a 20-minute short film about cats, thus beginning the "Cat Project."
    Hayao Miyazaki wanted the Baron, first appearing as a statue in Whisper of the Heart, a fat cat named Muta or Moon and an antiques shop which were also in Whisper of the Heart to be the key elements of the film.
    The theme park eventually cancelled the project so Miyazaki used the opportunity to find future talent, he gave the responsibility to Hiroyuki Morita because he liked his storyboards.

    Shy high…

  • Ricardo

    Review by Ricardo ★★★½

    On par with what Studio Ghibli has been putting out prior. Very charming and light hearted. Watched it with my 4yr old niece and she absolutely loved it just as much as I did. The soundtrack is great, and the english dubbing wasn't an issue. Would watch again.

  • Robyn

    Review by Robyn ★★★★★ 7

    Sometimes you want to watch a deep, meaningful Ghibli film and then sometimes you wanna watch one about a girl who thinks "yeah man, I'd have sex with that cat".

    BECAUSE WE WOULD ALL HAVE SEX WITH THAT CAT.

  • allagu

    Review by allagu ★★★½

    Sweet, short, and cute. This is probably the weakest of the Ghibli films that I've seen so far(but I still enjoy it more than The Castle in the Sky and Kiki's Delivery Service). Haru is a very thin-boned character as nothing much is known about her than she is a bored schoolgirl. Almost every character in this movie is paper-thin. Their personalities shine though, which makes them somewhat salvageable. With the antics and the little conflicts between the characters, The Cat Returns progresses on quickly setting up nothing and just letting the action happen. It provides a few beautiful scenes but goes on too quickly to produce something remarkable.