And they call it pussy love. The Cat Returns (2002) DVD review

A cartoon film about cats? No this isn't the spiritual successor to Disney's Aristocats but rather the follow up to Studio Ghibli's most acclaimed film 'Spirited Away'. The Cat Returns was released in it's native Japan barely a year after 'Spirited Away' and whilst it was never going to match its critical and commercial success it is in my opinion the better film. Let me explain why.

The story centres around a young teenage girl named Haru, who in saving a feline from becoming roadkill, is whisked to a magical land of cats, which is cutely named 'Cat kingdom'. All is not peachy though as the cat she saves is in fact a prince of the kingdom and the king cat is hellbent on forcing Haru to marry the prince by way of thanks. He apparently doesn't realise that a mere thank you card might have possibly sufficed. It's a fairly simplistic romp througout. Girl enters magical world and has to escape it. This Alice in Wonderland style plot was also adopted by 'Spirited Away' although that film was a lot more grandiose and epic, which was reflected in it's much longer running time.

As this is a Studio Ghibli production the animation was always going to be lush and vivid. The Cat Returns is nicely animated, the characters and surrounding world are drawn with much detail and there are some great lighting effects especially in the nightime scenes. Director Hiroyuki Morita has been a key animator for most of his career so was never going to let the quality slip on the animation front. The cats drawn here are most definitely cats and are not humanised like Disney drawn animals. The animation helps depict their feline mannerisms, which surprisingly helps to sell their authenticity as talking animals.

Where The Cat Returns really excels is in its supporting characters. Haru receives help from a well spoken cat with a Phileas Fogg inspired dress sense and affection for afternoon tea. He is called 'Baron' and undoubtedly steals the show with his unfazed heroism and charming, gentlemanly swagger. Haru is also accompanied by a fat cat called 'Muta' who provides most of the comic relief but also provides a bit of muscle to the gang's plight. His brute force is nicely complemented by the Baron's sophisticated use of swordplay.

The voice acting in both English and Japanese versions are both top notch. In the English dub, Cary Elwes is perfectly cast as the voice of Baron as it recalls the kind of brave & swathe character he played in the Princess Bride. Anne Hathaway gives a solid performance as Haru, though I suspect any young female American actress could have provided similar input.

'Charming' sums up this film perfectly. It may not be as epic as 'Spirited Away', but for me, it's all the better for it. The Cat Returns is a tight, well-polished magical adventure that will delight audiences of all ages. It's short running time may short-change some viewers but it does watch very well on repeated viewings and with great characters like the Baron, you'll want to visit the cat kingdom again and again.

DVD Region 2 features

Storyboards
'Making of' featurette
Japanese trailer
Original Japanese Audio track

 Chris Curry