The Cat Returns

Original title: Neko no ongaeshi

2002
U
1h 15m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

68K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer1:41

13 Videos

99+ Photos

Anime Adventure Animation Comedy Family Fantasy Romance

After helping a cat, a seventeen-year-old 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 ... Read allAfter helping a cat, a seventeen-year-old 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.After helping a cat, a seventeen-year-old 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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

68K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

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 Voices
(voice)

Yoko Honna

Chika
(voice)
(as Youko Honna)

Ken Yasuda

Additional Voices
(voice)

Anne Hathaway

Haru
(English version)
(voice)

Cary Elwes

The Baron
(English version)
(voice)

Peter Boyle

Muta
(English version)
(voice)

Elliott Gould

Toto
(English version)
(voice)

Director
- Hiroyuki Morita
Writers
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

Edit

Did you know

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Trivia
This movie started when Studio Ghibli received a proposal from a Japanese theme park to make a twenty-minute animation starring cats.

Goofs
When Haru first goes to the Cross Roads to meet Muta, all the banners say "Cross Loads". When Haru goes back again at the end with her friend, one banner says "Cross Roads", but then they all revert to "Cross Loads"

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

Crazy credits
The credits have a series of still images from the film. The last image before the film fades is Haru feeding the small white kitten on the pavement.

Alternate versions
The Japanese version begins with a text prologue; the English-dubbed version replaces this with a voice-over from the Baron (similar to how the opening of Princess Mononoke (1997) was handled).

Connections
Featured in JesuOtaku Anime Reviews: The Cat Returns (2012)

Soundtracks
Far Away
Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Music by Robert Folk
Performed by Judy Kuhn
Judy Kuhn appears courtesy of Angel Records

User reviews139

Featured review

9/10

A very different follow-up to Whisper of the Heart

Let me start by saying that The Cat Returns is not the best of Ghibli and Miyazaki had almost nothing to do with it. If Miyazaki had directed or even written it, the film would have been as great as Totoro or Kiki. This movie is pretty much Whisper of the Heart as a Spirited Away style fantasy.

The story is as follows: A normal girl named Haru is transported to the world of cats to marry a cat prince who she saved from a speeding truck. That's basically all that I can tell without giving away the film. For those of you who loved Whisper, Baron is back big time. It was great to see Baron have a much larger role as a hero. The `stray' cat from Whisper is also back and fatter than ever.

Though some Ghibli fans will be disappointed, those who are cat-lovers will fall in love with the film. The film's flaw lies in that the story moves along a bit too fast for my taste. Just don't go expecting a film on the same level as Spirited Away or Mononoke and you'll have a great time. Grade: A-.

Rated PG for frightening scenes, brief sensuality, and language. Suggested for ages 10 and up.