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Having saved a stray cat from being run over, a teenager finds herself shrouded with gifts from the rulers of the cat world who wish to turn her into one of them as a reward in this delightfully offbeat animated fantasy film. 'The Cat Returns' is an unpredictable movie in the best possible way and plays out as a zany variation of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' with the heroine shrunken down to cat-size to enter their realm where she encounters wacky and eccentric characters left, right and centre. There are some well done surreal moments too, especially as she finds herself gradually turning into a cat, and it is an often laugh-out-loud funny experience with lots of humour to be had in the unusual feline supporting players. Clocking in at around 75 minutes, the movie occasionally feels a little rushed, particularly during its climax, and it is lack of appeal to some hardcore Ghibli fans is understandable since the film does not have the time to establish a magical universe as immersive as the likes of 'Spirited Away'. This is a highly charming film if taken on its own terms though, and as per norm for producer Hayao Miyazaki, there are nicely no antagonists here. The cats are pesky with their persistence in turning her into one of them, but it is up to both her and them to realise that they can still help each other out even if their own interests do not always align.
MartinHafer
I have seen just about every Studio Ghibi film released in the US and must say that "The Cat Returns" is unique among them. Sure, it's strange...but so are most of the rest of them (especially "Spirited Away"). But it manages to be very different and a bit different from the Miyazaki films when it comes to the animation but especially the story. The film begins with a young girl, Haru, racing into traffic to save a cat from being squashed. Have you ever heard the expression "No good deed goes unpunished"? Well, this is sort of what happens next. Late at night, a strange procession of cats walking on two legs is carrying a litter with their fat king. They stop to announce to Haru that she is going to receive many wonderful rewards for saving that cat, as it's their Prince!! When she awakens the next morning, she thinks it's all been a dream...until weird presents start arriving. But the weirdest part is yet to come...the cats are going to honor her by allowing her to MARRY the Prince!!! What!?! So, after hearing a voice telling her to find the Cat Bureau, she ends up meeting a cat Baron and going in search of the cat kingdom!!Mega-weird...but also mega-charming and fun. I loved this film because it dared to be so different and it really hooked me. I have no idea why this one was released here in the States with zero fanfare...just a direct to DVD release a few years ago. Well worth seeing.
KV Bharadwaj
I stumbled upon the movie while listening to Studio Ghibli music collection. If you haven't yet heard 'Kaze ni Naru' - the main soundtrack from the movie, do it now. One of the most pleasant, relaxing soundtracks I ever heard. Anyway, after having the soundtrack in my playlist for about couple of weeks, I finally found time to watch the movie. The movie follows the main character - Haru who saves a cat from getting run over by a truck. To her astonishment, the cat thanks her. Only later does she realise that the cat was actually the prince from Kingdom of cats. The king, as a token of thanks, wants her to be his daughter in law against her will. What follows is her adventure through the kingdom, along with Baron and Muta from the Cat Bureau who try to save her. At about 75 minutes, it was short yet well scripted. All characters were super fun, especially Haru and The Baron. It might not be the best of the Ghibli collections, but I recommend to watch it at least once.
Mr-Fusion
"The Cat Returns" doesn't stand very high on the Studio Ghibli masterpiece scale but there's a sort of crazed whimsy at the heart of all of this. A young girl, whisked away to the cat kingdom by the (somewhat) deranged Cat King to marry his son, only to be rescued by a noble baron and his portly sidekick. It's a trip down the feline rabbit hole, to be sure, but not a boring one. Simple, but entertaining. It's a Ghibli, so it looks great, although the U.S. voice cast is a bit tame (Peter Boyle is the standout here).It's brisk and rambunctious, good fun for a lazy Sunday afternoon.6/10
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