11/8/2022 0 Comments The cat returns (2002)![]() ![]() To me, The Cat Returns is much more like typical anime than most of the other Ghibli films. While fantasy elements and an adolescent female lead are present, which characterize a lot of the Ghibli films, The Cat Returns stands out as a different film than the rest, given Miyazaki’s lack of involvement. Hiroyuki Morita took up the challenge and directed this film. Originally intended as an amusement park short before the project was cancelled, Miyazaki converted the basic ideas into a test concept for future directors in his studio. And it is far from the worst Ghibli film ever (oh, that one’s coming, rest assured). Parts of it are fun as an adventure and it has a few endearing characters. Now that’s not to suggest it is no way delightful, or that it’s uninteresting or dull. Taking the quote above and others like it in the film about the trite mantra of “believing in yourself” or “trusting your heart”, which Disney has been spoon-feeding generations of moviegoers without explanation, you get the barest sense that The Cat Returns has not much to add and nothing to say. It appears to be a film which says little in the little time it runs. It seems as if the quality of the animation took a step down, and takes steps down as the movie goes on, especially in comparison to Spirited Away. This film is short and parts of it are forgettable. Haru, the protagonist, isn’t as compelling as the other Ghibli heroines. Unlike Whisper of the Heart, which was directed by Yoshifumi Kondo but written by Hayao Miyazaki, Hiroyuki Morita’s Cat Returns lacks the length, appeal, message and pull of the movie it spins off of. ![]() ![]() Neither Hayao Miyazaki nor Isao Takahata had practically anything to do with the production of The Cat Returns and it shows. Shizuku and Seiji do not appear and the story has nothing else to do with Whisper, not even thematically. These characters return here in different forms and with much different personalities. This film is a very loose spin-off of Whisper of the Heart, featuring the Baron statuette from Shizuku’s stories and Muta the cat she chased around town. The Cat Returns may be the closest thing to a “cartoon” that Studio Ghibli has produced. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear.” ![]()
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