Those who regularly read my blog know that I’m a big Studio Ghibli fan. With much more detail and deeper stories than your average Disney movie, they are in my opinion the best in the business. The Cat Returns has also been made by studio Ghibli. Haru is a schoolgirl who saves a cat from being run over by a car on her way home. She doesn’t think much of it, but during the night she gets a strange visitor, the king of the cats. The cat she saved turns out to be the prince’s son and the king wants to reward her for her deed.
When she wakes up the next morning, she isn’t able to remember whether it was all real or if she was dreaming. It doesn’t take long for her to get an answer to her question and she ends up in a world where cats rule. She is asked to marry the cat prince (which will make her turn into a cat as well), but she can’t decide whether she actually wants that.
The animation in this movie is not Studio Ghiblis best. If you are looking for that it is better to watch movies like Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle or Spirited Away. Reason for this is that originally the movie was destined to go straight to DVD, but because the story was so good it was decided to give it a run in the Japanese cinemas.
The Cat Returns offers a wonderful escape to a dream world, which both kids and adults will enjoy. It’s not my favorite Ghibli movie, but it is a movie which I do enjoy watching.
Score: 8
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