The Baron says, "Learn just one thing: always believe in yourself. Muta states that the Cat Kingdom is a dangerous place unless you believe in yourself. The life lesson is explicitly expressed in this tale. Haru will be kidnapped and forced to marry the Prince, but she needs the help of the three from The Cat Bureau: Baron Humbert, Toto, a stone crow (NB/ Toto is the name of Dorothy's dog in The Wizard of Oz), and Muta, a large white cat. There is so much detail in the backgrounds, and the cinematography is great such as the afternoon sun and a real understanding too of the use of light and shadow. The animation is beautiful, up there with the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. Her adventures really take off as she enters the cat world to prevent her impending nuptials.ĭirected by Hiroyuki Morita and released in 2002 from the awesome Studio Ghibli ( Porco Rosso, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies), this is another addition to their fantastical canon of work. A voice tells her to seek the help of The Cat Bureau. Haru definitely is against this but is unsure what to do. "The Kingdom of Cats has vowed not to rest until you are completely satisfied." However, the cats get it wrong with presents, such as mice, cat-tails and cat nip, but worst of all they want her to marry the Prince. It turns out the cat saved earlier was Prince Lune, the son of the Cat King. Things become stranger when she meets a coterie of cats that night: cat bodyguards, a spokes-cat, entourage and the Cat King (voiced by Tim Curry: Legend, Congo and Charlie's Angels), who uses phrases like, "Thanks babe" or "Chow babe". Now a reasonably normal person would think this is a dream or perhaps a hallucination, but Haru has a history of speaking to cats. The cat then proceeds to stand on his hind legs and thank Haru.
On the way home from school Haru (voiced by Anne Hathaway: The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada and Brokeback Mountain) saves a cat, who is crossing the street, in a brave and daring lacrosse move scooping up the feline and depositing him safely on the other side. This juxtaposition between the real and the magical reminds of The Wizard of Oz and Mirrormask as a coming-of-age story. You just need to look for it." Then the scene cuts to the world we are accustomed to and a cow alarm clock waking a seventeen year old girl who is late for school. Opening on a beautiful house as if from a fairy tale with a cat looking out of the window dressed in top hat and tails, he, Baron Humbert, says in a cut-glass voice, "If you find yourself troubled by something mysterious or a problem that's hard to solve, there's a place you can go where you always find help.
Japan Movie Reviews: The Cat Returns The Cat Returns