The Cat Returns (2002)
Directed by Hiroyuki Morita
[Rated G] 1hr 15min
★★★½
The Cat Returns is an animated fantasy adventure film and spin-off of Whisper of the Heart (1995) about a girl who saves a cat prince and starts receiving feline gifts from the Cat Kingdom. Despite her protests, the cats eventually take her to their kingdom, so the Baron and his associates go on a journey to help rescue her.
This is an entertaining whimsical film that emphasizes fun over storytelling. The story and characters are fairly generic and don’t have much depth, but the overall experience is highly enjoyable due to the tight narrative and charming animation. It’s also quite amusing to see a society of cats acting like both humans and animals simultaneously, and this discrepancy allows many humorous moments to occur throughout the film. Although the plot itself isn’t very compelling, the other elements are executed effectively enough to create an exciting adventure.
I recommend The Cat Returns to anyone, especially cat lovers, looking for a light fantasy story that’s lots of fun to watch. Although this film is connected to Whisper of the Heart, its story and style are completely different, so anyone can watch it without having seen the previous movie.
The Cat Returns is currently available to stream on Max. Click here to watch the film’s Ghibli Fest 2024 trailer.
– Review by Will Hopper