The Cat Returns

Overview

Aoi Hiiragi's manga about a schoolgirl's adventures with a very unusual feline comes to the screen in this witty anime feature. Haru is a girl who one day saves the life of a cat while on her way to school. To her surprise, Haru learns she came to the rescue of no ordinary cat -- the kitty introduces her to the Kingdom of the Cats, where the feline potentate attempts to arrange a marriage between her and his son. Brought into a world he never knew existed, Haru learns a few lessons about herself as he discovers more about the strange and magical secret world of the cats. Neko No Ongaeshi (aka The Cat Returns) was released in the United States with a dubbed soundtrack featuring the voice talents of Anne Hathaway, Andy Richter, Tim Curry, Peter Boyle, and Elliott Gould.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/16/2018
UPC:	0826663181593
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	G
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:15:00

Special Features

The making of The Cat Returns; Behind the microphone; Original theatrical trailers and TV spots

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anne Hathaway	Haru
Judy Greer	Yuki
Kristen Bell	Hiromi
Rene Auberjonois	Natori
Cary Elwes	The Baron
Andy Richter	Natoru
Peter Boyle	Muta,Voices
Kristine Sutherland	Haru's Mother
Elliott Gould	Toto
Tim Curry	The Cat King
Andrew Bevis	Prince Lune
Aki Maeda	Actor
Patrick Borg	Voices
Alexis Victor	Voices
Takayuki Yamada	Actor
Chizuru Ikewaki	Haru
Kumiko Okae	Haru's mother
Yoshihiko Hakamada	The Baron
Yuji Nomi	Composer

Technical Credits

Cindy Davis Hewitt

Reiko Yoshida

Aoi Hiiragi

Hiroyuki Morita	Director
Cindy Davis Hewitt	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Reiko Yoshida	Screenwriter
Toshio Suzuki	Producer
Hironori Aihara	Executive Producer
Rick Dempsey	Executive Producer
Koji Hoshino	Executive Producer
Ned Lott	Producer
Takeyoshi Matsushita	Executive Producer
Hayao Miyazaki	Executive Producer,Producer
Nozomu Takahashi	Producer
Hideyuki Takai	Executive Producer
Seiichiro Ujiie	Executive Producer
Aoi Hiiragi	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Haru, a typical teenage girl, goes through the looking glass when she impulsively rescues a cat in the path of a speeding bus. But this is no ordinary cat. Upon his rescue, he picks himself up, dusts himself off, and thanks Haru, telling her that he will thank her more properly in due time. Then follows a sublime sequence in which a midnight procession of cats escort their King to Haru's doorstep. The cat Haru rescued was the King' son, and the King believes Haru would make an ideal bride for him. When the cats carry her off to the Kingdom of Cats, it is up to the Cat Bureau, headed by the top hat-bedecked Baron, to rescue her before she is transformed into a cat. This gentle 2002 fantasy by novice director Hiroyuki Morita comes from Japan's famed Studio Ghibli, the house built by Hayao Miyazaki (creator of the Academy Award-winning Spirited Away). Tonally, it’s much more in the mold of Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro than the bloody and intense Princess Mononoke. As with previous Disney-distributed Ghibli films, the voice cast is impeccable, with an engaging Anne Hathaway as Horu, Cary Elwes as the dignified Baron, Tim Curry as the jive-talking Cat King, a hilarious Peter Boyle as fat cat Muta, and Elliot Gould as Toto, a raven who also helps the Baron and taunts Muta. The traditional cel animation, an endangered art form in this country, is a wonder to behold. If Miyazaki is passing the torch to a new generation of anime-tors, his legacy is in good hands.