Neko no ongaeshi (2002)

Director:

Hiroyuki Morita

Writers:

Aoi Hîragi (comic "Neko no Danshaku, Baron") and
Reiko Yoshida (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 July 2002 (Japan)

Genre:

Adventure | Animation | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Journey to another land.

Plot:

After helping a cat, a young girl finds herself involuntarily engaged to a cat prince in a magical world where her only hope of freedom lies with a dapper cat statuette come to life.

Plot Keywords:

Cat | Anime | Tower | Manga | Love

Cast

Chizuru Ikewaki	...	Haru (voice)
Yoshihiko Hakamada	...	Baron (voice)
Aki Maeda	...	Yuki (voice)
Takayuki Yamada	...	Lune (voice)
Hitomi Satô	...	Hiromi (voice)
Kenta Satoi	...	Natori (voice)
Mari Hamada	...	Natoru (voice)
Tetsu Watanabe	...	Muta (voice)
Yôsuke Saitô	...	Toto (voice)
Kumiko Okae	...	Haru's Mother (voice)
Tetsurô Tanba	...	Cat King (voice)
Yô Ôizumi	...	Additional voice (voice)
Youko Honna	...	Additional voice (voice)
Ken Yasuda	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Anne Hathaway	...	Haru (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

The Cat Returns (International: English title)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | French | Portuguese | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

Australia:G | Germany:o.Al. | South Korea:All | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:S | Ireland:G | Singapore:G | Switzerland:0 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:G

Company:

Hakuhodo

Trivia:

Peter Boyle's first and last English dub role for an anime film.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the very first scene of the movie, there is no mailbox in front of the Baron's house. When Haru arrives at the cat bureau, there is a mailbox in front of the house.

Quotes:

Haru: Thank you, Moo-ta...
Muta: What? 'Moo'? So now you're saying I'm a fat cow?
Haru: No! You're just fat... Oh!

Movie Connections:

References Labyrinth (1986)

Soundtrack:

Kaze Ni Naru

A wonderful fantasy film

After the wild but fully justified furore surrounding Spirited Away, Studio Ghibli's next production is a much lower key affair, clearly aimed at a younger market. Having said that, this cynical thirty-something loved it to bits. Ghibli purists seem to be somewhat snobbish about the studio's output, but If this is an example of one of their films designed more for harmless family entertainment, I can stand to see a lot more of it.

This is a wonderful fantasy film, cute and funny, and full of remarkable and memorable characters. The animation is solid and detailed, occasionally even breathtaking, and the soundtrack is gorgeous. The brisk running time ensures the light story doesn't outstay its welcome. In fact, I could easily have watched more, and I'm already looking forward to Ghibli's or Miyazaki's next flight of fantasy.