The Cat Returns (2002)
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. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Hiroyuki Morita
Written By: Reiko Yoshida, Aoi Hîragi
Starring: Tetsurô Tanba, Takayuki Yamada, Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Tetsu Watanabe, Yôsuke Saitô, Aki Maeda, Mari Hamada, Kenta Satoi, Hitomi Sato
Genres: Family/Kids, Fantasy, Adventure, Animation
AKA: Neko no Ongaeshi
Country: Japan
Where to Stream
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The Cat Returns belongs to 19 collections
1. Features under 91 minutes (collaborative: moderated by epiphany - 56 stars)
2. Studio Ghibli (collaborative: moderated by Vandelay1 - 32 stars)
3. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
4. Directorial debut (collaborative: moderated by djross - 16 stars)
5. Anime (collaborative: moderated by Nanera - 10 stars)
6. Film Titles That Are Complete Sentences (collaborative: moderated by MacSwell - 7 stars)
7. Cats (collaborative: moderated by djross - 4 stars)
8. Japanese director (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 3 stars)
9. Coheed's Films I Need To See Or Try To Track Down (public: Coheed - 3 stars)
10. Cats (collaborative: moderated by Svengali - 1 star)
11. Mind blowing collection (collaborative: moderated by hakkanarejo)
12. Nostalgia Critic - Disneycember (collaborative: moderated by Phantom Nook)
13. zae's DVDs & Blurays (public: zae)
14. Studio Ghibli Feature Films (public: gcat)
15. Films I watched in 2009 (public: jal90)
16. Djross Japanese feature films I've seen (public: djross)
17. Netflix (public: Tarnop)
18. Movies I Have That I Haven't Watched Yet (public: TraverseTown)
19. Anime-Film (public: BurakOzturk)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 6 |  |
djross | 65 70th |
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Charming kids movie involving a cat in top hat, tails and cane who works at the Cat Business Office: what more do you need? Anyone who says this needs "more conflict" or a "stronger character arc" or "weightier themes" should really stop reading books about how to write a killer Hollywood screenplay.
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| 6 |  |
Suture Self | 8 81st |
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Maybe it's my drug history speaking, but I love escapist fantasy and The Cat Returns is yet another high quality movie influenced by the likes of Alice In Wonderland. I'm amused that people are frustrated at its lack of thematic weight because I found its feather-light heart pitch perfect; and its running time is a breezy 75 minutes so things never drag. I'm sure it helps that I love cats, too.
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| 4 |  |
Nathan S | 3 45th |
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Terribly cute and charming, but lacking the thematic weight usually expected from Ghibli.
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| 4 |  |
Barthalen | 74 66th |
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Super comfy escapist fairytale-ish entertainment. Doesn't try to go deep, but luckily doesn't have any dramatic angles either. Just a cute adventure involving talking cats, hidden kingdoms, transformations, mazes, magic towers and all that jazz. I gotta watch this with my niece sometime. :3 Most importantly, it teaches kids that becoming a furry is a bad idea and is incompatible with being a part of human society.
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| 3 |  |
Ytadel | 6 70th |
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Skates by with its thin story on account of being incredibly cute. Recommended for cat lovers.
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| 3 |  |
LennyNero | 75 71st |
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Very funny and fast-paced charmer.
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| 3 |  |
Luna6ix | 74 48th |
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A solid outing from Ghibli, but as has been my experience this far, Ghibli de facto imparts a unique fantasy to all of their movies, but Miyazaki transforms it into a whimsical kind of magic. With no Miyazaki, it's just not the same.
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| 3 |  |
moraesfelipe | 65 62nd |
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It's an animation for kids -- short and simple -- and a very cute one.
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| 3 |  |
begoniabol | 86 89th |
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Cute!
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| 3 |  |
Kingjohnbbq | 90 65th |
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I really enjoyed how familiar and at the same time how bizarre it all was. Being in the world at all now pretty much means you're a part of cat culture, whether you want to be or not. I liked how light and easy to digest this whole story was. Its just a fun movie to space out to. plus Peter Boyle, c'mon.
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| 3 | RandallODim | 80 54th |
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It's not super deep, but it's a lot of fun. Also just notable for having a protagonist whose development actually involves them deciding they aren't interested in pursuing their earlier romantic interest. I think that's pretty cool.
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| 3 | Nepeta | 65 35th |
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The plotting is a bit weak, and I can't say I'm anywhere near as convinced by this world that's created as I would be in say a Miyazaki film for example, but it's just so damn charming that I can't help but like it. Pretty fun in spite of its faults.
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| 3 |  |
joel-w-m | 8 81st |
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"It's tough to survive in this world." In a film filled with magic and whimsy, this early line from kitten to kid stands out and foreshadows a unique undercurrent of poignant coming-of-age fare ("Where do I belong?") that comes to an excellent resolve ("It doesn't matter anymore") in an overall bizarre and marvelous fantasy adventure plot that enchants (see the mesmerizing midnight cat walk) and charms (Baron's a babe, obvs) and tickles your funny bone (see the kooky King practicing his swing).
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| 3 |  |
Phantom Nook | 80 86th |
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The Cat Returns isn't the best Studio Ghibli movie, but it's definitely the funniest.
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| 3 | Morble | 78 89th |
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Most great films are incredibly dark and grim and it's just so nice to see a good movie that's based completely on whimsy and happy fantasy.
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| 2 |  |
DMCrimson | 79 53rd |
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Not exactly Studio Ghibli's most artistic accomplishment but adorable enough to make me like it. I'd probably approve of them doing a Thin Red Line remake if it was this full of cats.
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| 2 |  |
Falooza | 77 83rd |
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This film features the greatest cat name ever: Renaldo Moon!
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| 2 |  |
Okkervil | 59 50th |
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It’s charming in places with individual set pieces that are really lovely. But narratively it’s shambles and far too lightweight; and whilst this is not always an issue in a Ghibli picture, ‘The Cat Returns’ is never enchanting or interesting enough to paper over the cracks. Likeable and entertainingly bizarre, but clearly lacking the polish of the more substantial Ghibli works.
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| 2 |  |
botelhudo | 75 60th |
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Fun and wild fantasy about girl who discovers that cats hide much more than we can imagine. Metaphor for the rite of passage from childhood to adolescence, this animation has the usual excellent quality of the works of Ghibli Studios. For children, yes. And also for adults who like soft, unusual and clever cartoons.
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| 2 | Volumeswell | 55 41st |
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A bit too straightforward and predictable but still a solid whimsical adventure that doesn't try to be anything more than that.
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| 2 |  |
Barraoc | 70 64th |
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Those cats are crazy.
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| 2 |  |
hisblob | 98 97th |
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Very enjoyable and charming. And for god's sake, set it to the Japanese track.
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| 2 |  |
VengefulKBM | 75 63rd |
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Fun, kid-friendly follow-up/spin-off to Whisper of the Heart that's definitely worth a watch. Lighter fare, but not in a bad way.
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| 2 |  |
Corbad | 80 80th |
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Its humour and slapstick delights, its characters utterly charm (can anyone blame Haru for crushing on the baron??), and its story, simple and magical, enchants. The "find where you belong" angle is weak, but never necessary, so its failure doesn't bring down the film. Absolutely lovely.
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| 1 |  |
MartinTeller | 63 22nd |
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A sequel of sorts to Whisper of the Heart, perhaps it's more accurate to call it a spin-off. It's an Alice in Wonderland kind of story, nothing much here you haven't seen before. Rather disappointing for a Studio Ghibli production, but I think it's mostly intended for the kids.
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| 1 |  |
Dorkovsky | 5 59th |
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An above average children's movie but a poor Studio Ghibli one.
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| 1 | nuotio | 60 67th |
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Simpler and more straight-forward than Miyazaki's films, it's a minor film in Ghibli's resume, but still a fun animation for the whole family. At 75mins It doesn't overstay it's welcome.
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| 1 |  |
kaedesmith | 75 56th |
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Lovely story, quite magical and the Baron is a fantastic character.
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| 1 |  |
cagedwisdom | 50 38th |
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There's some good stuff in here, it's just not quite right. If I hadn't seen the Ghibli title card I wouldn't have believed it.
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| 1 |  |
turin | 54 28th |
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An Alice in Wonderland kind of story with promising beginning, introducing interesting characters and showing some of Ghibli trademark quality observant little scenes, which develops into a more ordinary kids' fairy tale without the originality the studio got us used to.
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| 1 |  |
gokhanince | 72 47th |
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Though the story was too childish this time,catching up with an old chap 'Baron von Gikkingen' has made it worthwhile
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| 1 |  |
JooJoo | 3 30th |
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Extremely lightweight material that refuses to bring an interesting conflict or character to fruition. As the animation also lacks any imaginative touches, I'm gonna go as far as to say it's barely passing (for Ghibli standards, of course).
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| 1 |  |
hehejaja | 65 47th |
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A pretty funny, imaginative anime in quite the same spirit as Spirited Away.
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| 1 |  |
psim | 69 25th |
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It's fine as a funny story about a girl who's drawn into a fantasy world to be married against her will, but not much more. I think this one feels the most like a Disney film instead of a Ghibli one, although it has some nice touches like the cat parade.
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| 1 |  |
hellboy76 | 66 51st |
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While there is charm and some humor mixed in, it gets really boring at times.
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| 1 |  |
stevekimes | 85 73rd |
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While it clocks in at an hour, it feels like a full feature. The title character is one of the most charming heroes ever-- I can see why she fell in love with him!
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| 1 |  |
goremeat | 60 43rd |
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Vaguely amusing in it's quaint take on chivalry as 'kakkoii' and somewhat charming, but also incredibly hollow and vacuous.
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| 1 |  |
KramYessev | 69 54th |
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Why are prolific actors so bad at voice acting when it comes to these films? Definitely one of the more forgettable Ghibli films, but it's a fun watch, especially once the characters enter the kingdom.
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| 1 |  |
Leonardis | 89 61st |
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While I prefer Miazaki's work, The Cat Returns has an awesome story and some pretty talented voice acting. Genuine look anime movie that's hilarious and entertaining and could sit well with just about anybody. That and I'm a cat person. Cute and worth an easy watch for it's characters and story.
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| 1 |  |
ThereminJam | 85 77th |
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Super cute!
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| 1 |  |
bakcheia | 72 59th |
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Cute movie for kids (I know I would have loved it if I were 5), but ultimately falls into being incredibly predictable and nothing more. I must say though, it was pretty whimsical and fun, it just dragged a bit and lacked finesse.
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| 1 |  |
larcher | 80 58th |
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The ending is predictable, but the movie is so beautiful you dont mind seeing it.
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| 1 | tombom | 60 51st |
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Cute stuff and enjoyable enough although the plot feels weird cause I think it's taken from a wider story or something? i dunno it's nice but not *great* great
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| 1 | qtpi | 5 38th |
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Kawaii nekos dess!!
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| 1 | feetlips | 95 91st |
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Supremely playful and imaginative.
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| 1 | BerretSO4 | 84 40th |
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It's really quite good, but the plot follows a big formula and it hurts. If it were less obvious it'd be easier to stomach. The humor is great though, as is the voice acting. Judy Greer!
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| 1 |  |
shinySinger | 80 44th |
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its not zoophilia if the talking cat you are in love with is actually a statue, right???
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| Average Percentile 55.42% from 979 Ratings |  |