The Cat Returns (2002)

The Cat Returns (2002)

Dir. Hiroyuki Morita

TCR is a spin-off from Ghibli's Whisper of the Heart (1995) film, and while it's not wholly necessary to have watched WotH prior to TCR, it's recommended, nevertheless, because two of TCR's characters were first introduced in WotH. The earlier film is also where you get the back-story of smartly dressed cat Baron Humbert von Gikkingen. If you don't care about any of that, though, you can enjoy TCR on its own merits.

It's the story of high-school student Haru Yoshioka, a young girl who seems to be constantly running late for class. She's often disorganised, has a messy room, and is a little clumsy. But she has a kind heart, is a good friend, and looks out for animals in need, all of which are positive, inspirational traits.

A selfless act at a busy road earns her the gratitude of the Cat Kingdom, which turns out not to be as welcome a blessing as it may sound.

It has a different feeling and art style to most of Studio Ghibli's output, and its core themes aren't explored in any great depth, possibly partly as a result of the short running time (75 mins), but it moves at a steady pace and has fun characters - even grumpy Muta has a certain charm.

Hiroyuki Morita has a long and respectable history as a second unit director and storyboard animator, but to date TCR is the only feature film that he's directed solo. I'm guessing that's a personal choice, though, because the film is spirited and lively in all the right places. If you're in the mood for something light-hearted and uplifting, with cats, then it could be a good choice.