So guys, if you remember in Whisper Of The Heart, there was that Cat Baron doll thing that Shizuku saw in the antique shop and it's what she decided to write a story about it. Well, they actually decided to give that cat character his own movie and so we got this one, The Cat Returns. I will admit, a part of me feels that's a bit weird, the fact that they just decided to make a film about a relatively small part of another film, but in my opinion, I think they did the best version of this that they could have done because this is honestly another one of my favourite Studio Ghibli movies. I don't think it really resonates with me emotionally like a lot of the other Studio Ghibli films, but, in terms of one of their films that's just meant to be a small fun time, that's what this is for me, just one of their movies that's just a lot of fun to watch. And, yeah, while I don't think it's as good as Whisper Of The Heart, it's still really good. So, the plot of this film is that it centres around a girl named Haru who saves a small cat from getting run over and it he then begins to walk and talk and it turns out he's the prince of a cat kingdom and the king decides to kidnap Haru and take her to the kingdom to marry the prince. Haru doesn't want to go, so she's told of the Baron, who's in some different place this time and he tries to help her but she's taken away to the kingdom before they can help her so now it's up to the Baron and another cat on this side named Muta to get her out of there, especially since Haru herself is starting to turn into a cat. So, yeah, a lot of that really does sound like a story for small kids and, to be fair, the whole film does feel like it's something that's aimed for a younger audience, but, for what it is, I really enjoy this film. I mean, it's not like some other Ghibli films where they try to have a deep message in them and try to be more serious, it's mostly just a simple adventure with more simpler animation and so on. The film itself isn't even that long, it's only 75 minutes long and I'm glad it's something that doesn't overstay its welcome. For something that's really simple and kid-friendly, it's a decent length. But what they do in that time is nice too. It's like what I said the last time where I really like the events that happen here with the different things they do. Even though a lot of it goes by quickly, it's still really entertaining when it's there. It's kinda hard to explain, but I mainly like the different interactions between the characters and the ways the film ties itself together. I say it's hard to explain because, like I said, the film is a lot shorter and simpler compared to other Ghibli movies, but, something about how this film does it is pretty nice and sweet. But it's also just a nice film to watch. It's like I said, the film is really short so it gets to everything really quickly. As soon as Haru saves the cat, she's taken to the kingdom really fast and that leads to the climax really quickly. It's just a very fast paced movie that feels like it knows what it is and just goes with it, which I really enjoy. The climax as well is really exciting and funny at the same time with the king and his army chasing Haru, the Baron and Muta through a maze and then they go to a tower where the cat prince helps them out. I also feel like this movie confirmed the fact that the Baron himself is actually a very underrated character for me. He's just really likeable and I like his mature personality. A good help with that is thanks to Cary Elwes voice performance who helps make him very likeable. Speaking of, the rest of the cast is also great. Anne Hathaway makes Haru very likeable and innocent and just does a great job in general, Peter Boyle, Andy Richter and Tim Curry are really funny as Muta, Natoru and the king cat and the rest are great too. Plus, like I said, I think the film has a really creative way of tying itself together. Again, since it's not on the same heights as something like Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, it's nothing insane, but, like I've said a lot already, for the kinda movie it is, it just makes it very likeable. What I'm talking about is at the end when one of the cats named Yuki reveals that she's a cat that Haru helped when she was younger and I think that was a nice moment. And it has a nice moment with her and the prince too. So, yeah, like I said, it's not really an amazingly spectacular movie, but I don't think it was supposed to be, it's just a very small adventure film and I really enjoy it on that level and because it never tries to be more than it is, I really enjoy this movie for that and this is still one of my favourite Ghibli movies because of that. I just really enjoy the film greatly for the fun adventure it has. I also feel like the animation being simpler helps with that too. So, yeah, I really don't think there's much to really say about this film. It's just a really fun time and it's nice that they made this spin-off film for a very minor character from another movie and made him more likeable. So, yeah, I do think you should check this out if you're curious, I really liked it. So, guys, that's my review of The Cat Returns. Thank you all for reading and please comment down below to tell me what you think.
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