£16 in premium fund, thanks Ciao :-). You can also read my reviews at http://lou-reviews.blogspot.co...
£16 in premium fund, thanks Ciao :-). You can also read my reviews at http://lou-reviews.blogspot.co m/
Member since:25.11.2008
Reviews:137
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I'm not really one for Japanese animation, and I didn't realise until this DVD arrived that it was Japanese. I'd only ordered it from Lovefilm because my son was sick of the constant dog DVDs that my daughter wanted and plumped for a cat one instead.
Synopsis
Haru is a school girl, who's very shy and doesn't have a lot of confidence. One day she sees a cat crossing the road just as the lights change, with a lorry hurtling toward the cat she rushes out and scoops the cat in her lacrosse stick, and jumps thems both to safety.
As she looks up she sees the cat standing on two feet and brushing himself down, she's even more dumbstruck when the cat talks to her and tells her that he's in a rush, but he'll be back later to thank her properly.
Later that night she's woken by the sound of cats screeching in the street, as she goes outside she see a procession of cats all walking on two legs, with secret agent cats keeping the moggy riff raff at bay.
Seemingly the cat she saved was the prince (Lune) of the Cat Kingdom, and the king himself wanted to thank Haru. He also promises to lavish her with gifts.
The next day she's mobbed by cats on the way to school, and finds her locker filled with gift boxes full of mice. The best is yet to come, the king has decided that Haru will make a perfect bride for his son, and refusal is not an option.
Haru is panicking until she hears a voice telling her to seek out the large white cat (called Muta), and ask him to show her the cat bureau. After initially sitting on the cat, and then insulting his weight, Muta agrees to lead Haru to the car bureau. At the bureau Haru meets the Baron (a cat figurine that comes to life) and Toto (a crow statue that comes to life). They agree to help her, but before they can formulate a plan the cats kidnap Haru and take her to the cat kingdom.
Cast for English Dub
Haru Yoshioka - Anne Hathaway and Katia Coe as younger Haru Baron Humbert von Gikkingen - Cary Elwes Muta - Peter Boyle Toto - Elliott Gould The Cat King - Tim Curry Lune - Andrew Bevis Yuki - Judy Greer
My Thoughts
I've never watched a Japanese cartoon right through before, my kids have never been ones for watching Pokemon or any of those programmes, so I was a bit dubious at first.
Turns out my fears were quite unfounded, whilst it's not the sort of animation that'll ever rival Disney, it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, and the animation was no where near as harsh as the Pokemon drawings, in fact some of the cats were quite cute and soft looking.
The storyline wasn't too bad either, okay it was a great imagination stretcher, but it was easy for the kids to follow, and had all the necessary elements; the needy heroine, the suave and debonair hero, the moaning sidekick, the wicked bad guy, and a bit of love to round it all off. It wasn't meant to be a funny film (at least I don't think it was) but there were a couple of laugh out loud moments for the kids.
I'm not sure of the running time, I didn't notice it, but it seemed to be quite a short film, this meant that everything was a little rushed, and there wasn't time enough to get any real feel for the characters. Having said that I think if it had been any longer it wouldn't have held my kids attention, because the storyline wasn't strong enough.
I can't really recall much of a musical score, apart from the tune at the end, which was quite pleasant, and got a thumbs up from my daughter because she said it was 'dudey', which is high praise indeed!
Obviously I don't know what the original script says, but there were a lot of Americanisms in the film, and a lot of things I just can't imagine Japanese teenagers saying, so in my mind the script has been changed somewhat from the original.
The Alternative Angle Storyboards mean you have to sit pressing the angle button on your remote to see them. The making of The Cat Returns is spoken in Japanese and subtitled.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
The Cat Returnsbrings back Muta, the cranky fat cat, and Baron von Gikkingen, the elegant ... more
statue, from the featureWhisper of the Heart. On her way home from school, Haru, a confused 17-year-old, prevents an elegant gray cat from being hit by a truck. S...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The Cat Returnsbrings back Muta, the cranky fat cat, and Baron von Gikkingen, the elegant ... more
statue, from the featureWhisper of the Heart. On her way home from school, Haru, a confused 17-year-old, prevents an elegant gray cat from being hit by a truck. S...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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Animated Feature Film 2002) comes the visually stunning The Cat Returns! Haru a schoolgirl bored by her ordinary routine saves the life of an unusual cat and ...
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for young audiences and cat lovers alike!Haru is a free-spirited young girl who, on her way home from school, sees a cat trying to cross a busy street. She rushes...
Advantages: A very good little lollipop of a film that is pleasing to watch Disadvantages: No character development, short running time and pacing not as good as it could be
Advantages: A very good little lollipop of a film that is pleasing to watch Disadvantages: No character development, short running time and pacing not as good as it could be
![The Cat Returns [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78484501.jpg "The Cat Returns [DVD]")
Oct 28th, 2009
very helpful by (100%):
