Review for The Cat Returns - Double Play: The Studio Ghibli Collection

Introduction

The month of May sees the release of two Ghibli films on Blu-ray from Studiocanal, Princess Mononoke and this, The Cat Returns. That leaves only Spirited Away, and Only Yesterday of the Ghibli feature back catalogue yet to get the HD upgrade. Of course the Pre-Ghibli Little Norse Prince got a UK DVD release as a part of the Ghibli collection, and there is the TV movie Ocean Waves as well, while what looks to be Hayao Miyazaki’s swansong, The Wind Rises has only now hit UK cinemas, let alone be contemplated for home video release. But the reality is that we’re coming close to the end of this Blu-ray journey for the Ghibli movies, a process that might have seemed interminable back when Optimum started with Nausicaa. We’ll probably go through it all again with 4k.

With Hayao Miyazaki retiring from feature film directing, the torch has been passed to the next generation of animators, but this has been a lengthy process. The Cat Returns was actually the second attempt to step away from the alternating command of Miyazaki and Takahata, with Hiroyuki Morita given the responsibility of taking this story to the big screen. The first time was with Yoshifumi Kondo who tragically only lived to direct one Ghibli film, Whisper of the Heart. There’s a symmetry there in that The Cat Returns actually spins off from Whisper of the Heart, featuring an adventure with the fictional in-universe characters that were introduced in the earlier film. The Cat Returns is being released as a Dual Play, collecting both the Blu-ray and DVD discs of this film. I’m reviewing just the Blu-ray component of this release.

No good deed goes unpunished! At least that is the case for a schoolgirl named Haru. Her life as a teenager was complicated enough, trying to figure out the guy she was crushing on, but she opens a whole other can of worms when she rescues a cat (carrying a gift) from oncoming traffic. She wasn’t expecting the cat to stand up on his two hind legs, bow politely, and thank her for it. And she certainly wasn’t expecting the lavish gratitude of the ruler of the Kingdom of Cats. Now she’s being followed by a feline retinue, showered in unwanted gifts, and she’s been invited to the Cat Kingdom to get married to the Prince. Fortunately, before things get out of hand, she’s pointed to the Cat Business Office, where the Baron will be able to help her out of her predicament. Unfortunately, before they can figure out what to do, the cats arrive and spirit her away to the Cat Kingdom.

Picture

The Cat Returns gets a gorgeous 1.85:1 widescreen transfer at 1080p resolution. It’s a short film at just 75 minutes, and extra features aren’t overly-abundant on this disc, but it still gets a BD 50 to itself. As you can imagine, it looks divine. The film comes across with detail and clarity, and with rich colours. There’s a smidge of grain, and comparing it to the trailers on the disc, it doesn’t look to have been through the same degree of post-processing that Madman (whose master is sourced for this release) have applied to the other Ghibli titles in the catalogue. There’s a rich, and textured pastel art and watercolour feel to the backgrounds, while the character designs are simpler than you’d expect from Ghibli films, with the design style straying from the usual Ghibli aesthetic. The detail comes in the animation, which is carefully observed and beautifully crafted. A lot of the character performance comes in the way these characters move, and at time you’d be convinced that they were rotoscoped.

The images used in this review are sourced from the PR, and aren’t necessarily representative of the final retail release.

Sound

You have the choice of DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround English and Japanese, with optional translated subtitles to go with the Japanese audio. There is no signs only track to go with the film, but the text prologue gets a spoken voiceover in the English version. The dialogue is clear throughout, and the film’s music is quirky and effective in driving the story along. The surrounds get put to good use in conveying the film’s action and ambience. I watched the film through in Japanese, and was happy with that, but this is one of those films that get a really good, a-list English dub, and Peter Boyle gives the character of Muta a dry sarcasm that steals the film. It’s well worth watching in both languages.

Extras

The disc presents its content with an animated menu screen. The scene select option has a minor glitch in that it presents the same thumbnails for chapters 1-6 and 7-12, although you can navigate them as you are meant to.

As per usual for the Ghibli collection, you can watch the film with storyboards, here presented in the bottom right hand corner via your Picture in Picture button.

The largest extra feature on this disc is The Making of “The Cat Returns”, which lasts 34 minutes and is presented in 720p, 4:3 pillar-boxed. It’s a look at the making of the film from conception to completion, with interviews with all the people involved at studio Ghibli.

Behind the Microphone takes a look at the English language side of things, with interviews with the voice cast, including Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle, Elliot Gould, and Tim Curry. This lasts 9 minutes and again is in 720p.


You get the Original Japanese Theatrical Trailer, the Original Japanese Promos, and the Original Japanese TV Spots, the latter isn’t in HD.

Finally you get trailers for Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Ponyo, From Up On Poppy Hill, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Porco Rosso.

Conclusion

The Cat Returns may just be Ghibli’s most light and ephemeral of films. Its message, if it really has one, is a simple one about coming of age, and really is focused on Haru learning to make decisions for herself. That is really much it. It’s not one of the Miyazaki eco-tales, there’s no passion for a long lost age, there’s no particular celebration of childhood and no significant character drama. What The Cat Returns is, is fun. It’s a wholly enjoyable romp that doesn’t outstay its welcome, and it might just be Ghibli’s funniest movie of their whole canon. Certainly I laugh at moments in this film with a pure joy in a way that I certainly don’t with the other Ghibli films, much as I love them.

It’s a film that revels in absurdity, and builds on character. Haru is a delightful teenage girl, although we don’t need to know every aspect of her character, or what issues she may have. Her force of personality comes across in the animation and the actor performances. Her principle role is to be struck dumbfounded at each new fantastic revelation that follows her rescue of the cat. From that moment on the absurdities begin to spiral out of control, with the King of the Cats, a more laid back king you’ll never see, followed by a retinue of retainers arriving to express their gratitude. That gratitude gets ever more extravagant and annoying, including gift-wrapped mice until it becomes clear that she’s engaged to the prince.


She’s pointed in the direction of salvation, the Cat Business Office, where she meets Muta, the fat cat from Whisper of the Heart, and the Baron, the figurine in the antiques shop come to life. Muta is a gruff and sarcastic curmudgeon, but the Baron, as his title suggests, is an aristocratic and elegant saviour. The two cats, together with the crow Toto offer to help Haru, but before they can, she gets spirited away to the Cat Kingdom for her wedding. Of course the cats have taken the fact that she’s human into account, and have arranged for it. The absurdity reaches its apex with a banquet, where the king lays on a talent contest to entertain the new princess, a hilarious sequence. Of course the comedy gives way to a little swashbuckling when the Baron arrives to rescue Haru, but the light-hearted touch is ever present.

The Cat Returns is a simple story, one that doesn’t really challenge the intellect, but it really does appeal to the heart. The animation is sublime, while the characters are delightful and engaging in both English and Japanese, and the energy, pace and charm of the story really does grab the attention. The Cat Returns is also delightfully funny, comedy with a great sense of timing. It’s a wonderful family film that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.