We received the latest Studio Ghibli movie to be released on DVD yesterday. The Cat Returns is fantastic! It is sort of tied to Baron the cat, who was in Whispers of the Heart. The animation of The Cat Returns is top-notch of course, but the style is a little different from most Studio Ghibli films. The standard face that we usually see has changed a bit. The faces are still quite simple, yet the expressions are much more varied, as well as body movements. The background art is great as well. I always enjoy seeing scenes of normal Japanese towns, and there is plenty of them at the beginning. I was not able to spot any Supercubs, though… 🙂

Early on, though, the story takes a turn out of reality and into fantasy. More specifically, into the world of cats. The transition that the main character, Haru, takes from the real world to the cat world is really neat. She follows a cat, and the scenery gradually changes while she walks down streets and alleys. Very nicely done! The dialogue is really funny too. I think I watched about 2/3 of the movie before Bay felt it was time to sleep. I can’t wait to see the rest tonight.

Click here for a synopsis of the movie at Nausicaa.net.
%%cat_350k.wmv” >Click here to watch the trailer.