The Cat Returns

I want a kitten.
Let me start off this review by saying the movie itself is a five star treat. I rented, after being on a Miyazaki and Ghibli streak, wanting to see all this Japanese studio had to offer. This one blew me away. It made me renew my love for cats, and I know this is one that my best friend, a feline fanatic himself, will probably be proudly displaying next to his What's Michael? japanese comics. Something the collective asian conscience gives them an affinity for cats, and it helps this movie shine. Anyone who has kids or cat lovers will enjoy this tale, but some may be a little lost. There was a movie before this one called Whisper of The Heart, not translated into english, but it isn't the same storyline, just the same characters, so you wont be missing any info, just dealing with a huge plot. Its worth investing in though.

WARNING!: Long Plot Ahead! (You should probably just skip to the end and then watch the movie, but it's here for the confused)

School girl...

A surprising choice . . .
I am not doing this review based on the Disney release, but on the original Japanese release. This charming little story is a product of Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, but it is directed by Miyazaki's associate, Hiroyuki Morita. It is actually a sequel to the excellent and equally charming Whisper of the Heart, another beautiful though very low-key Ghibli product. The strange thing is that Whisper of the Heart has never been released in the U.S.; releasing the sequel before the original is a bit odd.

That being said, a wealth of details about the films (and everything from Studio Ghibli) can be found on the tremendously informative nausicaa.net Web site. Since this film is being released with Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind and Porco Rosso on February 22, it can only be hoped that it will ride somewhat on the coattails of the two better-known Miyazaki works and will have decent sales. It's an excellent family film and is a refreshing change (like all of Ghibli's works)...

Okay but mixed
Fans of Miyazaki-san and Studio Ghibli will appreciate this release, even though, once again, the Guardians of American Culture at Disney have tinkered with the dialog and plot line to suit their agenda. The release seems ham-handed and rushed.

Quite annoying and unforgivable is the use of so-called "dubtitles" to accompany the Japanese dialog. Thus we get the altered meanings, extra conversational clutter and hip dialog revisions of the English dub, instead of a literal translation of the Japanese script. Why no true subtitles? Probably a budgetary/profit margin decision.

Anyway, it's not too bad, even though, as other reviewers have noted, the release to the N. American market suffers from lack of antecedent -- just who is The Cat, and why should we be excited at his return? Return from where, exactly?

2012 update: okay, I see now that The Cat's Repayment is a more accurate translation of the Japanese original title, which reaffirms anyway that the...

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