“The Cat Returns” is about a young woman becoming betrothed to the Prince of Cats after saving him from a speeding vehicle. While the young woman faces a life of becoming Cat Royalty, she has to learn what matters to her. The film is a companion piece to “Whisper of the Heart”, but Whisper had the far greater animation. What we get here is an interesting take on the Ghibli style around the Spirited Away release. It’s just that the Studio’s focus was obviously on the Oscar winning bigger picture.
Miyazaki will forever remain one of the World’s animation greats. It’s just the features that he didn’t hand guide show a break in style that will alienate casual fans. I dig what Morita did here as the director, but I can’t say that it’s anywhere near a personal favorite. The dub track is neat, as Anne Hathaway and Cary Elwes makes the main characters come to life. That being said, this is one for the fans.
The Blu-Ray comes with original Japanese storyboards, featurettes and original promo spots as the special features. The A/V Quality is pretty stellar, much like the other Miyazaki Blu-Ray releases. The 1080p transfer is stunning and it makes the DVD look an abomination in the eyes of God. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track is pretty impressive, but I never saw it in theaters. All I have is home video releases to compare it against (see my previous quip about the DVD). In the end, it’s worth a purchase.
Release Date: 6/16/15