 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Cat Returns
- Review Date: December 5, 2011
- G
- Genre: Fantasy
- 2005
Common Sense Media says
Imaginative adventure anime has some fantasy violence.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this imaginative offshoot of Whispers of the Heart has violent scenes of cartoon cats engaged in battles with swords, spears, and chains. But the overarching story of Haru learning that "nobody decides who I am but me" is an inspiring story for mature tweens and up.
What's the story?
Haru (voiced by Anne Hathaway) walks home with her friend after a tough day at school when she rescues a cat from nearly getting run over by a truck. The cat is actually the Prince of the Cats, hailing from the Kingdom of Cats. In gratitude, cats everywhere bring gift-wrapped mice to her school locker, and want to take her to the Kingdom so she can marry the Prince. Her only escape from this odd fate comes in the form of a mysterious voice summoning her to the Cat Bureau, where the dashing feline Baron (Cary Elwes) and his portly companion Muta (Peter Boyle) (both of whom were characters in the charming anime Whispers of the Heart) try to rescue Haru from both marriage to -- and transforming into -- a cat.
Is it any good?
It's as strange as it is imaginative -- a human girl being summoned to marry a princely cat, cats fighting with swords, spears, and chains, a girl transforming (metamorphosizing?) into a cat, a jester cat substituting squid-throwing for knife-throwing to entertain a cat king, etc. -- but for parents and kids wearied of the trite and formulaic, THE CAT RETURNS should be a refreshing change from the typical. It brings back two of the characters from the charming coming-of-age anime Whisper of the Heart, but don't expect this to be a sequel. The Cat Returns is its own surreal deal.
Counterbalancing the highly-creative adventure story is the inspirational story of Haru's self-affirmation, as The Baron and Muta inspire her to believe in herself and to not allow her destiny to be controlled by others. (Especially cats.) There is a fair amount of cartoon violence as Haru tries to make her escape from the Kingdom of Cats, but all-in-all, The Cat Returns is a fun -- and unusual -- adventure tale.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how Haru's social, school, and home life are depicted in the film. How is it similar or different to your life?
How is this anime's portrayal of tween life similar and different to tween life shown in American films?
In the midst of an argument, Haru proclaims, "Nobody decides who I am but me!" What does this mean, and how might these principles be applied in daily life?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
great anime
Great movie. I love cats and manta and anime. I wish that common sense media would review more manga
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AGE
Delightful film for adults and little children
The recommendation for age 10 on this site is too high. I saw this film with two boys aged 9 and 13 and with two girls aged 5 and 6. The girls loved it, often laughing delightedly. (The adult liked it a lot too.) The boys complained about its being for little kids. There is a little unrealistic violence, but it's not scary (unlike The Beauty and the Beast and even Ponyo, which were suspenseful and quite frightening, Ponyo less than Beauty). The violence would not frighten, even if it wouldn't be politically correct over here. Don't worry about the title The Cat Returns as indicating its being a sequel. It has a vestigial connection to a film called Whisper of the Heart but it stands alone and the connection is irrelevant. Some flashbacks in this film refer to this film alone, not the other one.
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AGE
Delightful for your cat lover
I think the rating for 10 year olds is too high. My daughter is 6 and loved it. She adores cats and was thrilled when the first cat stands up and speaks to Haru. She wasn't scared by the cartoon violence. She was distressed by the cat seemingly dead in the catnip jelly but that turns out fine in the end. The story has a good message but is not quite as well written as other Studio Ghibili films like Ponyo and My Neighbor Totoro. Overall, very entertaining young kids.
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Kid, 11 years old
February 29, 2012
AGE
CATS
This movie is great I have loved it every since I was really little it is great
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Kid, 11 years old
April 24, 2012
AGE
OH I LOVE THIS MOVIE
i watch it over and over again!!!!
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy |
| Studio: | Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment |
| Director: | Hiroyuki Morita |
| Cast: | Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Peter Boyle |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Run time: | 75 minutes |
| DVD release date: | February 22, 2005 |
| MPAA rating: | G |
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