Haru is a high school girl going through the motions of an ordinary life — until she impulsively dashes into traffic to save a cat carrying a small gift box in its mouth. The cat is Prince Lune of the Cat Kingdom, and the Cat King is so grateful he decides to reward Haru with the one thing she would least expect: his son's hand in marriage. Haru wakes up the next morning to find her garden overflowing with cattail plants, her locker full of mice, and a royal escort of cats arriving to take her to the Kingdom of Cats whether she wants to go or not. Her only hope of getting home is the mysterious Baron — a dapper cat figurine who, in the Cat Kingdom, comes to life — and his enormous companion Muta, who has dealings of his own with the Cat King. The Cat Returns is a 2002 theatrical film directed by Hiroyuki Morita in his feature debut, produced by Studio Ghibli with project concept by Hayao Miyazaki, and written by Reiko Yoshida . It is a spiritual sequel to Whisper of the Heart, sharing the Baron character, and began as a short film commissioned for a theme park before being expanded into a feature. At 75 minutes it is one of the shortest Studio Ghibli features and one of its most purely comic, operating as a breezy Alice in Wonderland-style fantasy. The English-language voice cast includes Anne Hathaway as Haru, Cary Elwes as the Baron, Tim Curry as the Cat King, Elliott Gould, Peter Boyle, Andy Richter, Judy Greer, Kristen Bell, and Rene Auberjonois. Notable Staff & Voice Talent Director: Hiroyuki Morita (feature debut)Project Concept: Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro)Screenplay: Reiko Yoshida (Magic User's Club TV, Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection, Cardcaptor Sakura film)Original Graphic Novel: Aoi Hiiragi (Whisper of the Heart)Producer: Toshio SuzukiStudio: Studio GhibliMusic: Yuji Nomi Japanese Cast:- Chizuru Ikewaki as Haru- Yoshihiko Hakamada as the Baron- Tetsu Watanabe as Muta- Yosuke Saito as Prince Lune- Hitomi Sato as Yuki- Tetsuro Tamba as the Cat King English Dub Cast (Disney):- Anne Hathaway as Haru (Princess Diaries, Les Misérables)- Cary Elwes as the Baron (The Princess Bride)- Tim Curry as the Cat King (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue)- Elliott Gould as Toto- Peter Boyle as Muta- Andy Richter as Natoru (Conan O'Brien)- Judy Greer as Yuki- Kristen Bell as Hiromi (Frozen — Anna)Blu-ray Features (Disney June 16, 2015 Release) - Region-Free BD50 Disc- Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack- Early Printing Embossed Reflective Cardboard Slipcover- Disney Movie Rewards Code- English DTS-HD High Res Audio / French Dolby Digital 5.1 / Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1- Note: GKIDS / Shout! Factory edition (January 16, 2018) adds storyboards and "Behind the Microphone" featurette not present on this Disney release Spoken Languages: English, Japanese & French Audio, English Subtitles Edition Details Japanese Title: 猫の恩返し (Neko no Ongaeshi / The Cat Returns)Runtime: ~75 MinutesDirector: Hiroyuki MoritaBlu-ray Release Year: 2015 (U.S. Release, June 16 — Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment); GKIDS / Shout! Factory reissue January 16, 2018Original Release Date (Japan): July 20, 2002Publisher: Walt Disney Studios Home EntertainmentRating: GRegion: Region Free (BD50)Note: Region-free BD50 disc. Early printings include embossed reflective slipcover. Spiritual sequel to Whisper of the Heart — shares the Baron character. GKIDS reissue (2018) includes additional bonus features not on this edition.Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, ComedyThemes: Cat Kingdom, Alice in Wonderland Homage, Whisper of the Heart Spiritual Sequel, Anne Hathaway & Tim Curry Dub Cast, Studio Ghibli Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.
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