The Cat Returns

Play trailer

0:30

The Cat Returns

G

2005

1h 15m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Comedy

Fantasy

Animation

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

High school student Haru rescues a cat that was about to be run over by a truck and discovers the cat is actually a prince named Lune. Out of gratitude, Lune's father, the Cat King, asks her to marry Lune. Haru is brought to the Cat Kingdom, where she starts to develop feline features. When she is prevented from leaving, the Baron and Toto, two statues that have magically been given life, provide assistance in gaining her freedom.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Sweetly charming and beautifully animated, The Cat Returns offers anime adventure suitable for the very young and young at heart.

Read Critics Reviews

Lisa Nesselson

Variety

09/01/2008

Catchy entertainment for kids and adults...

Go to Full Review

Michael Booth

Denver Post

06/20/2007

[Director] Morita has a slightly cruder, more realistic sense of the world and its looniness than does Miyazaki, and you can see where The Cat Returns moves on a different track even as it pays homage to Japan's current animation master.

Go to Full Review

Anna Smith

Empire Magazine

04/01/2006

2/5

There's little tension or opportunity for emotional involvement in the brief story, and despite competent animation the cats are rarely anthropomorphised to good comic effect. One for anime -- and animal -- lovers only.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

09/18/2021

2.5/4

Pleasant if unexceptional.

Go to Full Review

Ben Nicholson

CineVue

12/28/2020

4/5

Miya-san may have said "sayounara" but the films made during his time will continue to inspire and delight.

Go to Full Review

Sergio Non

IGN Movies

12/28/2020

8/10

This movie exhibits a craft that belies Morita's inexperience as a director.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Jasaire

01/04/2025

The creator of this piece of work has a lifetime of award winning cartoons that I am a huge fan of. This is my first time seeing this one and Yes I purchased it a few days later.

See more

Dale O

@Baron259 4d

I love this movie so much and I'm really excited for the cat returns 3 movie and I'm excited for haru to have lovely thoughts on Baron and wants to be with him

See more

Kevin P

Jan 10

A very cute and funny spinoff of Shizuko's fantasy story from Whisper of the Heart about the Cat Baron. It's a very short movie with a very simple story & moral, but it's very charming and has a lot of lighthearted creativity. The titular Cat Baron is awesome and played excellently by Cary Elwes. The villainous King Cat is a riot and is voiced excellently by Tim Curry. Anne Hathaway and Kristen Bell have great chemistry as friends in the early scenes. I do wish that the movie spent more time in the cat kingdom. The runtime is already so short and it takes a good 20-30 minutes to get the adventure started. But once it starts, it just keeps building momentum. I love the sassy fat white cat Muta and raven Toto. The cat kingdom itself is very creative and visually appealing. Despite the off pacing, the climax is very exciting and chaotic and ends on a good note. If this movie were longer, I'd say it'd be another Ghibli classic. But for what it is, it's still very charming and underrated.

See more

Aluna U

Sep 30

The Cat Returns delivers a whimsical and imaginative tale about a girl drawn into a secret feline kingdom, supported by charming animation and a light-hearted tone. While the plot is engaging and accessible, certain character choices and missing narrative details slightly weaken the emotional impact. Still, it remains an enjoyable watch, especially for cat lovers and fans of fantasy adventures. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) and (English version : uwiepuspita.com)

See more

Nathan G

Aug 27

Another wonderful movie by Studio Ghibli. Entertaining and great animation. A wonderful family movie. A must watch!!!

See more

Lucas O

@LucasOMovies Aug 10

Rating: 86%. I enjoyed this film. It was entertaining, had good animation, didn't drag on, and was pretty funny. It had the Ghibli flair with the talking cats and I like how they created this story from the cat statue in Whisper of the Heart. It had a good message and is great for people of all ages. The plot was intersting and well-made. Sure, there were some silly moments, and its not some masterpiece, but overall a very good movie.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Hiroyuki Morita

Director

Anne Hathaway

Haru

Kristen Bell

Hiromi

Cary Elwes

The Baron

Peter Boyle

Muta

Elliott Gould

Toto

The Cat Returns - Studio Ghibli Fest: The Cat Returns - Studio Ghibli Fest

0:30

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

High school student Haru rescues a cat that was about to be run over by a truck and discovers the cat is actually a prince named Lune. Out of gratitude, Lune's father, the Cat King, asks her to marry Lune. Haru is brought to the Cat Kingdom, where she starts to develop feline features. When she is prevented from leaving, the Baron and Toto, two statues that have magically been given life, provide assistance in gaining her freedom.

Director: Hiroyuki Morita
Screenwriter: Cindy Davis Hewitt, Donald H. Hewitt
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Production Co: Studio Ghibli, Walt Disney Studios
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2005, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Aug 26, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 12, 2019
Runtime: 1h 15m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now