|
This is the third Studio Ghibli anime feature released simultaneously with Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds and Porco Rosso. It was directed by Hiroyuki Morita; Hayao Miyazaki, the much admired director of the other two films, chose to act as executive producer, mentoring the younger man. Nausicaa is about the environment and Porco is about Miyazaki's fascination with aircraft. The Cat Returns is about the uncertainties of adolescence and finding oneself, and it's the most charming of the three.
Fans of Miyazaki's work will recognize that some concepts and characters have their genesis in the 1995 feature Whisper of the Heart. But the heroine of this film departs from typical Miyazaki. Haru (Anne Hathaway) is not spunky; she's neither strong-willed nor heroic. She's a typical adolescent who oversleeps, pines for a boy from afar, and is struggling to figure out who she is. Haru lives with her single-parent mom in a small but comfortable home and walks - runs actually, she's perpetually late - to school each day. It's on one of those commutes that she has a life altering experience.
An odd cat catches her attention. It's trotting down the sidewalk with a tiny gift box held in its mouth by a red ribbon. When the cat attempts to cross the street, it becomes caught in traffic. Haru saves the cat by darting in front of a truck and scooping the animal up in her lacrosse stick. On the other side of the street, the cat unexpectedly stands on its hind legs, dusts itself off, and speaks. He thanks the startled Haru, promises that she shall be rewarded for her bravery, and trots off.
Haru is so shocked that for the rest of the day she's not quite sure if it were all an illusion. Her doubt is soon dispelled; that night, a procession of cats arrives at her home. Among them, lounging on a cat-drawn cart is the King of the Cat Kingdom (Tim Curry). His toady, Notoru (Andy Richter), and Prime Minister, Natori (Rene Auberjonois), explain that she had saved the King's son, the prince. She's handed a scroll on which the fabulous riches the cats shall bestow on her have been listed. And with a perfunctory thank you from the King, the procession marches into the night.
Alas, what makes a cat ecstatic does not necessarily please a young girl. Pockets stuffed with catnip and a school locker overrun with gift-wrapped mice do not make her day. And when Notoru discovers that their efforts to make her happy have failed, the King takes a different approach. She shall be brought to the Cat Kingdom to be married to the prince. Could there possibly be a better reward?
Perhaps, for the prospect is frightening. A kind voice, disembodied and no less mysterious than the rest of this day, tells her to go to the Cat Bureau. Haru is advised to seek out a large white cat on a particular corner; that cat will guide her. Haru soon discovers that the fat cat is Muta (Peter Boyle) and following him to the Bureau is not very different than Alice following the white rabbit down the rabbit hole. Haru finds herself immersed in a secret animal world populated with a noble cat, The Baron (Cary Elwes), helpful crows, Toto (Elliott Gould), and empathetic cats like Yuki (Judy Greer), who has a long memory.
Despite The Baron's best efforts, Haru is spirited away to the Cat Kingdom; all he can do is follow and attempt a rescue. At first, the Cat Kingdom seems quite appealing to Haru. No school, no teasing classmates, no pressures - just eat and sleep and bask in the sun. But the prospect of marrying a cat does cause her some concern. Will Haru find her true self? Will The Baron save her from the litter box?
The film is imaginative and charming, with an allure that should transcend age. The voice talent is universally appealing; Disney has again done a fine job seeking out talented actors to voice the characters in a very effective English dub. My only complaint is that Hathaway's voice may be a bit too mature for the young Haru. I expected this film to be aimed lower than it proved to be; I was pleasantly surprised.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in anamorphic video. It's a lovely transfer that's similar in quality to the other two Ghibli films released that same day. From my Porco review, "The palette reminds me of watercolors rather than oils; the backgrounds are almost pastel. That isn't to say that there aren't bright primary colors. [They are] painted to the screen vividly and without a hint of smearing or chroma noise . . . Slight halos pop up from time to time, but they are of low amplitude and don't interfere with viewing pleasure. In fact, they are less obvious than on Nausicaa. The fine textures of the background plates are reproduced admirably. I didn't notice any mosquito noise or macroblocking."
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The Dolby Surround 2.0 track is very front-centric. I was aware of very few surround effects, and those were usually pans. The orchestral score by Yuji Nomi is light and delightful and presented with pleasing fidelity across a broad soundstage. The sound effects serve the story without drawing attention to themselves. The looped voices remain crystal clear throughout.
The French and the original Japanese are available, each in Dolby Surround 2.0. Optional subtitles are in English for the Hearing Impaired and simply in English; and for more English, Closed Captions are included.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The DVD opens with the same selection of trailers as found on the other two Ghibli films released that day: Bambi; Nausicaa, Porco, and Cat Returns; and, The Incredibles. They may be skipped and watched in the Sneak Peeks section. There you will also find: Spirited Away; Kiki's Delivery Service; and, Castle in the Sky.
Behind the Microphone (8:58) is another great little full screen featurette in which the English voice talent shares their experiences of making the film with us. It's here that I was able to discover if I had correctly identified the voices as I watched the film. (I only got about 50%.) We get to see them in action, working in front of the microphone. A pleasant piece.
The Making of The Cat Returns (34:10) is a full screen Japanese language documentary with voiceover English translation. It's here that Miyazaki discusses why Morita was chosen to direct, and it's here that I learned about the origins of the film. This is a surprisingly thorough and informative documentary. Perhaps the single most significant aspect of the piece is that Studio Ghibli has in place an in-house mentoring program to provide for the succession of the masters. After all, Hayao Miyazaki is now 64 years old and he felt that it was essential to prepare for the future of the studio. So we can expect to be charmed again.
The original Japanese trailers and TV Spots (4:36) are the last supplements on disc one. Which leaves the second disc.
As with Nausicaa and Porco, this is a feature-length animatic showing the original storyboards. Audio options are English and Japanese. And English subtitles and captions are identical to the first disc.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?
There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.
Final Thoughts
This delightful film is a smile-inducing charmer that should appeal to the entire family. A very fine transfer, a good audio track, and pleasing supplements make this an easy recommendation. The film is sufficiently dense to stand up to multiple viewings and if there are any youngsters in the house, I suspect they may want to watch it over and over again.
|
