The Cat Returns

 3/4

Starring (voices): Anne Hathaway, Cary Elwes, Tim Curry, Judy Greer, Peter Boyle

Rated G

It saddens me deeply that Studio Ghibli isn't more widely known.  Despite creating some of the greatest animated films, they don't have nearly the popularity that they deserve.  Pixar has dominated the animation market for the last twenty years, and as much as I like Pixar, they don't have the daring or storytelling richness of Studio Ghibli.  And nothing Pixar has created has ever come close to the visual splendor.

"The Cat Returns" is a rarity in a few ways.  First, it was directed by neither of the two titans behind the studio: Hayao Miyazaki or the late Isao Takahata.  Instead, the reins went to Hiroyuki Morita, a first-timer who was chosen because the studio needed to nurture new talent to eventually replace the masters.  It is also their first, and thus far only, sequel or spin off to one of their own films.  It takes a minor character, the Cat Baron, from "Whisper of the Heart" and puts him in a new adventure.

Haru (Hathaway) is a normal 17 year old.  She sleeps too late, she lacks the confidence to talk to a boy she likes, and so on.  One day while walking home, she risks her neck to save a cat from being creamed by a truck by scooping him up with her lacrosse stick.  Then something surprising happens: the cat stands upright and thanks her for her kindness.  She thinks she's hallucinating until that night when the King of the Cat King (Curry) comes with his entourage.  Before she knows it, she's been enlisted to become the wife of the prince.  This is not something she imagined when she saved a poor cat, so she takes some mysterious advice and seeks out the Baron (Elwes) for help.

As much as I enjoyed "The Cat Returns," it's one of Studio Ghibli's "lesser" films.  The story is on the thin side, and while there are most definitely some moments when it displays that intangible Studio Ghibli magic, they are fleeting.  More importantly, the film lacks a decent villain.  The Cat King is neither fatuous nor villainous enough.  Tim Curry has made a name for himself playing colorful villains (anyone remember the original "IT"?), but this isn't one of them.

The other actors are just fine.  Anne Hathaway is does what she can with Haru, but the problem is that, at least compared to other Studio Ghibli heroines such as Chihiro and Sheeta, she's one-dimensional.  Cary Elwes turns on the charm and makes the Baron a truly dashing hero.  Peter Boyle has some amusing moments as Muta, a fat and lazy cat who is a reluctant hero.

So it isn't a masterpiece.  And it certainly isn't anywhere near as good as "Spirited Away."  But how many movies are?  Taken on its own terms, "The Cat Returns" is fun, if slight, entertainment.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Desert Flower

2/4 Starring: Liya Kebede, Sally Hawkins, Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson Rated R for Some Violent Content, A Scene of Sexuality and Language The problem with "Desert Flower" is not that Waris Dirie's story isn't suited for the cinematic treatment or that the actress playing her isn't acceptable.  The problem is that director Sherry Hormann doesn't do a good job of telling it.  This is a poorly focused film that can't decide what it wants to be about or what it wants to say. As is the case with many a true story, the life of Waris Dirie is too amazing to be made up by a Hollywood screenwriter.  This woman fled an arranged marriage as a child, spent years as a servant to a Somali diplomat in England, survived on the streets, and was discovered by a fashion photographer while working as a janitor.  Then she became a supermodel and UN Ambassador in the fight against female genital mutilation. Waris experienced a lot in her life.  Telling it all in a...
Read more

The Road

3.5/4 Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron Rated R for Some Violence, Disturbing Images and Language "The Road" has to be the most downbeat, depressing and cynical movie I've ever seen.  That's not meant as a criticism, but a fact.  This is a tough movie to get through, but not a chore.  Those who venture in will find their time well spent, albeit not in a necessarily pleasant way.  Then again, if a movie is based off a novel by Cormac McCarthy, "pleasant" isn't a word one would hope to be used to describe it. The film takes place after the world has ended.  How it happened is not explained because it doesn't matter.  But any hope of the Earth recovering from what happened has long since gone.  A man (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) are travelling together, trying to "get to the coast."  There are few people left, although considering what many are doing with the goal of survival, that's a good thing...
Read more

My Left Foot

 2/4 Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Ray McAnally, Fiona Shaw, Alison Whelan Rated R (probably for Language and Brief Violence) "My Left Foot" feels like one of those movies designed to win Oscars and nothing else.  In fact, it did win two Oscars for the immortal Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker, but apart from their strong work, there's not much else to remember about this movie.  It's well-acted, but all in all it's pretty dull. Christy Brown (Day-Lewis) is getting recognized for his work in order to raise money for the disabled.  Despite being a talented artist and writer, Christy is not the ideal candidate for the job.  He's an alcoholic jerk who makes no secret of his lust for women nor is he above using his disability to manipulate people into doing what he wants.  Interspersed with his attempts to seduce a woman tasked with looking after him while he awaits his entrance are vignettes from his childhood.  Most notably how his mothe...
Read more