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Of -Phobias and -Philias: Fear of cats manifests as a Miyazaki-lite
Escapism and airy playfulness (and a whole lot of cats) ensue in the latest addition to the Studio Ghibli stable, The Cat Returns. MUBARAK ALI reviews.
IT'S ALMOST unfortunate for Hiroyuki Morita that he's had to follow-up Studio Ghibli's last release, the sublime Spirited Away, because of the comparisons that he will inevitably draw with Miyazaki and Takahata, who represent of course the auteuristic forces behind Studio Ghibli, those giants of Japanese (read: world) animation. Which is somewhat a shame because The Cat Returns basically offers traditional viewers of animated cinema the escapism and airy playfulness that they ask of it. Perhaps a little less, yes, but definitely nothing more.
The film concerns itself with the fantastic after-effects of a heroic act: Haru, your typical human schoolgirl protagonist, sweeps a cat from the course of an approaching truck, only, to her amazement, have the cat straighten up and thank her graciously. And catkind is thankful indeed, for the saved cat is none other than a young prince from the parallel land of the Kingdom of Cats. Generous rewards from the simple-minded cats ensue in the form of gift-wrapped rats, plenteous catnip and even a night visit from the King of the Kingdom of Cats himself, who offers Haru what he obviously thinks is the ultimate reward: marriage to his son, the cat prince whose life she had saved. Haru, of course, realises the utter absurdity of the situation and as guided by a mysterious voice (a mystery which is duly solved for us later in the film), seeks the help of the feline keepers of the Cat Office, the very pertinent, Baron and his auxiliary, the very fat and white, Muta, their roles reclaimed from a much-loved previous Ghibli film, Whisper of the Heart(1). The trio must now travel to the dimension that is the Kingdom of Cats, and convince the King why this human-beast matrimony is unethical, or more importantly, undesired, and in the process meet with some royal dissention, i.e. Adventure.
A lot of the problem here stems from the film's short running time – the film clocks in at less than 75 minutes and so much has happened by then, yet we don't know these characters, forget about loving them or being engaged in the perils they lose themselves in. Where the Kingdom of Cats should have been established as a forbidding (or even otherwise) setting, its introductory scene makes it seem ordinary and trite. Compare this with (sorry, couldn't resist) Miyazaki's films, which spend as much time exploring the narrative space as it does actually creating characters – heroes or villains. The Cat Returns is obviously meant to be a mild diversion before his next film, Howl's Moving Castle, which is poised to take over cinemas later this year.
For those willing to dismiss the sense of deja-vu that pervades the film, it's not all bad. The film is quite overtly funny, certainly unusual for a Ghibli film, and for most of the time, it's an appreciated move. After all, how one can not laugh when a cat announces with the gravest of faces: "I am Baron Humbert von Jikkingen," is beyond me. The animation is modest by Ghibli standards, but not without its high points. If hand-drawn animation has ever added any charm to its characters (more-so than the writing or voice narration), this has to be it. Additionally, there are some welcome subtle touches added here and there, such as the possible attraction Haru harbours for the Baron that is never addressed. Indeed, the film has charmed audiences in its native Japan, where it was the highest grossing film of 2002. Kids will probably revel in the experience considering what's on offer – its fairytale-like approach in telling a simple story, its blend of fantasy and comedy, cute, furry animals, and a running time this side of The Return of the King. As for the rest of us – we'll just have to settle for some flimsy thrills and engage in some filling-in-the-blanks.
IT'S ALMOST unfortunate for Hiroyuki Morita that he's had to follow-up Studio Ghibli's last release, the sublime Spirited Away, because of the comparisons that he will inevitably draw with Miyazaki and Takahata, who represent of course the auteuristic forces behind Studio Ghibli, those giants of Japanese (read: world) animation. Which is somewhat a shame because The Cat Returns basically offers traditional viewers of animated cinema the escapism and airy playfulness that they ask of it. Perhaps a little less, yes, but definitely nothing more.
The film concerns itself with the fantastic after-effects of a heroic act: Haru, your typical human schoolgirl protagonist, sweeps a cat from the course of an approaching truck, only, to her amazement, have the cat straighten up and thank her graciously. And catkind is thankful indeed, for the saved cat is none other than a young prince from the parallel land of the Kingdom of Cats. Generous rewards from the simple-minded cats ensue in the form of gift-wrapped rats, plenteous catnip and even a night visit from the King of the Kingdom of Cats himself, who offers Haru what he obviously thinks is the ultimate reward: marriage to his son, the cat prince whose life she had saved. Haru, of course, realises the utter absurdity of the situation and as guided by a mysterious voice (a mystery which is duly solved for us later in the film), seeks the help of the feline keepers of the Cat Office, the very pertinent, Baron and his auxiliary, the very fat and white, Muta, their roles reclaimed from a much-loved previous Ghibli film, Whisper of the Heart(1). The trio must now travel to the dimension that is the Kingdom of Cats, and convince the King why this human-beast matrimony is unethical, or more importantly, undesired, and in the process meet with some royal dissention, i.e. Adventure.
A lot of the problem here stems from the film's short running time – the film clocks in at less than 75 minutes and so much has happened by then, yet we don't know these characters, forget about loving them or being engaged in the perils they lose themselves in. Where the Kingdom of Cats should have been established as a forbidding (or even otherwise) setting, its introductory scene makes it seem ordinary and trite. Compare this with (sorry, couldn't resist) Miyazaki's films, which spend as much time exploring the narrative space as it does actually creating characters – heroes or villains. The Cat Returns is obviously meant to be a mild diversion before his next film, Howl's Moving Castle, which is poised to take over cinemas later this year.
For those willing to dismiss the sense of deja-vu that pervades the film, it's not all bad. The film is quite overtly funny, certainly unusual for a Ghibli film, and for most of the time, it's an appreciated move. After all, how one can not laugh when a cat announces with the gravest of faces: "I am Baron Humbert von Jikkingen," is beyond me. The animation is modest by Ghibli standards, but not without its high points. If hand-drawn animation has ever added any charm to its characters (more-so than the writing or voice narration), this has to be it. Additionally, there are some welcome subtle touches added here and there, such as the possible attraction Haru harbours for the Baron that is never addressed. Indeed, the film has charmed audiences in its native Japan, where it was the highest grossing film of 2002. Kids will probably revel in the experience considering what's on offer – its fairytale-like approach in telling a simple story, its blend of fantasy and comedy, cute, furry animals, and a running time this side of The Return of the King. As for the rest of us – we'll just have to settle for some flimsy thrills and engage in some filling-in-the-blanks.
» The Cat Returns
Hiroyuki Morita | Japan | 2002 | 75 min | Voices: Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Kumiko Okae, Tetsuro Tanba. In Japanese with English subtitles.
(1) From what I hear from reliable sources, one does not need any previous knowledge of these characters from that earlier film to understand what's going on here. Indeed, Whisper of the Heart may be difficult to obtain, but it has a huge reputation among Ghibli fans.
Originally published in: Lumière 4, Winter 2004, ISSN 1176-4082
Hiroyuki Morita | Japan | 2002 | 75 min | Voices: Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Kumiko Okae, Tetsuro Tanba. In Japanese with English subtitles.
(1) From what I hear from reliable sources, one does not need any previous knowledge of these characters from that earlier film to understand what's going on here. Indeed, Whisper of the Heart may be difficult to obtain, but it has a huge reputation among Ghibli fans.
Originally published in: Lumière 4, Winter 2004, ISSN 1176-4082
