The Cat Returns
| The Cat Returns | |
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Japanese theatrical release poster
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| Japanese | 猫の恩返し |
| Hepburn | Neko no Ongaeshi |
| Directed by | Hiroyuki Morita |
| Produced by |
Toshio Suzuki Nozomu Takahashi |
| Written by | Reiko Yoshida |
| Based on |
The Cat Returns by Aoi Hiiragi |
| Starring |
Chizuru Ikewaki Yoshihiko Hakamada Tetsu Watanabe Yosuke Saito Aki Maeda Tetsurō Tamba |
| Music by | Yuji Nomi |
| Cinematography | Kentaro Takahashi |
| Edited by | Megumi Uchida |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Toho |
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Release date
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Running time
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75 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $54 million |
| Baron: The Cat Returns | |
Japanese DVD title of the film The Cat Returns.
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| バロン 猫の男爵 | |
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| Genre | Fantasy, Adventure |
| Manga | |
| Baron: Neko no Danshaku | |
| Written by | Aoi Hiiragi |
| Published by | Tokuma Shoten |
| English publisher | Viz Media |
| Published | May 2002 |
| Volumes | 1 |
The Cat Returns (Japanese: 猫の恩返し Hepburn: Neko no Ongaeshi?, lit. The Cat's Repayment) is a 2002 Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Hiroyuki Morita of Studio Ghibli, produced by Toshio Suzuki and Nozomu Takahashi, written by Reiko Yoshida, based on The Cat Returns by Aoi Hiiragi with music by Yuji Nomi, and stars Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Tetsu Watanabe, Yosuke Saito, Aki Maeda and Tetsurō Tamba. A spin-off of Whisper of the Heart, it was theatrically released in Japan on July 20, 2002 through the Toho Company and in 2005 in the United States through Buena Vista Home Video. It received an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival.
The story is of a girl named Haru, a quiet and shy high school student who has a suppressed ability to talk with cats. One day, she saves a dark blue cat from being hit by a truck on a busy road. The cat is Lune, Prince of the Cat Kingdom. As thanks, the cats give Haru gifts of catnip and mice, and she is offered the Prince's hand in marriage. Her mixed reply is taken as a yes.
Wanting none of this, Haru hears a kind, female voice, which tells her to seek the Cat Business Office. Haru meets Muta, a large white cat the voice told her to seek for directions, who leads her there to meet the Baron (the same Baron from Whisper of the Heart), who is a cat figurine given life by the work of his artist, and Toto, a stone raven who comes to life much like the Baron. Soon after meeting them, Haru and Muta are forcefully taken to the Cat Kingdom, leaving Toto and the Baron in the human world to follow the group from the air. The Baron and his crow friend find the entrance to the Cat Kingdom on Earth: Five lakes forming a cat's paw.
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Wikipedia