The Cat Returns

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The Cat Returns

"It's not so bad being a cat, now is it?"

2002 • 1h 15m • ★ 7.1 (2,401 votes) Released

Adventure Fantasy Animation Drama Family

Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.

Director

Hiroyuki Morita

Screenplay

Reiko Yoshida

Rating

7.1

Runtime

75 min

Revenue

$54.0M

Watch Trailer Official Website IMDb

Production

Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli

Hakuhodo DY Media Partners

Hakuhodo DY Media Partners

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi

Nippon Television Network Corporation

Nippon Television Network Corporation

TOHO

TOHO

Tokuma Shoten

Tokuma Shoten

Top Billed Cast

Chizuru Ikewaki

Chizuru Ikewaki

Haru Yoshioka (voice)

Yoshihiko Hakamada

Yoshihiko Hakamada

Baron (voice)

Aki Maeda

Aki Maeda

Yuki (voice)

Tetsu Watanabe

Tetsu Watanabe

Muta (voice)

Yousuke Saito

Yousuke Saito

Toto (voice)

Takayuki Yamada

Takayuki Yamada

Lune (voice)

Hitomi Sato

Hitomi Sato

Hiromi (voice)

Kenta Satoi

Kenta Satoi

Natori (voice)

Mari Hamada

Mari Hamada

Natoru (voice)

Kumiko Okae

Kumiko Okae

Haru's Mother (voice)

Tetsuro Tamba

Tetsuro Tamba

Cat King (voice)

Yo Oizumi

Yo Oizumi

Japanese Teacher (voice)

Yoko Honna

Yoko Honna

Chika (voice)

Ken Yasuda

Ken Yasuda

Machida (voice)

Videos & Trailers

Gallery

Audience Reviews

A

Alunauwie

★ 7/10 • Sep 30, 2025

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)

Keywords

chasecatself-discoverymazehuman animal relationshipprincecrowsequelanthropomorphismgrasssword fightbased on mangakindnessprotectorcompassiontowerschoolgirlschoolgirl uniformcat vs birdtalking catbride-to-beanimehigh school girljapanese schoolanthropomorphic animalanimal transformationadventure