This review is about the movie ‘The Cat Returns’ by Studio Ghibli. It’s directed by Hiroyuki Morita with music by Yuji Nomi. This is an intriguing, hilarious and superb film, and I really hope that you watch it. Well, it all began like this……

17-yr-old Haru Yoshioka is a quiet, normal school girl, who hates her alarm clock and can never get up on time. One day, she and her best friend are walking home from school, when they see a strange black cat, with a gold collar and a ribbon wrapped gift in its mouth, crossing the road. However, a truck was coming and neither the cat nor the truck driver saw each other. Haru ran into the middle of the road, scooped the cat up and jumped to the other side. She saved the cat’s life! But then, to her immense shock, the cat started talking to her. It thanked her, and then said it was in a hurry and must go. It promised her that she would be properly thanked, then ran off. No one had seen her talk to the cat, so she thought she must have imagined it. However, in the night, a strangest procession of cats came down her street. They were carrying a wooden bed on which there was a cat with purple fur. You see, the cat whose life she saved that day, was the prince of cats, Prince Lune, and the purple cat was the king. He had come to thank Haru for saving his son’s life. From the next day, she would have eternal happiness and all cats will obey her. They give her a scroll too. However, the ‘eternal happiness’ she is given is a cat’s idea of it. So now, her locker is full of rats as a gift, and her garden is full of a plant called cattail. And to top it all off, the king wants her to come to The Kingdom of Cats and marry the prince. The horror! The only people who can save her are the people in the Cat Business Office – A grumpy, fat cat called Muta, a cat in a suit called Baron and a raven called Toto. Before they could think of a way out, she is kidnapped (catnapped?) by a group of cats from The Cat Kingdom. Now, she is in their Kingdom, she is slowly turning…. into a cat! If she doesn’t get out of there before dawn, she will turn into a cat, forever……

Can Baron, Muta and Toto get her out of there before dawn? Can she escape from marrying a cat? Finding allies in unexpected places, they now have to escape – and fast…

This delightful movie by Studio Ghibli is amazing. With its beautiful animation, comical and sweet plot, and the adorable characters, this movie is a must-watch. The huge world of ‘The Cat Returns’ is really imaginative, and it is really funny. This movie will make you laugh out loud, and the unexpected twists and turns in the plot keep you on the edge of your seats. The attention to detail is amazing in this film, with colourful, detailed backdrops. My favourite characters were Lune and Yuki, because they were so sweet and nice, and Muto, because he was so grumpily kind and adorable. Studio Ghibli gives us awesome movies. It is definitely one of the best films I have seen. You will get lost in the fantastical plot of the movie, and watching it is really fun. My only regret is that it had to end. This movie can be watched by both kids and adults. If you want sweet, light, comical fun, then this movie is for you. I recommend this movie for ages 6+.   I give this movie 5 stars!