Compared to the rest of the Ghibli catalogue, Hiroyuki Morita’s spin-off/sequel to Whisper of the Heart feels a little slight and not just because it runs only 75 minutes.
We’ve already entered the “pretty good” category with more than 20 films to go. Compared to the rest of the Ghibli catalogue, Hiroyuki Morita’s spin-off/sequel to Whisper of the Heart feels a little slight and not just because it runs only 75 minutes. Based on the manga of the same name, The Cat Returns gives the magical cat named Baron from Whisper another adventure when he meets Haru, a shy girl who has the ability to talk to cats. With echoes of Lewis Carroll’s Alice, Haru ends up in a world of cats, where she slowly starts to turn into herself. Themes of identity and embracing, rather than repressing, our gifts are woven through an adventure that works relatively well yet lacks some of the magic in design and character that defines top-tier Ghibli. It’s a fun diversion, but thinner than the films above it on this list.