When the Baron is discovered and is forced to fight the guards, he and Haru are helped by Yuki, a white cat maiden in the palace who had previously tried to warn Haru to leave the Cat Kingdom. He reveals to her that the more she loses herself in the kingdom, the more cat-like she will become, and that she has to rediscover her true self. At the feast, the Baron (in disguise) dances with Haru as part of the entertainment. The King hopes that she will make a suitable bride for the Prince. She begins to slowly turn into a cat (with tan paws, ears, nose, tail, and whiskers for a second, she also gets fangs), though she still remains mostly human. Haru is treated to a feast at the castle of the Cat King. 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 they find the entrance to the Cat Kingdom on Earth: five lakes forming a cat's paw. Muta leads her there to meet Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (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. Wanting none of this, Haru hears a kind, female voice, which tells her to seek out Muta, a large white cat and to get directions to the Cat Bureau from him.
As a thanks, the cats give Haru gifts of catnip and mice, and she is offered the Prince's hand in marriage. The cat she saved turns out to be Lune, Prince of the Cat Kingdom.
One day, she saves a cat from being hit by a truck on a busy road. Haru Yoshioka is a shy but noble high school student who has a suppressed ability to talk with cats. GKIDS re-issued the film on Blu-ray and DVD on Januunder a new deal with Studio Ghibli. It received an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival. This is Hiroyuki Morita's first and only film so far as director for Studio Ghibli.Ī spin-off of Whisper of the Heart, it was theatrically released in Japan on Jthrough Toho and in 2005 in the United States through Walt Disney Home Entertainment. It stars Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Tetsu Watanabe, Yosuke Saito, Aki Maeda and Tetsurō Tamba. "The Cat's Repayment") is a 2002 Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Hiroyuki Morita, produced by Toshio Suzuki and Nozomu Takahashi, written by Reiko Yoshida, based on the manga The Cat Returns by Aoi Hiiragi, with music by Yuji Nomi, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Hakuhodo, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi and Toho and distributed by the latter company. Screening as part of our series The Films of Studio Ghibli.The Cat Returns ( Japanese: 猫の恩返し, Hepburn: Neko no Ongaeshi, lit. Morning and afternoon screenings will be screened in the English language version. In a show of gratitude for saving his son’s life, the king cat showers Haru with gifts – including a large supply of individually wrapped live mice – and decrees that she shall marry the cat prince and come to live as a princess in the secret Kingdom of Cats.įor all showtimes 6:00pm and later, the film will be shown in Japanese with English subtitles. Strange behavior indeed, but this is nothing compared to what happens later that evening when the King of Cats shows up in a feline motorcade replete with vassals, maidens, and even Secret Service cats. To her amazement, the cat then gets up on its hind legs, brushes itself off, and thanks her very politely. Haru manages to scoop the cat away to safety. The cat fumbles the package in the middle of the road as a truck is rapidly bearing down. Walking with her friend after a dreary day at school, Haru eyes a cat with a small gift box in its mouth attempting to cross a busy street. In this sequel to WHISPER OF THE HEART, a quiet suburban schoolgirl, Haru, is pitched into a fantastical feline world and must find her inner strength to make her way back home. Sunday, December 22 - Monday, January 13, 2020