Parents' Guide to

The Cat Returns

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Imaginative adventure anime has some fantasy violence.

Movie G 2005 75 minutes
The Cat Returns Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 7+

Based on 14 parent reviews

Scarmich
Scarmich Parent of 6, 8 and 13-year-old
July 2, 2019
age 10+

I agree with 10+

I have an 8 year old daughter, who in true form wants to be 16 yesterday. As I tell her often, "It's my job to keep you 8 for an entire year". We are not a conservative family and all three of my children have different personalities, what was fine for my 13 year old son to watch when he was 5 is different than my very sensitive 5 year old youngest. So no judgement if you felt your 5 year old could watch this movie, mine probably could too. Where I felt it was inappropriate for my daughter, and why we'll wait until she's older is at the beginning the young girls are running down the street talking about a cute boy, whether he was cool or not, does he have a girlfriend/she's a freshman!, are you going to flirt with him..... after this I turned off the movie to my daughters huge disappointment, "It was just getting good!" (I said we should wait, because her brother would want to see it too....so as not to target the real reason) Does my daughter have these conversations with her friends? Maybe? But I guarantee that it's 8 year old age appropriate.... "You like him...ew!" My sponge of a daughter, who wants to mimic anything in a movie that is "sassy" talk or for older girls, is looking for these conversations. If she were 6, this kind of talk would have gone right over her head, but for the time being we'll wait until she's older.
6 people found this helpful.
Dusty_Inkwell
Dusty_Inkwell Adult
December 28, 2022
age 4+

Good for Younger Kids

This is a good movie for younger kids - there are a few scenes of violence, but it’s cartoony. For example, a cat gets thrown out of a window for upsetting the king cat, only to be shown later perfectly healthy, sulking at the base of the tower. It’s a whimsical and lighthearted story that’s full of comedy. Adults may find it a bit boring, but I wouldn’t say there’s anything morally objectionable in it.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE CAT RETURNS, Haru (voiced by Chizuru Ikewaki in the original version and Anne Hathaway in the English dub) is walking home with her friend after a tough day at school when she rescues a cat from nearly getting run over by a truck. The cat is actually Lune (Takayuki Yamada/Andrew Bevis), the Prince of the Cats, who hails from the Kingdom of Cats. In gratitude to Haru, cats everywhere bring gift-wrapped mice to her school locker and want to take her to the kingdom so that she can marry the prince. Her only escape from this odd fate comes in the form of a mysterious voice summoning her to the Cat Bureau, where the dashing feline Baron (Yoshihiko Hakamada/Cary Elwes) and his portly companion Muta (Tetsu Watanabe/Peter Boyle), both of whom were characters in the charming anime Whisper of the Heart, try to rescue Haru from both marriage to -- and transforming into -- a cat.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14):
Kids say (16):

For parents and kids weary of the trite and formulaic, this imaginative movie should be a refreshing change from the typical. The Cat Returns features a human girl being summoned to marry a princely cat; cats fighting with swords, spears, and chains; and squid-throwing substituted for knife-throwing to entertain a Cat King (Tetsurō Tanba/Tim Curry). It brings back two of the characters from the charming coming-of-age anime Whisper of the Heart, but it's not a sequel. The Cat Returns is its own surreal deal.

Counterbalancing the highly creative adventure story is the inspirational story of Haru's self-affirmation, as the Baron and Muta encourage her to believe in herself and to not allow her destiny to be controlled by others (especially cats). There's a fair amount of cartoon violence as Haru tries to make her escape from the Kingdom of Cats, but all-in-all The Cat Returns is a fun -- and unusual -- adventure tale.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Haru's social, school, and home life are depicted in the film. How is her life as a tween similar to or different from yours?

  • In the midst of an argument, Haru proclaims, "Nobody decides who I am but me!" What does this mean, and how might these principles be applied in daily life?

  • How does Haru demonstrate courage?

Movie Details

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