Hayao Miyazaki and The Cat Returns

[Raziel'sRevenge]

Recently my girlfriend talked me into watching The Cat Returns, a movie by director Hayao Miyazaki. I thought it looked ridiculous and would be a waste of my time, but 15 minutes into it I was hooked! It turned out to be a great movie, silly to the core, which I love. Now I'm no stranger to Miyazaki's work. Howl's Moving Castle will forever be on my top 10 movies of all time, and I loved Spirited Away, and the movie Princess Mononoke nearly brought me to tears. I know this looks like a rant for how spectacular the man is and how he can do no harm, but I beg to differ. The point I'm trying to make is that it's important to go out on a limb and watch a movie that you think will be terrible sometimes. Give your favorite directors a chance to prove that their latest creation is up to the previous. Not everything is. Personally I didn't like Laputa: Castle in the Sky at all and turned it off before it was even finished, but that doesn't mean that it isn't worth it to watch what else you can find. Tim Burton is another example of the opposite. People flock to see his movies, and rave about them, but when you get a movie that hyped up to the point of impossibility it's sure to disappoint. Take Corpse Bride for example. I thought it was decent. I had friends who literally threw away merchandise they'd collected over the years in disgust with him. I still love most of his work, so don't let a good movie go unnoticed, and don't let a bad one break you down.

Cheers mates!

[CatSuit&Ponytail]

Originally Posted by Raziel'sRevenge

The Cat Returns[

Oooo I like it already. *rushes to Amazon*

[Rachie]

Originally Posted by Raziel'sRevenge

Howl's Moving Castle...

*Gasp!* Howl's Moving Castle! I've seen that one. And I believe the Japanese class at my school got to watch The Cat Returns. Most thought it was a little strange, but others said it was ok. What is it about, anyway?

[WhatsHisFace]

Originally Posted by Raziel'sRevenge

Tim Burton is another example of the opposite. People flock to see his movies, and rave about them, but when you get a movie that hyped up to the point of impossibility it's sure to disappoint. Take Corpse Bride for example. I thought it was decent. I had friends who literally threw away merchandise they'd collected over the years in disgust with him. I still love most of his work, so don't let a good movie go unnoticed, and don't let a bad one break you down.

Tim Burton, I feel, gets way more accolades than he really deserves.

[Raziel'sRevenge]

Originally Posted by Rachie

*Gasp!* Howl's Moving Castle! I've seen that one. And I believe the Japanese class at my school got to watch The Cat Returns. Most thought it was a little strange, but others said it was ok. What is it about, anyway?

It's about a girl who saves a cat from being run over by a truck. What she doesn't know is that the cat is the prince of the cat kingdom, and as thanks the cats begin to shower her with gifts, the last of which is to marry the prince. Being human the girl has some objections, but they happily kidnap her, bring her to the cat kingdom, and begin turning her into a cat so that a proper wedding can take place. Hilarity ensues. It's great for those with a nostalgic personality or if you just like cute movies (being a kid at heart I love both). Great to watch with the little ones too.

Originally Posted by WhatsHisFace

Tim Burton, I feel, gets way more accolades than he really deserves.

Actually I tend to agree with you there. That's what I meant when I mentioned Corpse Bride. It was blown way out of proportion because it was a Tim Burton film so when it came out many were let down. If you take the film for what it is and not who made it then you'll enjoy the movie much more.

[Anime_raider]

Yeah I really like 'The Cat Returns' Like you, I thought it was going to be more for kids, but as usual, Miyazaki imbues the characters with so much personality that you can't help but love it. I love Muta and Baron Humbert von Gikkingen!

Did you know that this story is what the girl Aoi is writing in the anime 'Whisper of the Heart?' It's more of a realistic story (nothing magical happens) but its cool to see that she was inspired to write 'the Cat Returns'

Good stuff all the way around!

-D

[Rachie]

Originally Posted by Raziel'sRevenge

It's about a girl who saves a cat from being run over by a truck. What she doesn't know is that the cat is the prince of the cat kingdom, and as thanks the cats begin to shower her with gifts, the last of which is to marry the prince. Being human the girl has some objections, but they happily kidnap her, bring her to the cat kingdom, and begin turning her into a cat so that a proper wedding can take place. Hilarity ensues. It's great for those with a nostalgic personality or if you just like cute movies (being a kid at heart I love both). Great to watch with the little ones too.

It sounds like some twisted version of Thumbelina. Except they never turned her into a frog......

...anyway. It sounds really cute.

[Raziel'sRevenge]

Originally Posted by Rachie

It sounds like some twisted version of Thumbelina. Except they never turned her into a frog......

...anyway. It sounds really cute.

lol Thumbelina? Not quite, but I can see the comparison. This one is a little more... out there than the average Disney movie.

[Rachie]

Originally Posted by Raziel'sRevenge

lol Thumbelina? Not quite, but I can see the comparison. This one is a little more... out there than the average Disney movie.

Well, it was probably a bad observation. I can tell from Howl's how different they are from Disney.