New Studio Ghibli movie - The Cat Returns [Archive]

redbobsled

01 May 2003, 10:52 PM

I'm so excited! I got tickets to the US Premiere of the new Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, etc.) movie, the Cat Returns. It's tomorrow night at the American Cinemetheque in Hollywood. There's a Q and A afterwords with the director and producer. I'll let you all know how it is.

redbobsled

03 May 2003, 12:09 AM

OK. If any of y'all are interested, the movie was awesome! They don't yet know if any distributors will pick it up for theatrical or DVD/VHS release in the US yet, but it could happen. It was so cool to hear the director and producer talk after the screening. It was the director's first time in the US and he was really blown away by how well the movie was received (and by the quality of the movie theatre we were in). He said he found it interesting that in Japan, adults and kids went to see the movie together (it was last year's #1 film in Japan), but it was mostly the kids who really got into it and laughed and clapped. But tonight, it was almost all adults who were laughing and clapping.

The producer also informed us that Miyazaki is working on storyboards right now for the newest Studio Ghibli release. If all goes well, it will be released in Japan in the summer of 2004. No details about what it's about though.

The Cat Returns had 2 characters from Whisper of the Heart (a rather obscure Ghibli movie which wasn't released in the US, but if you look around, you can find the dvd) - The Baron and the fat white cat. It was such a fun movie, and while it obviously had a smaller budget than the larger-scale Miyazaki-directed releases, it was still very well done. If it ever gets released in the US, I'd highly recommend seeing it!