The Cat Returns Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Haru-chan, a normal girl in a normal town, saves a strange cat carrying a present from being overrun by a truck. In return she's going to receive lots of favors, including marriage to the crown prince of Cat Kingdom. As she finds that a bit too much, she gets into contact with the Cat Business Office. Together with CBO's owner, the Baron, she enters the Cat Kingdom to try and prevent her marriage.
For more about The Cat Returns and the The Cat Returns Blu-ray release, see the The Cat Returns Blu-ray Review published by Dr. Stephen Larson on January 6, 2018 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5.
In conjunction with Studio Ghibli and GKIDS, Shout! Factory has reissued director Hiroyuki Morita's The Cat Returns (2002), which was executive-produced by Hayao Miyazaki. The 2-disc Blu-ray and DVD set brings over nearly all of the same extras present on the 2015 Disney/Buena Vista release while adding a slim booklet. For thoughts on the movie and a critique of a/v specs, you can see my colleague Kenneth Brown's review of Disney's BD/DVD twin pack here.
This edition comes with a slipcover, an Elite case for the discs, and an exclusive booklet (see centerfold photo in Screenshot #3). Cover art on the slip and keep case covers is identical (see #s 1 and 10).
Shout! presents The Cat Returns in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The MPEG-4 AVC-encoded video transfer carries an average bitrate of 29999 kbps, which is nearly identical to Disney's mean bitrate of 31.30 Mbps. The whole Shout! disc boasts a total bitrate of 41.17 Mbps. The transfer looks very similar compared to the image presentation that Ken reviewed. Capture #s 5-9 are extracted from the new disc.
Shout! has broken the feature up into thirteen chapter selections.
The Cat Returns's sound track options comprise the original Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (4094 kbps, 24-bit), an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 alternate mix (4268 kbps, 24-bit), and a Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps) dubbed in French.
There are three subtitling options: English SDH for the English sound track, English subtitles for the original language version, and French subtitles.
Feature-Length Storyboards (1:15:08, 1080p) - the UK Studio Canal and AU Madman Entertainment BDs offer the storyboards as picture-in-picture with the feature but that option isn't available here. The full-length storyboards are presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen.
"The Making of The Cat Returns documentary (34:00, 480i)
"Behind the Microphone" (9:04, 480i)
Original Japanese Trailers (6:38, 1080p) Shout!'s press release and packaging also list TV spots but all I could find are a handful of TV spots.
NEW Exclusive Booklet - the slim leaflet contains a statement by producer Toshio Suzuki and an interview with director Hiroyuki Morita (both in English). Seven color stills illustrate the pages.
Brand new copies of the out-of-print Buena Vista disc fetch for $48 and up so at $17, Shout!'s Blu-ray/DVD combo makes for a nice investment for fans of anime. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.
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GKIDS and Shout Factory will release Limited SteelBook editions of Yoshifumi Kondô's Whisper of the Heart and Hiroyuki Morita's The Cat Returns. The two releases will be available for purchase on March 16.
Walt Disney Home Entertainment have officially announced and detailed the Blu-ray releases of Hayao Miyazaki's Academy Award-winning Spirited Away (2001) and Hiroyuki Morita's The Cat Returns (2002). Both animated films arrive on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on June ...
Walt Disney Home Entertainment has revealed the Blu-ray releases of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (2001) and Hiroyuki Morita's The Cat Returns (2002), both of which are set to arrive on Blu-ray later this year. An exact street date has yet to be announced for ...