Short synopsis : Troubled by anxieties, awkward high school student Haru struggles to fit in. But her life changes forever when she saves a cat from being run over by a truck. And not just any cat: this one talks, walks on his hind legs and his name is Loon – Prince of the Kingdom of Cats. Now all cats owe her a debt of gratitude and shower her with gift, and their king invites her to his palace to thank her in person, hoping that she will marry his son and heir…

Long synopsis : Teenager Haru is bored and frustrated by her life as a schoolgirl in modern-day Tokyo. When she saves a cat from certain death on a busy road, she has no idea of the extraordinary chain of events she is setting in motion. For the lucky animal is none other than Prince Lune, heir to the throne of the strange and enchanted Kingdom of Cats. Haru journeys to this remarkable land, where she is showered with gifts and overwhelmed by the gratitude of its feline citizens. When she learns that the Cat King plans to marry her off to his son, Haru plots her escape, with the help of Baron Humbert von Gikkingen and his animal henchmen. But as the Kingdom works its insidious magic, Haru's resolve weakens. The allure of her new situation becomes harder and harder to resist, and she grows ever more cat-like. Can Haru withstand the dangerous charms of the Kingdom and retain her identity? Can she return to her own world? Or will she succumb?

Cast

• Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Aki Maeda, Takayuki Yamada, Hitomi Satô, Kenta Satoi

Crew

• Producer(s): Ned Lott, Toshio Suzuki, Nozomu Takahashi
• Director(s): Hiroyuki Morita
• Screenplay: Aoi Hiiragi, Reiko Yoshida, Cindy Davis Hewitt, Donald H. Hewitt
• Editing: Mutsumi Takemiya
• Original Music: Yuji Nomi
• Set Design: Naoya Tanaka

• Original Title: LE ROYAUME DES CHATS / NEKO NO ONGAESHI
• Genre(s): Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy, Ghibli


• Production company: STUDIO GHIBLI
• Production date: 2002
• Language: Japanese
• Duration: 94 min

• Sao Paulo Mostra Internacional de Cinema 2004