Meow Meow

With their adorable appearance and mercurial temperament, cats intrigue us and capture our imagination. Their presence can easily be detected in a variety of cultural productions such as novels, TV shows, and movies, including the animated films by legendary Studio Ghibli.

An array of cats have appeared in Ghibli movies: the giant magic cat in My Neighbour Totoro snoozes and makes children’s wishes come true; the sassy black cat loyally accompanies a young witch to settle in a new town (Kiki’s Delivery Service); the elusive cat vagabonds about the city in Whisper of the Heart and the big playful cat spots the borrowers in the Secret World of Arrietty. Studio Ghibli portrays our feline friends in all their cuteness and complexities to the extent that they created a kingdom of cats in the film the Cat Returns, in which a teenage girl experiences a series of whimsical adventures after saving a cat prince.