The Cat Returns

The Cat Returns Japanese , Hepburn Neko no Ongaeshi? , lit. The Cats Repayment is a 2002 Japanese animated fantasy drama film directed by Hiroyuki Morita of Studio Ghibli, produced by Toshio Suzuki and Nozomu Takahashi, written by Reiko Yoshida, based on The Cat Returns by Aoi Hiiragi with music by Yuji Nomi and stars Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Tetsu Watanabe, Yosuke Saito, Aki Maeda and Tetsur Tamba. A spinoff of Whisper of the Heart, it was theatrically released in Japan on July 19, 2002 through the Toho Company and in 2005 in the United States through Buena Vista Home Video. It received an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival.

Wanting none of this, Haru hears a kind, female voice, which tells her to seek the Cat Bureau. Haru meets Muta, a large white cat the voice told her to seek for directions, who leads her there to meet the Baron the same Baron from Whisper of the Heart, who is a cat figurine given life by the work of his artist, and Toto, a stone raven who comes to life much like the Baron. Soon after meeting them, Haru and Muta are forcefully taken to the Cat Kingdom, leaving Toto and the Baron in the human world to follow the group from the air. The Baron and his crow friend find the entrance to the Cat Kingdom on Earth Five lakes forming a cats paw.Haru is treated to a feast at the castle of the Cat Kingdom and she begins to slowly turn into a cat with tan paws, ears and whiskers, though still mainly human, so that she will make a suitable bride for the Prince. At the feast, the Baron in disguise dances with Haru as part of the entertainment, and reveals to her that the more she loses herself in the kingdom, the more catlike she will become, and that she has to discover her true self. When the Baron is discovered and is forced to fight the guards, he and Haru are helped by Yuki, a white female cat who works as a servant in the palace and who had tried to warn Haru to leave the Cat Kingdom before she was taken to the castle. After Yuki shows them an escape tunnel, Haru, the Baron, and Muta move through a maze to a tower, which contains a portal to Harus world. The King goes through a series of efforts to keep them in the Cat Kingdom long enough for Haru to remain trapped in the form of a cat and have her as his daughterinlaw. ........

Source: Wikipedia