Ghost Cat Anzu. Weird name, right? Yet, it doesn’t begin to touch on the weirdness that follows on screen.
Let’s start with the title character. He’s a ghost cat schlep who is sort of a local celebrity. Think of him as Totoro from My Neighbor Totoro, except played by Cliff Clavin and drawn to look like Gritty, the Flyers’ mascot. Weird, right?
Anzu is more than just a nod to My Neighbor Totoro. But is it satire or just being…weird? A bus stop scene in the rain with an umbrella will look awfully familiar to Totoro fans. And the dust sprites (Susuwatari) make an appearance. There’s likely some commentary about old customs versus new ones that I’m missing because I lack the cultural awareness to understand.
Or it’s just weird.
The character body animation is familiar to anyone who was a fan of Ralph Bakshi’s take on Lord of the Rings. <crickets> Anyone? <crickets> Just me? Well, let me tell you—in the late ’70s, Bakshi used a new technology called Rotoscope to animate his characters. It captures people on video, which animators can draw on top of. It gave Lord of the Rings a sense of realism that hadn’t been seen at that level before.
Ghost Cat Anzu also uses Rotoscope to animate its characters. It adds to the weirdness—especially after the main characters unleash the minions of Hell.
The film gets a little heavy as it deals with loss and loneliness (Totoro, anyone?). Then, it takes a sharp turn when the characters break into the aforementioned Hell. It turns into a Rotoscoped Saturday morning cartoon—maybe inappropriate for tots. There’s a street fight between the Hellish minions and Earthly sprites that is a little violent for kids who can’t handle that kind of thing.
What does one take from this viewing experience? I have no idea. That said, Ghost Cat Anzu is an oddball film that’ll stick with you longer than it should. It’s hard to forget the weirdness you see on screen because it’s not random weirdness. It features coherent story and character arcs. They’re just…weird.
Keep a bottle of whiskey handy when you sit down to watch Ghost Cat Anzu. When things get a little weird on screen, you can get a little weird on the couch.
Streaming: Digital rental or purchase.
🎬🎬🎬
Where to watch
Rating: None (Me: 7+)
Director: Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita
Starring (English Dub): Jason Simon, Evie Hsu, Andrew Kishino
Run time: 1h 34m
Post-credits scenes: No.
Sequel? I have no idea.
If you liked Ghost Cat Anzu, check out these films:
- My Neighbor Totoro (1988) (5+)
- The Cat Returns (2002) (5+)
- A Whisker Away (2020) (8+)
- The Concierge (2024) (6+)
- Lord of the Rings (1978) (8+)
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