A Film Directed by Yōko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita

Ghost Cat Anzu is a delightful animated film co-produced by Japanese and French studios, with GKIDS handling its U.S. theatrical release. Sadly, it seems to have flown under the radar, as I attended a late Sunday showing back in the fall and was the only person there. That’s a shame because this film has turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of 2024 so far! I’m posting this well after the fact, so sadly there is no way to see this in theaters at the moment, but I’d wager money that the home video release will happen fairly soon. When it does, I will implore any of you to see if you can at least watch it on streaming.

“Precocious tween Karin finds herself abandoned by her father in rural Japan. Living in a temple with her grandfather, she meets Anzu, a giant “ghost cat” and notorious layabout tasked with looking after her. Distrustful of her new guardian, Karin sabotages Anzu’s odd jobs for the townsfolk and befriends the eccentric local forest spirits. In an effort to win Karin over, Anzu accidentally makes a deal with the devil, and all Hell breaks loose. “

Based on Takashi Imashiro’s manga of the same name, the story follows Karin, a young girl still grappling with her mother’s death three years prior and her father’s growing irresponsibility and debt. After becoming entangled with a Yakuza loan shark, her father leaves her at a family friend’s temple in rural Japan, promising to return once “he sorts things out.” At the temple, Karin encounters a charming ensemble of characters, including a host of Japanese folkloric creatures. Chief among them is Anzu, a talking “ghost” cat who claims to be 37 years old, works as an amateur masseuse, and rides a scooter around town.

Imagine a blend of Garfield and Spirited Away, and you’ll get an idea of what Ghost Cat Anzu feels like. This heartwarming, mystical slice-of-life adventure is unexpectedly relaxing and full of heart. While it could be seen as a children’s film, it doesn’t shy away from heavy themes and features a slower pace that might challenge younger audiences. The movie exudes the same warm, cozy atmosphere as Miyazaki classics like Ponyo and My Neighbor Totoro. I’ll admit, the original trailer didn’t do the plot justice, so I went in not knowing what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. Ghost Cat Anzu delivered something refreshingly unique, eschewing common anime tropes for a quaint and endearing story.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this film is its unique production process. One of the directors, Nobuhiro Yamashita, is predominantly known for his work in live-action films. From what I’ve gathered, the entire film was first shot in live action, and the characters were then rotoscoped to capture natural movements – even those of the most outlandish characters. The other director, Yoko Kuno, seems to be best known for their work on Crayon Shin-Chan films, and handled the animation. Both directors mark this project as a relatively early entry in their blooming careers.

For those not “in the know”, rotoscoping is an animation technique where animators trace over live-action footage, frame by frame, to create realistic movement in animated form. Notable examples include 2006’s A Scanner Darkly, 1978’s The Lord of the Rings, 1940’s Disney’s Fantasia. I’m sure I have forgotten more recent ones, but those stick out to me. A video example I’m sharing below demonstrates how Nobuhiro Yamashita handled the live-action filming while Yoko Kuno later animated over the footage.

This collaborative approach gives Ghost Cat Anzu its distinctive look and “vibe”. Whether this method was a one-time creative experiment or something that could be revisited in the future, I’d absolutely love to see these two directors team up again. There’s truly nothing else that looks quite like Ghost Cat Anzu.

I mentioned before that the trailer for this film somewhat hid what the film was truly about – namely, a fantastical trip to the underworld in order for Karin to say goodbye to her deceased mother. This sort of plot point is largely why I liken this to something like a Hayao Miyazaki film, although the plot and tone of this are far more sardonic and satirical. There is a whole segment where a myriad of monsters from hell, depicted like an organized crime syndicate, break out to try to stop Anzu and Karin after they break some of the most cardinal rules of the underworld. Anzu’s buddies, a whole cadre of mythical creatures including various Yokai, attempt to fight back against these demons, only to get entirely trounced in a comedic fashion. Despite how grim this sounds, it’s all done in a light-hearted manner to a degree, and it never really slides into being distressing.

This is one of those properties I really hope gets a sequel, especially considering the movie leaves it open for one. I’m honestly not familiar with the source material and have no idea if there’s more to the comic beyond this point, but they’ve really got something here that could be what I’d call “The adult Doraemon” with how it’s structured and plotted. A quick search shows that a sequel manga by Imashiro began serialization on Kodansha’s Comic Days website on July 14, 2024. Here’s hoping my wishes for this come true!

Until then, I’m glad GKids brought this out, continuing their track record not only for anime but also for quality foreign films. With this being a co-production between Japan and France, it almost feels like the best of both worlds, blending the sensibilities of both film styles to some degree. With GKids recently being purchased by Toho, I’m a bit worried that the types of films the company releases might change or that Sony could somehow swoop in. However, I’m cautiously optimistic that won’t happen.

Overall, I think I’ve said everything I can about Ghost Cat Anzu, one of the best films of 2024 that, sadly, I don’t think many people went out to see. It’s one of those films that should appeal to both anime fans and, more broadly, foreign film enthusiasts, so I’m hoping it gains some traction on home media and streaming soon. I might even place it in my top five films of 2024, though I haven’t given that much thought just yet. Like I said, I hope we see a sequel in the future because I can’t think of another film quite like it, both in tone and in production.