I’m willing to bet that the charming knick-knack raised a lot of girls’ standards a la Haru with his chivalry. Baron Humbert von Gikkingen: Cary Elwes/Yoshihiko Hakamada
Ikewaki’s single voice credit aside, her latest works include the films Another World and Tora-san, Wish You Were Here (2019). The talent behind Haru’s original voice, Chizuru Ikewaki, is actually not a voice actress. Since then, Hathaway’s animated roles have been kept to a minimum, her most recent voicework being for deuteragonist Jewel from Blue Sky Studios’ Rio (2011) and Rio 2 (2014). This particular set-up has to be one of, if not the reason, why Anne Hathaway was cast in the role.Ī year prior to The Cat Returns, Hathaway had just made her debut as Mia Thermopolis of The Princess Diaries series, a role that also required her to play a teenage girl thrust into change. She’s kind and thoughtful, albeit a bit frustrated with her everyday life (and to a lesser degree, her unrequited feelings for a classmate). It is the unassuming Haru’s decision to save a cat that sets the film in motion as well as that of her own journey to self-discovery. So, what have they and the original Japanese cast been up to since that fateful day in the Cat Bureau? Why don’t we take a look and see… The Big Cats of The Cat Returns Haru Yoshioka: Anne Hathaway/Chizuru Ikewaki For all the celebrity miscasts of Disney past, the cast of The Cat Returns carry their weight, voices “worn on sleeves.” The story and worldbuilding were not the only things that stood out to my younger self, however the English voicework was dynamic, fitting, and fun, a stark contrast to some of the other Disney-dubbed and redubbed Ghibli movies.