"11 Cats" review: A charming cat adventure story

11 Cats - 11 Cats

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

comics

■ Release date

July 19, 1980 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Nippon Herald Films

■Frequencies

83 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Noboru Baba "11 Cats"

■ Director

・Direction: Shiro Fujimoto

■ Production

・Produced by Group Tuck

■ Story

The 11 cats, led by General Dora Neko, keep causing mischief, much to the dismay of the adults in the town. The police chief calls the 11 cats out and scolds them for being too noisy. The disappointed cats hear an old story about a big fish from a long-bearded old cat. It takes 11 cats a month to eat the fish. The cats, who can no longer play in the town, decide to go and catch the fish. They decide that if they join forces, they can defeat the monster fish, so they set off on an adventure, relying only on their unity. Once they leave the town, the 11 cats have a series of first-time experiences. And after many hardships, the 11 cats realize that friends are a good thing. The 11 cats, who have grown twice as big, finally reach the lake where the big fish lives. The lake is as wide as the sea and eerily quiet. Is there really a big fish in it? A big lake with big fish. Eleven of them started eating the big dream whole.

■Explanation

The story follows 11 cats who set out on an adventure in pursuit of their dreams, facing 11 themes such as freedom, love, companionship, kindness, and cooperation on their own. This is an animation adaptation of the picture book of the same name by manga artist Baba Noboru, published by Kogumasha 13 years ago and awarded the 15th Sankei Children's Publishing Culture Award. The screenplay is by Suzuki Yoshitake, the direction is by Fujimoto Shiro, and the photography is by Moriyama Hajime.

■Cast

・General Tiger Cat/Hiromi Go・Mayor/Gorou Naya・Chief of Police/Tadao Futami・Grandpa with Long Beard/Ryuji Kai・Cat A, Giant Fish/Osamu Saka・Cat B/Michihiro Ikemizu・Cat C/Ritsuo Sawa・Cat D/Keisuke Yamashita・Cat E/Shun Yashiro・Cat F/Kazuko Makino・Cat G/Yuko Maruyama・Cat H/Kazuo Hayashi・Cat I/Kazuyasu Sogabe・Cat J/Masahiro Anzai・Town Cat A/Keizo Kuraguchi・Town Cat B/Hiroshi Izawa・Town Cat C/Hirotaka Nagai・Town Cat D/Shigeki Yamaguchi

■ Main staff

・Production: Group TAC・Planning and production: Atsumi Tashiro・Hiromi Furukawa・Director: Shiro Fujimoto・Animation director: Tsuneo Maeda・Adaptation: Yoshitake Suzuki・Literary cooperation: Shigeo Matsumoto・Music: Hitoshi Komuro・Chief animator: Teruhito Kamiguchi・Art: Minoru Aoki・Sound: Atsumi Tashiro・Cinematography: Hajime Moriyama・Editing: Masashi Furukawa・Lyrics: Makoto Sato・Sound effects: Mitsuru Kashiwabara・Production manager: Ken Fujita・Producer: Toju Udagawa・Production cooperation: Herald Enterprises, Kyoto Film Center・Cooperation: Kogumasha, CBS Sony, Theatre Echo

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

The animated film "11 Cats," released in 1980, is based on the picture book of the same name by Baba Noboru, and is known as a masterpiece beloved by a wide range of people, from children to adults. The story is about 11 cats who grow through adventures and learn the importance of their companions, and has been highly praised for its themes and clever storytelling.

First, let's talk about the story. "11 Cats" begins with 11 cats, led by Toraneko Taisho, repeatedly causing mischief in the city. However, after a stern lecture from the police chief, the cats are no longer able to play in the city. They become intrigued by a story about a big fish that they heard from Old Man Beard, and set out on an adventure to catch it. During the course of this adventure, the cats face many challenges, but they also deepen their bonds with their friends and grow as people. In the end, the cats are able to catch the big fish, and are reminded of the importance of their friends and feel the joy of making their dreams come true. This story is a great educational material for teaching children about dreams, hopes, and the importance of friends.

Next, let's look at the characters. The eleven cats, including Toraneko-taisho, each have their own unique personalities, making the viewer never bored. In particular, Toraneko-taisho's leadership, the wisdom of Higenaga-jii-san, and the cooperative spirit of the other cats add excitement to the story. The voice actors are also impressive, with many popular voice actors from the time, such as Go Hiromi, Naya Goro, and Futami Tadao, taking part, further enhancing the charm of the characters.

Visually, the film stands out for its beautiful animation produced by Group TAC. In particular, the adventure scenes, with their meticulous depictions of the beauty of nature and the expressions of the cats, have the power to draw the viewer in. The music, too, is superbly composed by Hitoshi Komuro, adding excitement to the story, and the ending theme, "Big Fish, Big Lake," is a memorable classic that has stayed with many people.

I would also like to touch on the theme of this work. "11 Cats" depicts 11 themes, including freedom, love, companionship, kindness, and cooperation, and each theme is explored in depth through the cats' adventures. In particular, the scenes that emphasize the importance of companionship and cooperation will deeply move children and serve as a catalyst for their growth. It is also a work that will make adults think anew about the importance of companionship.

Finally, I would like to recommend this film. "11 Cats" is a film that can be enjoyed by both children and adults, and I especially recommend watching it with the family. Children will be fascinated by the cats' adventures and learn the importance of friends. Adults will also feel nostalgic and moved, and it will be an opportunity to deepen bonds with family. Furthermore, this film has great educational value, so I recommend screening it in schools and libraries. It will be a wonderful teaching material to teach children about dreams, hopes, and the importance of friends.

Above, I have given a detailed review and recommendation of "11 Cats". This work is excellent in all aspects, including story, characters, visuals, music, and theme, and has become a masterpiece loved by many people. I hope you will watch it and feel its charm.