50 Movies Like The Cat Returns (2002) You Need to Watch Next
Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.
Updated June 2026
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If you loved The Cat Returns (2002) by Hiroyuki Morita, here are 50 movies that share its content DNA. iRankMovies measures real similarity using cosine similarity across eight weighted dimensions — genre (50%), tone (12%), pace (10%), structure (8%), era (7%), theme (6%), audience (4%) and narrative perspective (3%) — not just the rating. The closest matches according to our analysis are Suzume, Wolf Children, Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!. Every title is ranked by how closely it matches and backed by the iRank Score, a composite of IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and TMDb across 12,000+ analysed titles.
50 Movies Similar to The Cat Returns
Suzume
2022 · Makoto Shinkai
Suzume, 17, lost her mother as a little girl. On her way to school, she meets a mysterious young man. But her curiosity unleashes a calamity that endangers the entire population of Japan, and so Suzum
In common: Adventure · Animation · Drama
Wolf Children
2012 · Mamoru Hosoda
After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be
In common: Animation · Drama · Family
Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!
2017 · Kunihiko Yuyama
Ash Ketchum wakes up late one morning after having broken his alarm clock in his sleep. He eventually makes it to Professor Oak's lab, but is told that the three starter List of Pokémon (Bulbasaur, Sq
In common: Adventure · Animation · Family
The Boy and the Beast
2015 · Mamoru Hosoda
Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu
In common: Adventure · Animation
Mary and The Witch's Flower
2017 · Hiromasa Yonebayashi
Mary Smith, a young girl who lives with her great-aunt in the countryside, follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest where she finds a strange flower and an old broom, none of which is as ordina
In common: Adventure · Animation · Family
Porco Rosso
1992 · Hayao Miyazaki
In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former Wor
In common: Adventure · Animation · Fantasy
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
1984 · Hayao Miyazaki
After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the
In common: Adventure · Animation · Fantasy
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
2013 · Isao Takahata
Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthrals all who encounter her. But,
In common: Animation · Drama · Fantasy
Pom Poko
1994 · Isao Takahata
The Raccoons of the Tama Hills are being forced from their homes by the rapid development of houses and shopping malls. As it becomes harder to find food and shelter, they decide to band together and
In common: Adventure · Animation · Fantasy
Princess Mononoke
1997 · Hayao Miyazaki
Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to p
In common: Adventure · Animation · Fantasy
The Boy and the Heron
2023 · Hayao Miyazaki
While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking
In common: Animation · Drama · Fantasy
Howl's Moving Castle
2004 · Hayao Miyazaki
Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the kin
In common: Adventure · Animation · Fantasy
Stand by Me Doraemon
2014 · Takashi Yamazaki
Sewashi and Doraemon find themselves way back in time and meet Nobita. It is up to Doraemon to take care of Nobita or else he will not return to the present.
In common: Adventure · Animation · Drama
Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire
2009 · Masahiko Murata
Ninjas with bloodline limits begin disappearing in all the countries and blame points toward the fire nation. By Tsunade's order, Kakashi is sacrificed to prevent an all out war. After inheriting char
In common: Adventure · Animation
Castle in the Sky
1986 · Hayao Miyazaki
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
In common: Adventure · Animation
One Piece Film Red
2022 · Goro Taniguchi
A new adventure begins for Luffy and his crew when mysterious pop superstar Uta unveils her identity — and launches a misguided plan for world peace.
In common: Adventure · Animation
Pokémon: The First Movie
1998 · Kunihiko Yuyama
Determined to prove its superiority, a bio-engineered Pokémon called Mewtwo lures Ash, Pikachu and others into a Pokemon match like none before.
In common: Adventure · Animation
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl
2019 · Soichi Masui
In Fujisawa, Sakuta Azusagawa is in his second year of high school. Blissful days with his girlfriend and upperclassman, Mai Sakurajima, are interrupted by the appearance of his first crush, Shoko Mak
In common: Animation · Drama · Fantasy
A Whisker Away
2020 · Tomotaka Shibayama
A peculiar girl transforms into a cat to catch her crush's attention. But before she realizes it, the line between human and animal starts to blur.
In common: Animation · Drama · Fantasy
Pokémon 3: The Movie
2000 · Kunihiko Yuyama
When the sadness of her father's disappearance gets to Molly Hale, she unknowingly uses the Unown to create her own dream world along with Entei, who she believes to be her father. When Entei kidnaps
In common: Adventure · Animation
Pokémon the Movie 2000
1999 · Kunihiko Yuyama
When Lawrence III's scheme to capture the Legendary Pokémon Lugia upsets the balance of nature, it is up to Ash Ketchum and his friends to save the world.
In common: Adventure · Animation · Family
Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back - Evolution
2019 · Motonori Sakakibara
After accepting an invitation from a mysterious trainer, Ash, Misty and Brock meet Mewtwo, an artificially created Pokémon who wants to do battle.
In common: Adventure · Animation
One Piece Film: Z
2012 · Tatsuya Nagamine
Zephyr, now known as Z, rides the seas with only one goal: Destroy all pirates and their dreams at becoming King of Pirates. When Luffy and his crew encounter him at sea, not only are they utterly def
In common: Adventure · Animation
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion
1997 · Hideaki Anno
SEELE orders an all-out attack on NERV, aiming to destroy the Evas before Gendo can advance his own plans for the Human Instrumentality Project. Shinji is pushed to the limits of his sanity as he is f
In common: Animation · Drama · Fantasy
Violet Evergarden: The Movie
2020 · Taichi Ishidate
As the world moves on from the war and technological advances bring changes to her life, Violet still hopes to see her lost commanding officer again.
In common: Animation · Drama · Fantasy
The Secret World of Arrietty
2010 · Hiromasa Yonebayashi
14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clo
In common: Animation · Family · Fantasy
Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms
2018 · Mari Okada
Fleeing the war, the immortal Machia, graced with eternal youth, finds a baby abandoned in the forest and decides to raise it as her own child, sparking a moving story between a mortal and a being who
In common: Animation · Drama · Fantasy
Spirited Away
2001 · Hayao Miyazaki
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family
In common: Animation · Family · Fantasy
My Neighbor Totoro
1988 · Hayao Miyazaki
Two sisters move to the country with their father in order to be closer to their hospitalized mother, and discover the surrounding trees are inhabited by Totoros, magical spirits of the forest. When t
In common: Animation · Family · Fantasy
Kiki's Delivery Service
1989 · Hayao Miyazaki
A young witch, on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.
In common: Animation · Family · Fantasy
Weathering with You
2019 · Makoto Shinkai
The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloo
In common: Animation · Drama · Fantasy
Look Back
2024 · Kiyotaka Oshiyama
Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful ar
In common: Animation · Drama
Whisper of the Heart
1995 · Yoshifumi Kondo
Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."
In common: Animation · Drama · Family
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King
2012 · Toshiyuki Kubooka
Guts, an immensely strong sword-for-hire, has little direction in his life, simply fighting one battle after the next. However, this all changes suddenly when he meets and is bested by Griffith, a bea
In common: Adventure · Animation
Peter Pan
1953 · Clyde Geronimi
Leaving the safety of their nursery behind, Wendy, Michael and John follow Peter Pan to a magical world where childhood lasts forever. But while in Neverland, the kids must face Captain Hook and foil
In common: Adventure · Animation · Family
The Polar Express
2004 · Robert Zemeckis
When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
In common: Adventure · Animation · Family
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
2022 · Mark Gustafson
During the rise of fascism in Mussolini's Italy, a wooden boy brought magically to life struggles to live up to his father's expectations.
In common: Adventure · Animation · Drama
A Christmas Carol
2009 · Robert Zemeckis
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that a
In common: Animation · Drama · Family
Swapped
2026 · Nathan Greno
A small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of the Valley, magically trade places and set off on an adventure of a lifetime to switch back. Their journey soon uncovers a g
In common: Adventure · Animation · Family
Brave
2012 · Mark Andrews
In the mystical Scottish Highlands, Merida is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus and Queen Elinor. An unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, Merida one day defies a sacred custom of t
In common: Adventure · Animation · Family
Alice in Wonderland
1951 · Clyde Geronimi
On a golden afternoon, wildly curious young Alice tumbles into the burrow and enters the merry, madcap world of Wonderland full of whimsical escapades.
In common: Adventure · Animation · Family
Epic
2013 · Chris Wedge
A teenager finds herself transported to a deep forest setting where a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands together with a rag-tag group characters in or
In common: Adventure · Animation · Family
Dinosaur
2000 · Eric Leighton
An orphaned dinosaur raised by lemurs joins an arduous trek to a sancturary after a meteorite shower destroys his family home.
In common: Adventure · Animation · Drama
The Fox and the Hound
1981 · Richard Rich
When a feisty little fox named Tod is adopted into a farm family, he quickly becomes friends with a fun and adorable hound puppy named Copper. Life is full of hilarious adventures until Copper is expe
In common: Adventure · Animation · Drama
The Lion King
2019 · Jon Favreau
Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar, Mufasa's brother—and former heir to the throne
In common: Adventure · Animation · Drama
The Prince of Egypt
1998 · Simon Wells
The strong bond between two Royal Egyptian brothers is challenged when their chosen responsibilities set them at odds, with extraordinary consequences.
In common: Adventure · Animation · Drama
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
2005 · Tetsuya Nomura
Two years have passed since the final battle with Sephiroth. Though Midgar, city of mako, city of prosperity, has been reduced to ruins, its people slowly but steadily walk the road to reconstruction.
In common: Adventure · Animation
Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale
2017 · Tomohiko Ito
In 2026, a new machine called the Augma is developed to compete against the NerveGear and its successor, the Amusphere. A next-gen wearable device, the Augma doesn't have a full-dive function like its
In common: Adventure · Animation
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
2006 · Mamoru Hosoda
When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to 'leap' backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realises that chang
In common: Animation · Drama · Fantasy
Rio
2011 · Carlos Saldanha
Captured by smugglers when he was just a hatchling, a macaw named Blu never learned to fly and lives a happily domesticated life in Minnesota with his human friend, Linda. Blu is thought to be the las
In common: Adventure · Animation