GKIDS’ newest animation import, Ghost Cat Anzu, brings together a grumpy 11-year-old dealing with her mom’s death and a jovial ghost cat who likes beer and sake. When Karin’s father leaves her at her grandfather’s house, her grandfather instructs his ghost cat, Anzu, to take care of her. While the two initially clash, they eventually bond, and embark on a quest to bring Karin’s mother back.
Watch Ghost Cat Anzu throw anime’s worst beer-and-Nintendo party
I want to be his friend
Petrana Radulovic is an entertainment reporter specializing in animation, fandom culture, theme parks, Disney, and young adult fantasy franchises.
In an exclusive clip provided by GKIDS, we get a glimpse into the mix of mundane and magic in this movie. After Anzu tracks a few forest sprites (which he calls “cheepies”) into the wilderness, he meets a giant talking frog and invites him back to the temple Anzu calls home. The frog takes the liberty of inviting other mythical creatures, and the gang sits around drinking beer, leafing through magazines, and playing a Nintendo Switch, until Karin stumbles home and asks him what’s going on.
There’s an echo of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away in all this, a sense of indifferent and otherworldly spirits colliding in a social space where they can pursue their own interests without fully interacting. But in the comedy of Ghost Cat Anzu, the interaction is much more awkward. The movie is co-directed by artist Yoko Kuno, in her feature directorial debut, and Nobuhiro Yamashita (Linda Linda Linda). It’s based on Takashi Imashiro’s manga series of the same name. The music comes from EarthBound composer Keiichi Suzuki.
Ghost Cat Anzu will arrive in U.S. theaters on Nov. 15. The full trailer is here:
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