GKIDS' latest animated import, Ghost Cat Anzu, brings together a grumpy 11-year-old girl dealing with her mother's death and a fun-loving ghost cat who enjoys beer and sake. When Karin's father left her at her grandfather's house, her grandfather asked his ghost cat Anzu to take care of her. While the two initially clashed, they eventually bonded and embarked on a mission to bring Karin's mother back.
In an exclusive clip provided by GKIDS, we get a glimpse at this film's fusion of the mundane and the magical. After Anzu follows a few forest creatures (which he calls “birds”) into the wilderness, he meets a giant talking frog and invites him back to the temple Anzu calls home. The frog freely invites other mythical creatures, and the group sits around drinking beer, looking at magazines, and playing Nintendo Switch, until Karin stumbles home and asks him what's going on.
There are echoes of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away in all of this, a sense of apathetic and otherworldly souls colliding in a social space where they can pursue their own interests without Complete interaction is not required. But in the comedy Ghost Cat Anzu, the interaction is much more awkward. The film is co-directed by artist Yoko Kuno, in her directorial debut, and Nobuhiro Yamashita (Linda Linda Linda). It is based on the manga of the same name by Takashi Imashiro. The music comes from EarthBound composer Keiichi Suzuki.
Phantom Cat Anzu will be released in US theaters on November 15. The full trailer is available here:
