Copyright © 1995 BANIPAL WITT

Take a couple of Japanese children, mix in a lot of cats and YELLOW SUBMARINE-influenced art, wrap it together with a race against the clock, and you get one of the more original and fun films I have seen for a long time.
Here's some minor history for CATNAPPED!: it was originally released in 1995 as TOTSUZEN! NEKO NO KUNI BANIPAL WITT in Japanese movie theatres. In North America it toured around a bit at film festivals (shown at least twice at different Anime Expos, for instance), but even in Japan it had not been released on video. Finally, by late 1998, it came out on LD in Japan, and Pioneer has now at last followed with a subtitled VHS release in North America. Early in 2000 an English dub and DVD release is planned as well.
The story begins in Japan, with Toriyasu (Hori Hiroaki), a young disgruntled boy whose dog has mysteriously disappeared, and his little spunky sister Meeko (Sasaki Miki). One day, on the way to school Meeko catches a glimpse of a cat dressed in a coat slipping through the shadows.
All this eventually leads a very reluctant Toriyasu and an enthusiastic Meeko journeying with three strange cats in their craft to the world of Banipal Witt. There they discover their dog Papadoll (Tachiki Fumihiko) has somehow turned into a huge flying monster under the control of the evil sorceress Buburina (Hidaka Noriko). With Chu Chu's help (Iizuka Mayumi), Toriyasu's task is to help turn Papadoll back to normal and bring his dog and his sister home before the sun rises again in Banipal Witt.
The character design is simple but very well done, and in the animation the movie production values are apparent. The backgrounds and architecture seems straight out of a children's dream with a strange hybrid of toys, balloons, trains, etc.
I have little to complain about in this film, and while I will admit the primary focus of this movie is for children, I also see it as a happy film for all ages. It does a great job of explaining all the characters' motivations throughout the film, and it is great to see the development Toriyasu undergoes from his start as a mean, downtrodden kid. The audience is led to cheer on and care for the heroes, but even the antagonists are not completely evil and we can feel for them too. There is frequent action as well, starting from the initial warping to Banipal Witt until the ending climax.
The best thing though was the feeling of being thoroughly entertained at the end of the film as the credits rolled (and the surprisingly addictive theme song played).
While Miyazaki Hayao's films still hold the top award in my books for the best films for children of all ages, I also believe that CATNAPPED! is a wonderful, must-see work that is a fun and wild ride for both the young and the young at heart.

Licensed by Triangle Staff
Released in North America by Pioneer Entertainment
VHS, 75 min.
English Subbed PICT-0001S $29.98
Available now in the USA
Where to buy