Ghost Cat Anzu

Fifth grader Karin is unceremoniously dumped on her grandfather for the summer by her deadbeat dad, a widower. Unhappily adjusting to village life, Karin has a series of run-ins with her grandad’s giant talking cat, Anzu, a mild reprobate who resembles Garfield and by and large does what he pleases — but who keeps a considerate eye on the newcomer even so. Through Anzu, Karin befriends a bunch of local spirits — a giant frog, a talking mushroom — and eventually encounters the God of Poverty, who agrees to take her into the underworld to visit her mom…

Even by anime standards this is a wildly unpredictable tale, slamming from sentimental coming-of-age sequences to juvenile (but funny) fart jokes to chase scenes and low-key riffs on Spirited Away. It shouldn’t work but it does, not least because the animation is lovely through out. The film is co-directed by Yôko Kuno (her debut) and live action veteran Nobuhiro Yamashita (Linda Linda Linda).

It’s family (and ghost cat) friendly.

Delightfully offbeat.

Carlos Aguilar, Variety

One of the most eccentric pieces of animation I’ve encountered in a long time.

Deadline