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The image above pretty much sums up the entire movie.
Catnapped! (original Japanese title: Totsuzen! Neko no Kuni Banipal Witt) is a 1995 animated feature film distributed by Geneon and written, designed and directed by Takashi Nakamura, whose previous works include the animation art department of Akira.
A boy named Toriyasu and his younger sister Meeko are contacted by three anthropomorphic cats, who transport them to their homeworld, Banipal Witt, ruled by evil princess Buburina, whose instruments of domination are a giant flying dog (that happens to be Toriyasu's missing pet dog, Papadoll) and her own grasp of magic.
The film is remarkable for its imaginative visuals, often compared to Yellow Submarine, and for being one of the few Japanese animated films for children among the glut of sexual and violent animes of The Nineties.
- Action Girl: Chu Chu doesn't need Toriyasu to stand up to Buburina in a catfight.
- Air Jousting: the climax of the film.
- Alien Sky: the moon is a vessel manned by a single person and the sun is a fireworks device!
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Doh Doh was the apprentice of Sandada and the brother of Chu Chu, but saw a painting of Buburina that causes anyone to look at it to become her slave.
- Bumbling Sidekick: Doh Doh isn't a completely useless henchman, but he's not too good either, and Buburina shows zero respect for him.
- Catgirl: Most prominently Toriyasu and Meeko first simply gaining cat ears. Also Chu Chu
- Cheshire Cat Grin: a recurring decoration theme, as well as part of Buburina's Noblewoman's Laugh and Doh Doh's Evil Laugh.
- Deranged Animation: many and surreal!
- Fisher Kingdom: Toriyasu and Meeko gain feline features when they arrive to Banipal Witt. Reversely, cats don't so much lose their anthropomorphism than disguise themselves as ordinary felines so as not to attract attention. Even so, they admit that their disguises aren't foolproof, thus why Henogee begs Meeko not to wake up any adults.
- Floating Continent: Banipal Witt is on top of a floating tower of continents.
- Heroic BSOD: Toriyasu when he remembers his abuse of Papadoll.
- Inept Mage: The old wizard Sandada leads La Résistance against Buburina but his magic is too weak to do anything on his own. His potions prove useless too.
- Interspecies Romance: Toriyasu and Meeko receive a bit too much attention from Chu Chu and Suttoboke respectively.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Doh Doh was a cute looking cat boy but immediately became adult and haggard after falling under Buburina's spell.
- Kick the Dog: Both literally and figuratively. Likewise, Pet the Dog.
- Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: The Pink Panther appears briefly among a crowd fleeing Papadoll's attacks.
- Magitek: with a bit of Bamboo Technology mixed in, Banipal Witt runs on blimps and pellets.
- Meaningful Name: Buburina owes her name to buburu, bubble. Just wait to see her magic in action.
- Sugar Apocalypse: Banipal Witt was a beautiful land ruled by two benevolent monarchs. Then Buburina and Papadoll happened.
- Timed Mission: Toriyasu and Meeko must thwart Buburina's plans and return Papadoll to normal before sunrise. Otherwise they'll suffer Papadoll's fate.
- Verbed Title
- What Could Have Been: the film ends in a cliffhanger, but no sequels were made. A more benevolent way to see it is And the Adventure Continues...
- What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs??