Ghibli films are so nostalgic that revisiting each one feels like coming home, like going to a safe place.

吉卜力的電影充斥懷舊感之多，讓我重溫每部電影時都有回家的感覺，就像到達一個安全的地方。

And yet, behind the breathtaking artwork and wonderfully rich characters, to me, one thing really stands out.

然而，在令人驚歎的美術和極度豐富的角色背後，對我來說，有一件事格外突出。

Ghibli films have so many cats!

吉卜力電影裡有好多貓！

And dogs, but mostly cats.

還有狗，但大多是貓。

They even have a major role in the debut film by Studio Ponoc, the animation house founded by Ghibli alumni.

他們甚至在吉卜力工作室前員工創辦的 Studio Ponoc 首部電影中，扮演了重要的角色。

But why?

但為什麼呢？

Why does the most celebrated Japanese animation studio in the world, replete with all sorts of magical, weird, or downright disturbing creatures,

為什麼世界上最著名、充斥各種神奇、怪異或完全令人不安生物的日本動畫工作室，

repeatedly spend so much time with cats?

會反覆花這麼多時間與在貓咪上？

Well, first, let's think about the animation itself.

嗯，首先讓我們思考動畫本身。

Cats, in real-life, move in an entirely unique way; more importantly, in a recognizable way.

貓咪在現實生活中是以一種完全獨特的方式移動，更重要的是，是可辨識的方式。

The way they purr or the way their fur stands on end, the way they hiss or stretch or pounce.

牠們發出呼嚕聲或是毛髮站立的方式、牠們發出嘶嘶聲或伸展或猛撲的方式。

We all know how a cat moves.

我們都知道一隻貓咪如何移動。

This, I believe, plays a big role in their repeated inclusion in Ghibli work.

我相信這對於牠們重複被涵蓋在吉卜力作品中，有舉足輕重的角色。

Their familiarity ground the films and place other aspects of the animation in the same potential reality.

牠們的熟悉感為電影下基礎，並將動畫的其它面向放置在相同的可能現實。

With each new fantastical character, Ghibli has to imagine, in a realistic way, how that character would move, would breath, would fight.

每一個新的幻想角色，吉卜力都必須想像那個角色在現實中會如何移動、呼吸、打鬥。

The same layers of thought go into the realistic design of their machines and vehicles.

對於作品中寫實的機器和車輛，也被賦予同等層面的思考。

Cats are excellent (in) providing a great juxtaposition that gives life to these other more outlandish characters and creatures.

貓咪能夠很好地提供良好並置，賦予生命給其他較不尋常的角色和生物。

Japan is obsessed with cats, both in the real world and the animated one.

日本對貓很著迷，在現實以及動畫世界都一樣。

Ghibli even has a house cat, Ushiko, who comes and goes as she pleases.

吉卜力甚至有一隻名為 Ushiko 的家貓，可以來去自如。

As many of Ghibli's films are set in either modern-day or historical Japan, cats are necessary inclusions to sell that setting.

由於吉卜力許多電影背景都是設定在現在或是過去的日本，貓咪是讓背景取信於人的必要成分。

Look to Japan for popularizing cat cafés, places where you can enjoy a coffee whilst in the company of some placid cats.

看看日本流行的貓咪咖啡廳，你可以在那裡一邊享受咖啡，同時擁有平和貓咪的陪伴。

Or the maneki-neko, a beckoning cat figure from Japan who is meant to bring good fortune.

或是 maneki-neko，一個來自日本的招財貓，旨在帶來好運。

Ghibli must, in order to maintain immersive and realistic, include a multitude of aspects of Japanese culture.

為了保持身臨其境的真實感，吉卜力必須包括日本文化的許多面向。

And cat worship is one of the most popular in Japan.

而貓咪崇拜則是日本最流行的文化之一。

Magic is a constant throughout every Ghibli film.

魔法是貫穿每一部吉卜力電影的常數。

Even when it is not overtly on screen, its presence is felt.

即便它並未公然出現在螢幕上，也能感受到它的存在。

Ghibli films like to explore the fine line between childhood curiosity and magic.

吉卜力電影喜歡探索童年好奇心和魔法之間的細微差別。

Cats are the perfect animal to tread that line.

貓是踩著這條線的完美動物。

They have been associated with magic for thousands of years.

幾千年來，牠們一直與魔法聯繫在一起。

So their inclusion in films like "Kiki's Delivery Service" or "Mary and the Witch's Flower" are necessary, where they act as companions.

所以說，在《魔女宅急便》或《瑪麗與魔女之花》等電影中加入牠們是必要的，而牠們在其中扮演同伴角色。

In other Ghibli works, cats are the catalyst for exploration, for deviating from the path, and propelling our protagonist into new magical territory.

在吉卜力的其它作品中，貓是探索以及偏離道路的催化劑，並推動主角進入新的神奇領域。

They are the gatekeepers to the fantasy world, just like Ghibli is for its audiences.

牠們是幻想世界的守門人，就如同吉卜力的電影之於其觀眾。