Big Fish & Begonia

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2:21

Big Fish & Begonia

PG-13

2018

1h 45m

Fantasy

Adventure

Anime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

A 16-year-old girl embarks on a fantastical and dangerous adventure after transforming into a dolphin. When a boy sacrifices himself to save her, she uses magic to bring him back to life -- only to learn that this power comes at a serious price.

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Critics Consensus

Big Fish & Begonia's richly rendered blend of animation styles perfectly complements its bighearted, surprisingly complex cautionary fish tale.

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Michael Leader

Little White Lies

04/17/2018

3/5

More a visual marvel than a true masterpiece, but hopefully this is just the start of something new.

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Michael Sragow

Film Comment Magazine

04/12/2018

Spinning their own variations on ancient Chinese myths, these directors make a poetic plea to protect actual species-while delighting audiences with transcendent make-believe.

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Cath Clarke

Guardian

04/12/2018

3/5

While the movie's kaleidoscope of striking images and distinctive characters is spellbinding, it lacks psychological depth. And the question of what the hell is going on is never far from your mind.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

02/16/2024

4/5

The slightly ambiguous mythology is perplexing to follow and thick in allegory to a degree for sure. Yet, it’s immensely reachable with its ethereal parallels to human virtues.

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Preston Barta

Fresh Fiction

03/30/2019

B-

Big Fish & Begonia may not be the big catch it could have been, but there's a dreamlike quality to the film that's commendable.

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David Hogan

Anime UK News

02/17/2019

8/10

So to sum up, Big Fish & Begonia is a visual treat that has some heart and childish imagination behind it.

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Kevin L

@Lakeman Dec 28

Remarkable animation, a captivating story, engrossing characters, and gorgeous art direction make "Big Fish & Begonia" a classic of the genre. It's truly a story line of real depth and complexity. Characters must make decisions and sacrifices the will forever alter their fortunes. But then some are rewarded for their sacrifice and innate qualities of empathy, compassion, and selflessness in the name of love and what's just. Strong work by writer Xuan and co-director Chun. It's a fantastical world they take the viewer into. Great voice work as well. 3.7 stars

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Louis D

@Odric Dec 26

This movie was beautifully animated but didn’t understand the meaning of the word "Pause". It steamrolled on and on and on without stopping and it was exhausting and stressful to watch. I stopped after 40 minutes; there was zero pacing, and it was like watching a bunch of little fables stuck together one after another threaded together by the barest hint of a plot. Pretty awful; shame to see such good animation go to waste.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jul 26

Rated PG-13 for Thematic Elements and Brief Nudity. Success in 1.75 hours. In Mandarin with English subtitles.

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Phil H

@RT20674666 04/13/2025

If you enjoy studio Ghibli’s classics, then you will definitely enjoy this movie as well

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Jhosep G

@RT48819495 06/26/2024

There's a good storyline, and good characters we root for. Howeverz the development and the deepness that never actually leads anywhere undermine most of the good decisions developers had already made.

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Alan T

@Alan527 05/11/2024

It was a great animated film and the chinese voice acting is excellent. Just wish it could be a bit longer to explore some other characters and the mystical world that's hidden from the real world. 8/10

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Xuan Liang

Director

Chun Zhang

Director

Stephanie Sheh

Chun

Johnny Yong Bosch

Qiu

Todd Haberkorn

Kun

Fong Sung

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Big Fish & Begonia: Trailer 1

2:21

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Synopsis

A 16-year-old girl embarks on a fantastical and dangerous adventure after transforming into a dolphin. When a boy sacrifices himself to save her, she uses magic to bring him back to life -- only to learn that this power comes at a serious price.

Director: Xuan Liang, Chun Zhang
Screenwriter: Xuan Liang
Distributor: Funimation, Shout! Studios
Production Co: B&T Film, Huoerguosi Enlight Media
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Brief Nudity)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Anime
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 6, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 24, 2018
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)