The City of Lost Children

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The City of Lost Children

R

Released Dec 15, 1995

1h 51m

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

61 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Old and decrepit Krank (Daniel Emilfork) has lost his capacity for dreaming and is attempting to fight death by stealing the dreams of children. Krank's cadre of cloned henchmen (Dominique Pinon) snatch 5-year-old Denree (Joseph Lucien) to subject him to the horrific dream-retrieval process. The boy's father, One (Ron Perlman), the hulking strongman of a traveling circus, and his precocious 9-year-old friend, Miette (Judith Vittet), join forces to defeat Krank's minions and save Denree.

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Critics Consensus

Not all of its many intriguing ideas are developed, but The City of Lost Children is an engrossing, disturbing, profoundly memorable experience.

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Michael Sragow

The New Yorker

Jeunet and Caro have distinctive signatures like nobody else's.

Nov 20, 2013

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Jeff Shannon

Seattle Times

On visual terms alone, The City of Lost Children is something of a masterpiece, using state-of-the-art physical, optical and digital special effects to stretch cinematic boundaries.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 20, 2013

Full Review

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

Essentially, The City of Lost Children is a macabre fairy tale, and while its tentacled comic-book plot and freak-show cast narrow its appeal -- this isn't a work of any allegorical depth -- Caro and Jeunet have pulled off a cinematic delight.

Rated: 3.5/4

Nov 20, 2013

Full Review

Stephen A. Russell

Orion's Shoulder (Substack)

As twisted a tale as you’ll encounter, right down to Ron Perlman performing in French phonetically, it’s a cornerstone of my youthful cinematic awakening.

Mar 6, 2025

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Rich Cross

Starburst

An extraordinary and twisted fairytale...

Rated: 5/5

May 19, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Best described as a hybrid of Terry Gilliam and the Coens, with dashes of Jules Verne, Charles Dickens, and Rube Goldberg added to the mix.

Rated: 3.5/4

Dec 5, 2022

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Melanie C

A dystopian sci-fi fantasy world that's as beautiful as it is bleak. I would recommend it to everyone but not everyone appreciates real art.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/22/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 51 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $1,900,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

Full Review

John G

I need add only this to all the other approving comments: an essential feature of the film is the beautiful music by Angelo Badalamenti.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/06/25

Full Review

Craig S

Great cinematography, great sound, great story and concepts, funny and some really fine acting & script writing…. It has a bit of everything

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/12/24

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John S

I'm truly unique and amazing movie, very stylized with a interesting European vibe

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/25/24

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Terry D

I streamed "The City of Lost Children" on Tubi recently, and even if I normally do not watch many subtitled films, I found this French film to be unlike anything I've ever seen or experienced before. I highly recommend this movie, it's one of those movies that you will never forget watching, and the images will stay in your head for a very long time. A beautiful, beautiful, movie that I rate 10 out of 10. I encourage you to read all of the reviews. here and on IMDB.com.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/01/24

Full Review

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Marc Caro

Director

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Director

Ron Perlman

One

Daniel Emilfork

Krank

Judith Vittet

Miette

Dominique Pinon

le scaphandrier

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Synopsis

Old and decrepit Krank (Daniel Emilfork) has lost his capacity for dreaming and is attempting to fight death by stealing the dreams of children. Krank's cadre of cloned henchmen (Dominique Pinon) snatch 5-year-old Denree (Joseph Lucien) to subject him to the horrific dream-retrieval process. The boy's father, One (Ron Perlman), the hulking strongman of a traveling circus, and his precocious 9-year-old friend, Miette (Judith Vittet), join forces to defeat Krank's minions and save Denree.

Director: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Producer: Félicie Dutertre
Screenwriter: Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro, Gilles Adrien, Guillaume Laurant
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Rating: R
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 15, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 28, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.9M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround

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