The Boy and the Beast

PG-13

2015

1h 59m

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Animation

List

88%

Tomatometer

69 Reviews

88%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Kyuta slips into an alternate universe where he is raised by a bear-man, Kumatetsu. Kyuta is eventually thrust into an adventure which spans both worlds.

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Critics Consensus

The Boy and the Beast combines familiar parts to create a gripping, beautifully animated adventure with inventive storytelling to match its visual appeal.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

[Its] familiar beats cunningly coalesce into an elaborate plot, set to Takagi Masakatsu's bustling score.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 15, 2017

Full Review

Johanna Schneller

Globe and Mail

The soundscape is rich, and the beast-battles well executed. But the characters never develop beyond their two-word descriptors: Conflicted Boy, Lonely Girl, Angry Son, etc.

Rated: 2.5/4

May 27, 2016

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

The whole thing displays that combination of visual flair and wildly inventive storytelling that distinguishes Japanese animation from the rest of the field.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 10, 2016

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MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

A few instances of gorgeous and magical imagery cannot make up for the lack of genuine emotion or a fresh story.

Nov 30, 2020

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Rachel Wagner

Rotoscopers

The martial arts sequences look very bold and captivating, and all the animation is rendered beautifully.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 11, 2019

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Glenn Heath Jr.

San Diego CityBeat

For a film that claims to have so much heart, it all feels suspiciously hollow.

Nov 3, 2018

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Lorenzo A

The movie was great, it was wonderful, a memory that I will never forget. I hope that one day they will release the second movie of this anime and I hope that one day it will be fulfilled

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/09/23

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Christopher L

Movie was very nicely animated with a beautiful plot that keeps you grasping for more. Art is a 10/10, story is a 10/10, and characters were 10/10.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/26/22

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Audience Member

I expected more magic things from an anime like this with a director like that.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

Mamoru Hosoda, one of the contemporary Japanese anime directors, frequently follows certain patterns in his feature-length anime films. Certain elements are usually linked to each other by bearing symbolic meanings. Different creatures become family members. An object, usually an image, takes us back and forth in time. Tradition plays an important role in shaping modern life. In this review, I will explain these recurring elements in five different anime films that Hosoda produced after the 2000s: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Summer Wars (2009), Wolf Children Ame and Yuki (2012), The Boy and the Beast (2015), Mirai (2018). We will look at how Mamoru Hosoda reproduces the issues of family ties and childhood, creatures and strangers, traditions and roots, classical master-apprentice relations, country and city, time and space in his unique narrative style. Full review: https://guncesinema.com/en/from-aliens-to-family-from-family-to-roots/

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

lucca b

It mixes fantasy, coming of age and martial arts, and becomes a fantastic adventure with impressive action, beautiful animation, memorable characters and an emotionally affecting narrative.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Overall the film is beautiful and fun. It does feel a little overloaded at times with too many things trying to be accomplished. The ending monologue should just be ignored as it hits all the wrong emotional notes. For the most part the film is a fiery exciting ride which matures the main characters maintaining their sense of fun all the way.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

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Mamoru Hosoda

Director

Kumiko Asô

Kyuta's Mother

Rirî Furankî

Monk Momoaki

Suzu Hirose

Kaede

Haru Kuroki

Young Ichirohiko

Mamoru Miyano

Ichirohiko

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Synopsis

Kyuta slips into an alternate universe where he is raised by a bear-man, Kumatetsu. Kyuta is eventually thrust into an adventure which spans both worlds.

Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Producer: Daisuke Kadoya
Screenwriter: Mamoru Hosoda
Production Co: Nippon Television Network, Studio Chizu, Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.
Rating: PG-13 (Some Violence|Language)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $446.1K
Runtime: 1h 59m

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