The Deer King

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The Deer King

R

Released Jul 13, 2022

1h 54m

Fantasy

Anime

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

41 Reviews

82%

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Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

In the years following a vicious war, the Empire of Zol now controls the land and citizens of rival Aquafa -- except for Aquafa's Fire Horse Territory, where wild dogs that once carried the deadly Black Wolf Fever continue to roam free. When a pack of dogs race through a Zol-controlled mine, Van, an enslaved former soldier, and a young girl named Yuna are both bitten, but manage to escape as the sole survivors of the attack. Finally free, Van and Yuna seek out a simple, peaceful existence in the countryside. But as the deadly disease once again runs rampant, they find themselves at the crossroads of a struggle much larger than any one nation.

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Critics Consensus

The Deer King's lush animation is certainly striking, although it isn't quite enough to make up for the movie's dawdling, predictable story.

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Kambole Campbell

Hyperallergic

"The Deer King"’s delicate world-building plus its curious mix of the medical and the spiritual creates a strikingly different fantasy film.

Nov 10, 2022

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

The clear lines of the elegant 2D animation are not matched by the mythic muddle of the storytelling, an exposition-heavy slog of warring factions, convoluted webs of enchantment and a deadly, wolf-borne pandemic for good measure.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 31, 2022

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Phuong Le

Guardian

One can only hope that, in future, the directors will have a better script that may befit their talents as animators.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 25, 2022

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Jana Monji

Age of the Geek

This is an interesting tale that is an adaptation of a manga series that was published after a different pandemic, but this film came out during the COVID-19 pandemic with a lot of thoughtful observations.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 25, 2023

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

The Deer King had the potential to be compelling anime. Unfortunately, the movie fails to capture the adventurous spirit of the novels and is bogged down by clichés, trite dialogue, and frequently tedious pacing.

Dec 19, 2022

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

Perhaps because Ando needed to condense everything down into a 113-minute movie items were lost or pushed aside, but there’s so much about "The Deer King" which dissatisfies upon the conclusion.

Rated: 2.5/5

Nov 16, 2022

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Kirk Stevenson

A beautiful and rich film filled with intrigue, love, hope, loss, desolation, and beauty. The Deer King is a film that won't be for everyone, but a marvelous ride for those who love fantasy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/31/22

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CuteasHellagur

A bit long and some of the story was convoluted and didn't exactly make sense, but might be because it was adapted from a book and the director may have taken creative liberties. I did enjoy it immensely though and it has made me interested in reading the book so I can see how loyal the movie is to the source material. Would watch again!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/21/22

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George

Spiritual successor to Princess Mononoke

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/22

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Marlon

Awesome movie, follows two stories as they intertwine. One is the story of two survivors of a disaster, one a grizzled man who previously lost his family and the other a young girl who lost her mother in the disaster. The second story is how this disaster is affecting a kingdom and the suspicions that are arising due to the disaster. Well worth the watch.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/19/22

Full Review

elle m

deer king is a sort of retelling/summarization of a japanese novel. because of this, there are definitely some issues with character development and the passage of time can be unclear. with those criticisms out of the way i would still rate it highly. characters and designs will seem familiar, and thats because its all just ando. the look & feel of characters in princess monoke, spirited away and your name were his work and he continues his excellence as far as visuals and animation. what i loved most about the film were its willingness to avoid massive exposition dumps and its brief exploration of fatherhood/family. definitely some narrative hiccups, but emotions were well communicated and individual characters had charm. it was ambitious and imaginative, which i will always reward with high marks - even if it falls just short.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/17/22

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Michael

It was a fun, enjoyable engaging film. It had vibes of Princess Mononoke and Gladiator as well as some original elements. Was very much worth the watch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/15/22

Full Review

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Masashi Ando

Director

Masayuki Miyaji

Director

Shinichi Tsutsumi

Van

Ryoma Takeuchi

Hossaru

Anne Watanabe

Sae

Hisui Kimura

Yuna

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Synopsis

In the years following a vicious war, the Empire of Zol now controls the land and citizens of rival Aquafa -- except for Aquafa's Fire Horse Territory, where wild dogs that once carried the deadly Black Wolf Fever continue to roam free. When a pack of dogs race through a Zol-controlled mine, Van, an enslaved former soldier, and a young girl named Yuna are both bitten, but manage to escape as the sole survivors of the attack. Finally free, Van and Yuna seek out a simple, peaceful existence in the countryside. But as the deadly disease once again runs rampant, they find themselves at the crossroads of a struggle much larger than any one nation.

Director: Masashi Ando, Masayuki Miyaji
Screenwriter: Taku Kishimoto, Nahoko Uehashi
Distributor: GKIDS
Production Co: Production I.G.
Rating: R (Some Violence)
Genre: Fantasy, Anime, Adventure
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 2022, Limited
Runtime: 1h 54m

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