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The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

2006 1h 38m Comedy Drama Sci-Fi Anime List
84% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A teenage girl tries to use her newfound ability to travel through time to her advantage.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

What to Know

Critics Consensus

An imaginative and thoughtfully engaging anime film with a highly effective visual design. This coming-of-age comedy drama has mad inventiveness to spare.

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Critics Reviews

View All (19) Critics Reviews
Larushka Ivan-Zadeh Metro Newspaper (UK) Warm and engaging, this has its cutesy moments and crazy Van Gogh-inspired time-travel fantasy visuals but remains appealingly grounded in relatable, sublimated adolescent fears of growing up. Rated: 4/5 Sep 19, 2008 Full Review Tim Robey Daily Telegraph (UK) Beautifully-drawn Japanimation about a time-hopping schoolgirl, by turns wondrous and a little too hyper. Sep 19, 2008 Full Review Phelim O'Neill Guardian The characters are entirely credible and likable, the simply drawn figures highly effective against the lush background artwork. Time travel has rarely seemed so joyous. Rated: 3/5 Sep 19, 2008 Full Review Pieter-Jan Van Haecke Psychocinematography The film does not merely celebrate the beauty of the transiency of being-in-love, but also powerfully stages the tragedy of the missed encounter. Oct 19, 2022 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Hosoda addresses one of the most worn out concepts in cinema and transforms it into an idea that, in my opinion, becomes a silly repetition, a vicious circle that exhausts my patience like the sand of a watch. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 5/10 Jul 26, 2020 Full Review Ard Vijn ScreenAnarchy I didn't know anything about previous incarnations and/or source materials, but I flat-out love this movie. It's "deliberately paced" rather than slow, and beautiful rather than flashy. Jan 24, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
THE NASHVILLE I A masterpiece. No question about it. People who love Ghibli for the heart of their stories, so people should be prepared to be moved and excited by the soft touch of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, but also by the exciting stakes that it sets up throughout the film. The film manages to set up a few unexpected climaxes, but what's so impressive is the story still manages to tug your heartstrings from a time when you were more hopeful and nostalgic in your youth. Without declaring a winner, this is up there with Mugen Train, Spirited Away and Mononoke for the best anime films of all time. Bar none. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/19/24 Full Review Jinming Y I don't know what this movie is about. It doesn't make sense and I feel like I wasted 100 minutes on it. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 05/04/24 Full Review Kyle E All three of his films that said, the other two being Summer Wars and Wolf Children, while neither without flaws(Summer Wars did have too many characters with some better-developed than others and Wolf Children had an at times rushed beginning and ended inconclusively) are great films and near-masterpieces almost as good as the best of Studio Ghibli. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time did get a little too complicated at the end and the character designs lacked the sophistication and detail of the rest of the animation. Speaking of the rest of the animation on the other hand, it's fantastic(something that all three of Hosoda's films have in common) with its luscious watercolour-like backgrounds and beautiful colours. The animation in the time-leaping is so inventive and effortlessly drawn it leaves one breathless. The film also has a great music score(another thing that all three Hosoda films had), it's positively hypnotic and sometimes rousing and sometimes melancholic, I also much appreciated the use of unobtrusive piano scoring. There is a thoughtful script that sounds remarkably natural(Japanese and American, dubs don't always translate well but it does fine here), complete with a deft balance of comedy and drama. The story is always engaging and not boring at all, it's funny, it's poignant, it's imaginative and it's thought-provoking, also using the time travel idea very effectively(one of the better films to do so). The messaging is well-handled and not laid on too thick. The characters are likable and interesting rather than being swamped by the time travel and the voice acting is good in the American dub(even if the title character's voice acting may be shrill for some, personally it wasn't a problem) and very good indeed in the Japanese version. Overall, a great film, near-masterpiece status in fact. If you loved The Girl Who Leapt Time and haven't seen Summer Wars or Wolf Children yet, do so. 9/10 Bethany Cox Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/16/22 Full Review Audience Member Loved this movie. Amazing lifelike animation and beautiful backgrounds. Good story too. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member LOL, the funniest 01 hour: and 38 minutes for a dramedy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Sugoi!!!! Beautiful movie! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A teenage girl tries to use her newfound ability to travel through time to her advantage.
Director
Mamoru Hosoda
Screenwriter
Satoko Okudera
Production Co
Madhouse
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Anime
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 7, 2016
Runtime
1h 38m