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

| Nov 30, 2020

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

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 11, 2019

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

| Nov 3, 2018

The sole fault of the film is that it becomes a bit sanctimonious in the end, trying to include as many values as possible, in a tactic that seems a bit out-of-place. However, this fault is not enough to ruin a true masterpiece of the genre.

| Nov 3, 2018

The family dynamics in The Boy and the Beast are more astute and involved than they are in any of Hosoda's other features.

| Apr 13, 2018

It looks fantastic. Momoda's penchant for meticulously detailed vistas teaming with life is well represented in scenes of Tokyo's densely populated streets and the gargantuan battle arena of the Beast Kingdom

| Original Score: 7/10 | Aug 25, 2017

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

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 15, 2017

Award-winning writer director Mamoru Hosoda's film feels like a classic tale rather than a modern take, the characters are quite two-dimensional, the moral simple, but it is sweet, engaging [and] sometimes funny.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 31, 2017

The Boy and the Beast is a beautifully warm film that rides on a wave of emotion and fantasy.

| Jul 21, 2017

A beautifully animated tale that is often more appealing than some live-action blockbusters competing for your attention this summer.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 7, 2017

The burgeoning bond between man and monster hits soaring emotional heights, even if the new world feels a little under-developed.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 3, 2017

The animation is impressive throughout, but it is the balance of visual spectacle and heartfelt emotions that cuts deeper ...

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 3, 2017

Animated wonders abound in The Boy and the Beast, a beautifully drawn fantasy tale by Japanese anime filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 31, 2016

A film that doesn't try to redefine fantasy anime, instead it exploits the classic anime characters argue and fight all the time. [Full review in Spanish]

| Sep 13, 2016

The Boy and the Beast is surprisingly funny, incredibly poignant and boasts some great lessons: Everybody's got darkness to control, and family is what you make, not what you're born into.

| Jul 11, 2016

None of this is at all groundbreaking or unimaginably sophisticated, but it works so very well to make for an involving, admirable family film.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Jul 10, 2016

Hosoda flirts with the uncompromising challenges of the real world, allowing airs of self-doubt and oversight to affect his fantastical narrative.

| Original Score: 6/10 | Jun 16, 2016

An emotional coming of age story. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jun 13, 2016

With great and detailed animation, this is a fun and entertaining tale of acceptance, evolution, learning, love and family. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jun 13, 2016

A film that combines humor, kindness, adventure, fighting and a message about love. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jun 9, 2016