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.

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!

Spiritual successor to Princess Mononoke

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.

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.

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

A Beautiful master piece!!! Intrigued story, incredible animation, and dubbed voices were well chosen!!! Can’t wait for Blu-ray release would totally see again if possible!!!

Pacing is bad as well as that ending. Story is okay. The only redeeming qualities are the animation and the soundtrack.

I'm sure fans of the book would enjoy this film. personally, i lost track of the amount of quick transitions and open ended (even unanswered) questions asked by the characters. the last 30 minutes of packed with action though. ending was just a full stop to the journey. even the post credit scene gave more questions than answers (how was she able to see that far??)

Amazing movie, the quality being what youd expect from Studio Ghibli. A beautifully animated movie with beautiful music and an interesting storyline with deep messages that get you thinking, which is something I love in a movie. I strongly recommend watching this movie, especially if you like Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I already wish I could watch it again!

The ending was probably the weakest part of the movie, since it never really answers any of questions you can ask when watching the movie, though while the movie has many parallels with Princess Mononoke it does a good job with the introduction and shaping the main character's background and setting up the world while developing him by having him integrate with a community with an adopted daughter but the movie pushes its finale really awkward because the conclusion his role is set up to be at the end really lives you sort of confused about a few things.

I enjoyed the storyline, art and older feeling it had within it. It made me think of the anime movies I saw as a child.

It was a beautiful and moving film!

The animation was top notch but the story really left me wanting. I think the greatest disappointment for me was that I was the third act was so anticlimactic.

Honestly a classic tale of familial bond that goes beyond blood. Really moving scenes and music. The only downside is the motivation behind human conflict.

Beautiful animation and really strong, likeable, intriguing characters! Unfortunately the story had some problems both in structure, and in its theming, and the ending was terribly unsatisfying and a little baffling. Still, it's a treat to see a new handdrawn film of this calibre and I'm looking forward to what this director comes up with next!

Amazing animation. Plot may take a bit time to completely understand, but the story is very meaningful.

Movie was very good. Slow at the beginning and then gets fast at the end. Twist is easy to spot, but was a very enjoyable ride.