Movie · 2015 · Action, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy · 1h 59m · PG-13 · Japanese
Curator score: 6.9/10 (101.2K ratings)
In a world of beasts, he found a family.
Overview
Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.9/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.87/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Metacritic: 65
TMDB: 7.9/10
Director
Mamoru Hosoda
Production
Nippon Television Network Corporation, Studio Chizu, TOHO, VAP, dentsu, Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation
Cast
Koji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shota Sometani, Suzu Hirose, Lily Franky, Yo Oizumi, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Mamoru Miyano, Kappei Yamaguchi, Haru Kuroki, Momoka Ohno, Sumire Morohoshi, Keishi Nagatsuka, Kumiko Aso, Masahiko Tsugawa
Where to watch
Crunchyroll, Max
Curator Review
Verdict
A heartfelt, visually inventive coming-of-age fantasy with strong emotional payoff, even if the plotting gets messy in the back half. Its blend of rough-edged mentorship, child psychology, and imaginative world-building makes it especially rewarding for viewers who like animated films that aim for both adventure and tears.
Best for
fans of emotional fantasy anime
viewers who like mentor-student stories
audiences who enjoy coming-of-age tales
people drawn to richly animated worlds
viewers open to some narrative sprawl
Skip if
you want tightly structured plotting
you dislike anime fantasy worlds
you prefer subtle, low-key storytelling
you are put off by broad emotional beats
you need a consistently grounded tone
Overview
The Boy and the Beast is at its best when it leans into the odd-couple bond between a lonely boy and a gruff, reluctant mentor. That relationship gives the film real warmth and momentum, and the animation sells both the physical comedy and the emotional bruises with equal confidence. The fantasy setting is vivid, but it never fully replaces the human need at the center of the story.
Worth noting
What keeps it from being an outright classic is structure. The film has a lot on its mind, and the second half can feel overstuffed as it tries to balance training, family, identity, and mythology. Some viewers will find that ambition exhilarating; others may feel the story loses focus when it shifts away from the strongest character dynamics.
Bottom line
Even so, the film lands because it understands growth as something messy, stubborn, and earned. It has the kind of sincerity that can make you laugh at one moment and tear up the next, and its emotional directness is part of the appeal. If you respond to animated films that mix spectacle with genuine feeling, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Erika (4.5★) · 304 likes
I laughed, I cried, I smiled.
The Boy and the Beast surpassed every single one of my expectations, I adored this film. This is an emotional roller-coaster of a film, I cared, but not only that I cried, three times. The characters and their relationships felt so genuine that when they were in their worst moments, I felt legitimately bad for them and when they were in their best I smiled. This movie explores topics such as friendship, family, not… more
AdamOnFilms (2.5★) · 289 likes
Director Mamoru Hosoda is a big talent no doubt, but the The Boy and the Beast was very disappointing. Not a bad movie, enjoyed the start and some other parts, the animation looks great, just let down by the story, the random mythology bit put me right off this. The Fantasy world was brilliant where animals rule, loved the monk pig, The Beast training scenes were funny, The films just goes downhill when it goes back to the human world.… more Director Mamoru Hosoda is a big talent no doubt, but the The Boy and the Beast was very disappointing. Not a bad movie, enjoyed the start and some other parts, the animation looks great, just let down by the story, the random mythology bit put me right off this. The Fantasy world was brilliant where animals rule, loved the monk pig, The Beast training scenes were funny, The films just goes downhill when it goes back to the human world.… more
Jay (5★) · 219 likes
Dammit, I am understood by furries.
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (3.5★) · 176 likes
JUNIMATION II: F*** YEAH!
So this has been one of those films I’ve been meaning to watch for a long time but for some reason, always forgot to put it in the queue or something.
And in many ways, it was as excellent as I expected. The premise and the world-building are great. Always love me as a student and master story, especially when the student is a bit of an a—hole and/or we have a reluctant master. And this… more
Kevin Clarke (4★) · 155 likes
No other filmmaker working today mixes the fantastic with the mundane as well as Mamoru Hosoda.