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Poster for The Boy and the Beast

The Boy and the Beast

Seen it?

2015 | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (88% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences rate it highly (7.9 out of 10), despite soft box office. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for fantasy fans, action fans and families. If you loved The Virgin Suicides, start here.
The mood
Feel-good.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 59 min.
What might put you off
  • Rated PG-13: a parent's death or loss. Probably too much for younger kids.
  • It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

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.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 65 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesStrong

    7.9 out of 10

  • AwardsWeak

    1 win and 0 nominations from smaller awards and festivals

  • Box office & staying powerBelow par

    $51 million worldwide

  • Buzz & cultural impactBelow par

    About 62K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda

  • Koji YakushoKumatetsu (voice)
  • Aoi MiyazakiYoung Kyuta (voice)
  • Shota SometaniTeenage Kyuta (voice)
  • Suzu HiroseKaede (voice)
  • Lily FrankyHyakushūbō (voice)
  • Yo OizumiTatara (voice)
  • Kazuhiro YamajiIozen (voice)
  • Mamoru MiyanoTeenage Ichirohiko (voice)
  • Kappei YamaguchiTeenage Jiromaru (voice)
  • Haru KurokiYoung Ichirohiko (voice)