Tokyo Godfathers Critic Reviews

As with the greatest animated films, the triumph of Kon's work lies not just in its beauty and singularly sophisticated storytelling but in how that beauty and storytelling combine to give the films a sting so human you can forget you're watching a cartoon. Read the full review

Part of the spell cast by this magical film is its ability to make an unvarnished political statement about economic reality and social alienation while, at the same time, seducing its audience into believing in the transformative power of love and the almost supernatural beauty of the everyday. Read the full review

With its masterful grasp of comedy, pathos, social commentary and mystical weirdness, Tokyo Godfathers takes anime to a whole new level.Read the full review

For all its echoes of Frank Capra and Charlie Chaplin (as well as Ford), the movie is also a love letter to modern Tokyo, whose alleyways and skyscrapers are drafted with flawless precision and tinted with tenderness and warmth. Read the full review

A singularly strange and affecting comedy.Read the full review

It's a touching movie that, like the best animes, transcends the limitations of the genre. Read the full review

Gorgeous animated film. Read the full review

An animated film both harrowing and heartwarming, about a story that will never, ever, be remade by Disney. Read the full review

Demonstrates an idiosyncratic human touch. Kon is unafraid of the unseemly and unsightly. People are captured as they really might be. Read the full review