Big Fish & Begonia

Name: Big Fish & Begonia
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Animation
Released: April 6, 2018
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Guanlin Ji, Jie Zhang, Jiu'er, Lifang Xue, Shangqing Su

2018

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Ratings

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7.6

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7.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 16 Ratings

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Big Fish & Begonia (US Trailer 1)

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Movie Details & Credits

Beijing Enlight Pictures | Release Date: April 6, 2018 | PG-13

Starring: Guanlin Ji, Jie Zhang, Jiu'er, Lifang Xue, Shangqing Su, Shulan Pan, Timmy Xu, Xiaoyu Liu, Yuanyuan Zhang, Zhongyang Baomu

Summary: It is a world within our world, yet unseen by any human, and the beings here control time and tide and the changing of the seasons. On the day Chun turns sixteen, she is transformed into a dolphin to explore the human world. She is rescued from a vortex by a human boy at the cost of his own life. Chun is so moved by the boy's kindness andIt is a world within our world, yet unseen by any human, and the beings here control time and tide and the changing of the seasons. On the day Chun turns sixteen, she is transformed into a dolphin to explore the human world. She is rescued from a vortex by a human boy at the cost of his own life. Chun is so moved by the boy's kindness and courage that she decides to give him life again. But to do this, she must protect the boy's soul, a tiny fish, and nurture it to grow. Through adventure and sacrifice, love grows, yet now she must release him back to the sea, back to life in the human world.… Expand

Director: Chun Zhang and Xuan Liang

Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Animation

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 100 min

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Critic Reviews

RogerEbert.com Peter Sobczynski

Apr 6, 2018

While the end result may not quite reach the heights that Miyazaki has regularly hit during his amazing career, it is nevertheless a worthy effort, filled with visuals that frequently dazzle the eye even if the story is more likely to inspiring the scratching of heads instead. Read full review

Teo Bugbee

Apr 5, 2018

Never short on visual or emotional wonder, Big Fish & Begonia contemplates mortality with the imagination of an old soul who has been given new eyes. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Apr 5, 2018

It's all strangely wonderful, and it will take your breath away if you give it the chance. Read full review

Oleg Ivanov

Apr 2, 2018

In the sly exchanges between the teenage protagonists and their elders, the film reflects a nation's shifting tides. Read full review

IndieWire David Ehrlich

Apr 9, 2018

Marrying the sensitivity of “Spirited Away” to the lushness of “The Legend of Korra” and the narrative coherence of a lucid dream, Big Fish & Begonia is the very rarest of Chinese exports: An animated film that was made for adults. Read full review

Robert Abele

Apr 5, 2018

Where Miyazaki’s wisdom kept his prodigious imagination in the service of intimacy, “Big Fish” is daringly, if haphazardly, epic with its vision and feelings. The urge to awe may feel self-conscious at times, but it’s rarely not heartfelt, even when it’s skirting the edge of incomprehensible. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Apr 2, 2018

It is a puzzle without a particularly interesting (to my Western eyes) solution. Whatever its visual qualities, and really the only comparison points are the weirder Japanese anime efforts, the strangeness of it all makes it a confusing big screen experience. Read full review

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User Reviews

alejandro970

Aug 25, 2018

An ambitious but effective animated feature that mixes elements of chinese mythology and others that makes remind The little mermaid, Ponyo on the cliff and Spirited away, with no traces of possible plagiarism. If you love anime, this one is for you.

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GameSpirit

Apr 7, 2020

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Enchanting visuals mixed with fitting music. Story has very high highs and very low lows. Heavily influenced by Miyakazi's art. I just wish it was a little bit more better but it's definitely a 6/10 for me.… Expand

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