Boy and the World
GKIDS | Release Date: December 11, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
80
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldDec 10, 2015
It’s both the best children’s animated film this year since “Inside Out” — you might call it “Outside In” — and, unexpectedly, a more stirring depiction of the deadening modern megalopolis than most heal-the-world documentaries. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovJan 20, 2016
Perhaps the best way to sum up Boy and the World is by saying it is what it is and what it is, is absolutely remarkable. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerTirdad DerakhshaniFeb 26, 2016
Emotionally engaging and unhampered by dialogue, Boy & the World will appeal to children with its deceptively simple story and its visual splendor. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesMiriam Di NunzioFeb 4, 2016
The little boy here, a stick-figured, button-headed, wide-eyed tot with a signature red-and-white striped shirt, is one of the most distinctive and adorable animated characters you’ll ever come across, and his introduction to “the world out there” is a moving revelation indeed. Read full review
88
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanFeb 4, 2016
The make-believe world of Boy and the World is confusing, scary and gorgeous. But then again, so is the real one. Read full review
88
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerJan 28, 2016
A magical and often bleak parable about societal clashes. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyFeb 25, 2016
With his crudely drawn stick-figure body and big, round Wiffle-ball head, Cuca is a bundle of jitterbug energy and boundless imagination. Like Riley’s in "Inside Out," his noggin is a wondrous place to spend an hour or two. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerDec 11, 2015
It’s lovely, child’s-eye fantasia. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayDec 9, 2015
As with the movie as a whole, the message those scenes deliver is a heady mix of uplifting and devastating. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJan 28, 2016
What is so impressive is how deeply Abreu makes us feel what Cuca is experiencing. Read full review
80
VarietyDennis HarveyDec 8, 2015
Beyond its sheer, intense variety and ingenuity, Abreu’s animation remains so appealing throughout because it always feels handmade. Read full review
80
Village VoiceSherilyn ConnellyDec 8, 2015
Tension between the city and the country has been a fertile topic for as long as there've been cities, and Alê Abreu's phantasmagoric The Boy and the World explores the eternal conflict in a familiar yet wholly original way. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenFeb 14, 2016
The eye is enchanted by the richness of the picture’s spectacle. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireDec 11, 2015
Boy and the World is dazzlingly colorful and alive, often resembling a more elaborate version of the kind of childlike drawings you probably have stuck to your refrigerator door right now. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartDec 10, 2015
Virtually dialogue-free and animated in a cacophony of playful bright colors and ominous industrial landscapes, Boy & the World plays like a dream segueing into a nightmare. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCharles SolomonDec 10, 2015
Boy & the World is a brightly colored, often charming film that juxtaposes simple, hand-drawn animation with kaleidoscopic computer-generated patterns. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyDec 8, 2015
Even if the film could be accused of lacking subtlety and overloading on whimsy, it spreads a sobering message in a lucid story that remains visually alive and inventive throughout — its aesthetic keeps constantly shifting yet remains fluid. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineCarson LundDec 6, 2015
One wonders how receptive young audiences should be to a film that puts its storytelling secondary to its message-making. Read full review
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