The Colors Within
GKIDS | Release Date: December 13, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
IndieWireKambole CampbellNov 5, 2024
Funny, joyful, and brimming with confidence, The Colors Within chronicles its characters’ tentative first steps into a world outside of the ones built for them by their families and teachers, and it does so with a vibrancy that allows us all to feel as if we’re seeing that world through Totsuko’s eyes. Read full review
90
VarietyRyan SwenJan 28, 2025
Its alignment with its characters’ emotional currents is cemented by some of Yamada’s flourishes. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeJan 21, 2025
The film is able to suggest great depths by withholding so much, by having characters express what they feel only in abstract terms during a fraught, transitional period of their lives. Read full review
85
Paste MagazineElijah GonzalezJan 24, 2025
If you’ve bounced off Yamada’s output in the past, this flick will probably do little to convince you otherwise, but for fellow fans of this introspective style, her latest has that same deft touch. Read full review
80
EmpireBen TravisFeb 3, 2025
There’s amazing beauty to be found in Naoko Yamada’s aural odyssey – even when a film about matters of the heart gets a little caught up in its own head. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeFeb 3, 2025
With its wide-eyed lack of cynicism and the crystalline delicacy of the animation, this is a heart-swellingly lovely work. Read full review
80
Little White LiesJosh Slater-WilliamsJan 30, 2025
Soul-stirring. One of the most exceedingly lovely coming-of-age films in a long while. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesTara BradyJan 29, 2025
There are no big dramas, save for a call up to the office for skipping a school trip. Reiko Yoshida’s script instead foregrounds sincere friendship and the joyful mechanics of songwriting. Read full review
80
The GuardianPhuong LeJan 27, 2025
While showing Totsuko’s religious beliefs respectfully, The Colors Within takes care to highlight how community can be meaningfully formed outside religion, in the embrace of creative arts. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinNov 5, 2024
It’s an intimate film with a roomy embrace. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJan 23, 2025
There’s an element of synesthesia and a touch of religiosity to The Colors Within, but more importantly there’s Yamada’s welling compassion for the inner lives of young people. Read full review
77
PolygonPetrana RadulovicJan 23, 2025
It’s a quiet, contemplative movie where most of the driving forces are subtle and understated, made evocative by the animation, which is mostly grounded save for an occasional, deliberate splash of color. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubLeigh MonsonJan 23, 2025
Low on incident but high on emotion, The Colors Within poignantly draws a line from our most private selves to the art we create as an expression of who we really are inside. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsJan 22, 2025
It’s time in a bottle and a pleasure to soak up. Read full review
75
The Associated PressJake CoyleJan 22, 2025
Kids movies so often bear little of the actual lived-in experience of growing up, but Yamada Naoko’s luminous anime “The Colors Within” gently reverberates with the doubts and yearnings of young life. Read full review
60
The New York TimesMaya PhillipsJan 23, 2025
The Colors Within has such an aloof tone that the deeper motivations and stakes for each character, though alluded to, don’t feel substantial enough to provide the story with any sense of urgency. Read full review
50
ColliderShawn Van HornJan 24, 2025
It's a nice slice-of-life character-driven film, which is always great to see, but there is very little drama or conflict to keep the viewer invested past the colorful animation. Read full review
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