Tito and the Birds
Shout! Factory | Release Date: December 6, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
76
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
92
Paste MagazineOktay Ege Kozak Jan 27, 2019
With its giddy and hypnotic mix of oil painting backgrounds and digital animation in service of a wonderfully inventive story surrounded by kooky, immediately lovable characters, Tito and the Birds is also one of the most original animated works of the year. Read full review
90
Arizona RepublicSamantha IncorvaiaJan 31, 2019
All elements of the film cohesively create a must-see film about overcoming fear for kids and adults. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranJan 31, 2019
Tito and the Birds is a small marvel. Only 73 minutes long, it marries an adventurous visual imagination with a darkly provocative political parable. Its heroes may be children, but its themes are definitely adult. Read full review
90
TheWrapCarlos AguilarJan 25, 2019
Tito and the Birds is extraordinary proof that universality comes from specificity. Sometimes there is nothing more globally relevant than a hand-crafted Portuguese-language animated indie. Read full review
80
VarietyGuy LodgeJan 27, 2019
Employing a darkly iridescent fusion of oil paint and digital embellishment, it renders a growing dystopia in shifting, seasick colors, distorted into about as much exquisite, Expressionist-inspired nightmare fuel as its family-film remit will allow. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleDanielle WhiteFeb 6, 2019
The story, though structurally flawed, is an artful portrait of modern life: the 24-hour news cycle, class warfare, and rampant overconsumption leading to crippling anxiety and burnout, even in the young. It’s sadly all too familiar: Too late to be a cautionary tale, it reads more like society’s distorted self-portrait. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoJan 30, 2019
An appealing Brazilian animated feature, and it’s conveyed in a handsome, expressive style that’s pleasing to watch. Read full review
75
The Film StageJared MobarakJan 27, 2019
Just like Issa López did in Mexico with Tigers Are Not Afraid, Brazilians Gabriel Bitar, André Catoto, and Gustavo Steinberg have crafted Tito and the Birds as a powerful metaphor utilizing reality’s horrors to drive home a point too many have resigned themselves into ignoring. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJan 27, 2019
The animation is equal parts digital, graphic and oil-painting-based, creating a surreal and hypnotizing landscape, while the main narrative thread offers plenty of real-world metaphors without condescending to kiddie sentimentality. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChristian HolubJan 25, 2019
The strength of Tito and the Birds lies in its imaginative touches like this and overall visual aesthetic, which mixes various painting and animating styles into a beautiful fusion, but the actual storytelling leaves a little depth to be desired. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineChuck BowenJan 20, 2019
The Brazilian animated feature offers relief from the impersonal assault of contemporary pop culture. Read full review
70
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJan 24, 2019
The adventure plot in the Brazilian feature Tito and the Birds, directed by Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Bitar, and André Catoto, is no great shakes — it wouldn’t be out of place on a Saturday-morning cartoon — but visually, the movie leaves room for the viewer to synthesize, and to dream. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanFeb 26, 2019
If the metaphor of xenophobia and nationalism is obvious — and it is, to the point of eye-rolling — the telling of the tale has a certain poetry. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJan 23, 2019
A Danny Elfman-like score and the dark earnestness of lead voice-actor Matheus Nachtergaele's performance make this world believable enough that the film's big revelation — city pigeons, as humanity's ancient companions, know how we can stop being so paralyzed by fear — doesn't sound quite as ridiculous as it should. Read full review
More From This Movie

76 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 71 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL