Tokyo Godfathers
Columbia TriStar | Release Date: January 16, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
VarietyKen Eisner
With its masterful grasp of comedy, pathos, social commentary and mystical weirdness, Tokyo Godfathers takes anime to a whole new level. Read full review
100
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Tokyo Godfathers just might be the equivalent of "It's a Wonderful Life" or, to be hip and new-millennium about it, "Elf." Read full review
91
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
This is a first-class film that will appeal to anyone who wants to see a plausible, witty, absorbing human story told well -- indeed, told gorgeously. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
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 full review
90
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
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 full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A spellbinding piece of Japanese anime from one of the form's new masters, director-writer Satoshi Kon. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterRichard James Havis
It's a touching movie that, like the best animes, transcends the limitations of the genre. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
A singularly strange and affecting comedy.
80
The New York TimesDana Stevens
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 full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Like the comic strips of Ben Katchor, Tokyo Godfathers artfully appreciates the beauty and humanity in junked lives and landscapes. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The story is sweet by animé standards, although it has harsh elements as well. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Though he's working with an unavoidably sentimental story, Kon embraces the dark underside of his characters' lives, giving this animated film a satisfyingly three-dimensional feel. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Ends in magnificent fashion, with skyscrapers bowing to Beethoven's Ninth. It's a stirring ending to a sweet movie. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
Gorgeous animated film. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Unusual even for Japanese animation. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
An animated film both harrowing and heartwarming, about a story that will never, ever, be remade by Disney. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Demonstrates an idiosyncratic human touch. Kon is unafraid of the unseemly and unsightly. People are captured as they really might be. Read full review
70
Film ThreatD. W. Smith
The story takes some kooky turns and, at times, delves into the supernatural. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
A welcome exercise in anime weirdness. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
The film is as lively as a cricket and often very funny, but it's not for the cyberpunk crowd. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Japanese animator Satoshi Kon has a striking sense of composition, but I'm more impressed by his storytelling skills. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
The combination of high animé style and old-school heart gives the film a broad enough appeal to merit a wide release. Not that it isn't quirky. Read full review
60
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Will probably appeal most to hard-core fans of Japanese animation and its wide-eyed style, both visual and philosophical. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
No amount of shoehorned-in razzle-dazzle can keep this forced fable from feeling like a shadow of Kon's early work. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Features phenomenally beautiful background animation and complex characterizations, and offers glimpses of a poverty-stricken Tokyo underclass that's rarely featured -- let alone portrayed sympathetically -- in mainstream Japanese films. Read full review
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