Momo e no tegami 2012

Kyle Smith, New York Post: A comic adventure that suffers from a dearth of both laughs and thrills. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: Despite the hand-drawn film's supernatural edge, one of Okiura's lyrical strengths is acquainting a viewer with the poetry of the real - animated reflections of ordinary, beautiful things we see in everyday life without actually noticing them at all. Read more

Peter Debruge, Variety: While the supernatural element makes for the film's most entertaining sequences... the story distinguishes itself from other anime offerings through its attention to both visual and emotional realism. Read more

Peter Keough, Boston Globe: Had Okiura cut some of the supernatural shtick he would have had a far more affecting and mercifully shorter movie. Read more

Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader: After the fashion of Miyazaki's films, the visual style achieves a satisfying balance between realistic detail and painterly flourishes, and the laid-back pacing allows one to savor both. Read more

Keith Staskiewicz, Entertainment Weekly: Thankfully, the supernatural elements never overshadow the human story occurring in the foreground. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A striking example of Japanese hand-drawn animation, it casually combines things you wouldn't expect in one place. Read more

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: As Momo conquers her fears, averts a tragedy and finally sees the beauty of her surroundings, the movie grabs your heart with the softest of hands. Read more

Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer: A sweet, heartfelt, yet never maudlin story about an 11-year-old girl's coming to terms with the loss of her father. Read more

Thomas Lee, San Francisco Chronicle: It's difficult to imagine any children's movie retaining the attention of its intended audience for two hours, but this movie feels especially monotonous. Read more

Kristin Tillotson, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Scene after gorgeously hand-drawn scene offer a visual feast, but two hours of it is a bit too long. Read more

Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: A sweet tale of a sad girl who moves to a new place and meets supernatural pals. Read more

Sherilyn Connelly, Village Voice: The tone is generally light, the bickering goblins make a boffo comedy team, and while there's a recurring fart joke, it borders on classy. That's the power of good anime. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: "A Letter to Momo" is unquestionably lovely to look at, but viewers may not be able to shake the feeling that they've seen much of it before, and done better. Read more