Tokyo Godfathers 2003

John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: Full of charm, grittiness and a solid storyline, the movie deserves an audience far beyond diehard animation fans. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: A spellbinding piece of Japanese anime from one of the form's new masters, director-writer Satoshi Kon. Read more

Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times: A well-told story, forged on vision and delivered with heart. Read more

Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: A satisfying story that's greater than the sum of its parts. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: Director Kon goes heavy on the schmaltz, but it doesn't matter. He puts viewers in a comfy mode, where sentiment is a plus. Read more

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer: Social indifference and injustice plague the protagonists, as well as our own consciences. This may very well be the point of the whole exercise. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: In one sense the plot involves returning stolen goods to a thief, but Tokyo Godfathers is really about longing -- for family, for children, for parents and for the lost past. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: No amount of shoehorned-in razzle-dazzle can keep this forced fable from feeling like a shadow of Kon's early work. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Demonstrates an idiosyncratic human touch. Kon is unafraid of the unseemly and unsightly. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Japanese animator Satoshi Kon has a striking sense of composition, but I'm more impressed by his storytelling skills. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Artfully appreciates the beauty and humanity in junked lives and landscapes. Read more

Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News: One of the most moving, enjoyable and wholly unconventional Christmas stories to come along in a long time. Read more

Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly: Pure Dickens by way of pure Capra. It's a wonderful life. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: Great animation can delight children or adults; truly great animation may delight both. But Tokyo Godfathers seems unlikely to enthrall either -- or be remembered much past the flicker of its final cel. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: An ambitious and impressively inventive undertaking. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: Loosely based on 3 Godfathers, John Ford's maudlin 1948 western, this movie, a sweet fable of decency amid the down and out, also has echoes of Chaplin and Capra. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Harrowing and heartwarming. Read more

Carla Meyer, San Francisco Chronicle: A gorgeous animated film that's as avid a tribute to the Japanese capital as Lost in Translation. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: It doesn't make sense to praise an anime movie's acting, does it? Yet you can't help but marvel at the expressive pen-and-ink performers. Read more

Ken Eisner, Variety: Takes anime to a whole new level. Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: A welcome exercise in anime weirdness. Read more