The Deer King

"Fight to survive."

2021 1h 53m JA

👍

6.8

SOLID

🥫

59%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 113🥫59%Rotten Tomatoes●58Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 1,384

AnimationDramaAdventureFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Following a brutal war, former soldier Van toils in a mine controlled by the ruling empire. One day, his solitary existence is upended when a pack of wild dogs carrying a deadly and incurable disease attack, leaving only Van and a young girl named Yuna as survivors. Finally free, the pair seek out a simple existence in the countryside but are pursued by nefarious forces. Intent on protecting Yuna at all costs, Van must uncover the true cause of the plague ravaging the kingdom—and its possible cure.

“Fight to survive.”

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Cast

Shinichi Tsutsumi
Van (voice)
Ryoma Takeuchi
Hohsalle (voice)
Anne Watanabe
Sae (voice)
Hisui Kimura
Yuna (voice)
Atsushi Abe
Yotaru (voice)
Yoshito Yasuhara
Tourim (voice)
Toru Sakurai
Makokan (voice)
Shinshu Fuji
Orphan (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Masayuki Miyaji
Writers: Taku Kishimoto, Masako Sato, Ei Inoue
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Masayuki Miyaji, shot by Koji Tanaka. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harumi Fuuki. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Shinichi Tsutsumi and Ryoma Takeuchi and Anne Watanabe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Fight to survive.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt11417856 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Masayuki Miyaji directs. Koji Tanaka behind the camera. Harumi Fuuki scores. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 5 years ago.
2Directed by Masayuki Miyaji, shot by Koji Tanaka. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Harumi Fuuki. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Shinichi Tsutsumi and Ryoma Takeuchi and Anne Watanabe carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "Fight to survive.".
6IMDB entry: tt11417856 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 10 themes, including "based on novel or book", "slavery", "survival", "tragedy".
8Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Koji Tanaka
Original score: Harumi Fuuki
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Deer King (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 59% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 58/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 1,384 votes
MPAA: R
US box office: $295,370

Awards

5 nominations total

Also by

Masayuki Miyaji

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Chris Sawin2022-07-16
★ 5/10
The Deer King is as visually gorgeous as any Studio Ghibli film. While its animation pleases on almost every level, its storytelling and pacing is lacking as the film seems to prioritize monotonous dialogue and petty human squabbling over anything remotely exciting. Full Review: https://hubpages.com/entertainment/The-Deer-King-2022-Review-A-Gorgeously-Stale-Animated-Film

Production companies