SummaryIn the aftermath of 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 b... Read More
Directed By:Masashi Andô, Masayuki Miyaji
Written By:Nahoko Uehashi, Taku Kishimoto
The Deer King
Metascore
Mixed or Average
58
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
47% Positive
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
53% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 12, 2022
88
The Deer King offers the personal touch of a hero’s journey alongside a more expansive vision of how to live in community. It’s a stunner.
Jul 13, 2022
78
Visually stunning (as can now be expected from esteemed studio Production I.G.), what truly distinguishes The Deer King is in the narrative, and how it is laid out by the co-directors, Miyaji (Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress) and directorial first timer Ando.
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Jul 13, 2022
70
In addition to a story about a found family and the potential for a life-saving vaccine, there are more than four other stories unfolding. It’s a shame too because there’s nothing inherently bad about The Deer King—it’s simply trying to do too much.
Jul 29, 2022
60
The animation remains enchanting and is punctuated by exciting swords-and-sandals action, even if the finished film is not quite the classic we might have anticipated from the talents attached.
Jul 12, 2022
58
These images tantalize, but without satisfying, like a trailer for a narrative that would work better as a long-form series.
Jul 14, 2022
50
Unfortunately, The Deer King fatally (and repeatedly) stalls as its plot starts winding down and its creators lunge for a character-driven moral to a symbolically freighted parable.
Jul 26, 2022
40
Juggling palace politics, magical animals and medical ethics, The Deer King can’t get over major pacing problems: the emotional moments are not given enough time to land, as the plot rushes to its next world-building intrigue.
Mar 18, 2025
5
I found this film disappointing. It's not as gripping as I'd hoped it would have been and there's no real twist or turns with the plot. The English dub is pretty good but that's about it.
Production Company:
- Chukyo TV Broadcasting Company (CTV)
- East Japan Marketing & Communications Inc.
- Fukuoka Broadcasting System (FBS)
- Hiroshima Telecasting (HTV)
- Kadokawa
- Miyagi Television Broadcasting
- Movie Walker
- Nippon Television Network (NTV)
- Production I.G.
- Sapporo Television Broadcasting Company
- Shizuoka Daiichi Television
- Toho
- Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (YTV)
Release Date:Jul 13, 2022
Duration:2 h
Rating:R
Awards
Fantasia Film Festival
• 2 Nominations
Annecy International Animated Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Crunchyroll Anime Awards
• 1 Nomination
