Phantom Boy (2015) - Rotten Tomatoes

critics consensus

Phantom Boy's stunning animation and old-fashioned charm more than make up for a relative lack of narrative depth. Read critic reviews

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Phantom Boy Videos

Phantom Boy: Trailer 1

Phantom Boy: Teaser Trailer 1

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Phantom Boy Photos

Phantom Boy (2015)

Phantom Boy (2015)

Phantom Boy (2015)

Phantom Boy (2015)

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Movie Info

In New York, a courageous detective named Alex is injured by a gangster who calls himself the Man With the Broken Face. Stuck in a hospital, Alex meets Leo, a bedridden 11-year-old who has the ability to leave his body and float around as an apparition. Like a ghost, invisible to all, he flies away and passes through walls. When the disfigured criminal threatens to attack the city's infrastructure, Leo springs into action to help the lawman foil his evil plan.

Rating:

PG (Violence|Thematic Elements|A Suggestive Situation)
Genre:

animation, comedy, fantasy, adventure
Original Language:

French (France)
Director:

Jean-Loup Felicioli, Alain Gagnol
Producer:

Jacques-Rémy Girerd
Writer:

Alain Gagnol
Release Date (Theaters):

Jul 15, 2016 limited
Release Date (Streaming):

Oct 25, 2016
Runtime:

1h 24m
Production Co:

Folimage

Cast & Crew

Audrey Tautou
Mary
Voice

Jean-Pierre Marielle
L'homme au visage cassé
Voice

Édouard Baer
Le policier
Voice

Jackie Berroyer
La Taupe
Voice

Gaspard Gagnol
Voice

Patrick Ridremont
Le petit nerveux , Le casseur , L'exterminateur
Voice

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News & Interviews for Phantom Boy

Ghostbusters is Certified Fresh

Critic Reviews for Phantom Boy

All Critics (52) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (6)

It has an interesting premise and seems to be about the dark subject of death and childhood, but then backs out nervously towards cops'n'robbers banality.

October 21, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
It's an entertaining romp, which for me had weird, engaging echoes with Richard Linklater's Waking Life.

October 20, 2016 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
Frequently beautiful to look at, but the cops-and-robbers angle feels tired.

October 18, 2016 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Tom Huddleston
Time Out
Missing is the narrative and emotional cohesiveness that would likely have led to [Phantom Boy] being [more] engaging and memorable.

July 29, 2016 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
Adults should get a kick out of Phantom Boy's sly humour but the story and the action is for the kids.

July 29, 2016 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Brad Wheeler
Globe and Mail
Phantom Boy will appeal to children who have the patience and imagination to immerse themselves in the film's wiggly animation.

July 29, 2016 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Tirdad Derakhshani
Philadelphia Inquirer
Overall, Phantom Boy doesn't have the dense thematic complexity that many animated films have gone for since Pixar became the industry standard but it is a simply enjoyable alternative.

January 5, 2021 | Full Review…

Aaron Pinkston
Battleship Pretension
Charming and inventive yet modest and unpretentious.

April 1, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Daniel Barnes
Dare Daniel
Phantom Boy is a visual delight but also a throwback to a simple superhero story before cinematic universes changed everything.

February 6, 2019 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Rachel Wagner
Rotoscopers
Leo's unnerving ability to dance between reality and waking life gives the film a metaphysical tone, yet it's riddled with comedic bits that lighten the mood.

August 22, 2018 | Full Review…

Glenn Heath Jr.
San Diego CityBeat
Their quarry is a villain known only as the Man with the Broken Face, a handle that makes sense once you soak in the Picasso-like renderings of these characters, who exist in a different, hand-drawn realm to Pixar's digital might.

January 1, 2018 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Craig Mathieson
The Sunday Age
Despite all its whimsy, Phantom Boy manages to cater entirely to children without feeling patronizing. What kid doesn't love the idea of a child hero?

August 8, 2017 | Full Review…

Jessica Baxter
Film International

View All Critic Reviews (52)

Audience Reviews for Phantom Boy

Mar 02, 2017

http://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/phantom-boy-dir-alain-gagnol-jean.html

Anthony L Super Reviewer

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Phantom Boy Quotes

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