Amanda Boyle, Amy Robbins, Christian Bale, Daniel Benzali, James Faulkner ...( see more  see more... ) , John Higgins , John Hurt

Bobby Platt is a mentally slow young man who escapes an abusive, hateful stepfather who has killed his pets one by one. To save himself, Bobby runs away and meets a strange old man who wanders the hig...( read more  read more... )hways to bury roadkill animals. Bobby becomes the old man's apprentice and learns to see the world of nature in a strange idyllic way. But soon the shadow of his stepfather catches up to him and Bobby's world explodes into a grotesque nightmare.

Flixster Users

78% liked it

2,759 ratings

Critics

62% liked it

21 critics

R, 114 min.

Directed by: Jeremy Thomas

Release Date: September 3, 1999

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DVD Release Date: August 19, 2003

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Stats: 159 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (159)


  • November 12, 2009
    Um...pretty good. Good acting and all that, and the plot is certainly odd and enjoyable. The moral of the story is don't kill animals, just kill people if they deserve it. The step father acts in the last half hour of the film in ways that don't make any sense, especially in his ...( read more)demise. I must also add that I get tired of movies where the main character goes on about how perfect nature is and how bad people are (i.e. Instinct). What this guy doesn't get is that animals kill each other all the time, for food or for territory, or no apparent reason at all, that some animals need to eat dead animals to survive (so burying them only hurts animals), and that feeding mice and cockroaches so they don't 'steal' from you is really only going to increase the population of these creatures until they will steal from you. These mentalities are only fit for 'against the man' high school children and for environmentalists who have never stepped foot outside or read a book about how violent and unfair nature is. Ok, the end.
  • June 26, 2009
    I am a big fan of Christian Bale and, for many years more, of John Hurt. They both do their very best with these characters and I'm certain that with less talented actors this could have been an abysmal film. There are noticeable flaws in the logic of the plot and some pretty tac...( read more)ky direction which in combination make it seem rather like a B-grade afternoon kids soapie.

    Too many scenes are either unnecessary or painfully drawn out. It's very likely that some artful editing would have made a vastly superior 80 minute feature from this 112 minutes.

    Being vegetarian and an animal lover, I felt some empathy for the main characters but there's not all that much depth to them. The evil step-father is portrayed as just too much of a villainous cliché.
  • July 10, 2007
    If you are into shoot 'em up, no thinking or feeling required movies, then this one is not for you. For those who like animals and like to see the little guy win once in awhile, this is a great film. Characterized by its magical performances (Bale is utterly convincing as the 10 ...( read more)year old boy trapped in a 24 year old's body) and eye-popping, panoramic vistas of the English landscape, the film offers a gentle reminder of mankind's place in the natural scheme of things, though Thomas makes his point without stooping to preachiness or obvious metaphors. In an amusing turnabout from standard Hollywood practices, this UK-lensed film features an American actor (Benzali) playing a Brit villain, the catalyst for a late-breaking plot development which some may find overly melodramatic. By turns humane, frightening and beautiful, this isn't a movie for all tastes, but adventurous viewers will be rewarded for their patience. A possible cult in the making. The ending is unfortunately predictable and unnecessarily long. Also, far too much of the film focuses on Mr. Sommers curious "work" of burying road kill. This would not be so bad had there been more of a story line. Also, this film propounds a simplistic moral message about life being precious. Yet the ending completely undermines this moral absolute.

    This film is plot driven, and not a character study, and therefore the good performances are not enough to make this film worthy of greater praise. If not for the powerful acting this film would be merely mediocre. It makes me think twice about driving fearing I might hit an anmial.
  • September 3, 2009
    Great acting of Christian Bale :)))
    Really nice movie
  • August 24, 2009
    Fantastically acted strange movie!
  • June 11, 2009
    I forgot all about this movie. I watched it years ago and I liked it and remembered Christian Bale from it. It was a little stragne at time and I felt bad for what happens to John Hurt. Daniel Benzali did a good job as the step-father role
  • May 30, 2009
    An unkown and very good movie.
  • April 8, 2009
    Kind of interesting turn for Christian Bale.
  • February 15, 2009
    The storyline for the movie is a simple one, but works well. Christian Bale really shines as a young man who can't quite function in the world (or so others think). The movie pulls at your heartstrings and you just want to give Bobby a hug. John Hurt does a nice job as the distan...( read more)t but caring Mr. Sommers. Daniel Benzali is absolutely evil in the role of The Fat. His performance is played well and works in the movie.
  • January 25, 2009
    Hacía mucho que una película no me hacía llorar exageradamente jaja, Todos Los Pequeños Animales es un excelente y raro drama que juega con las emociones de muy buena manera y además logra conectarse con la audiencia de forma genuina.
    La cinta se mueve entre el drama y el thrille...( read more)r muy bien, la historia me pareció sencilla, hermosa y poética, me fue imposible despegarme del asiento.
    El productor Jeremy Thomas hace un sobresaliente debut como director, realiza un excelente uso de música y fotografía, además aprovecho al 100% a sus actores.
    John Hurt nos regala una actuación memorable como el Sr. Summers; con esta película Bale terminó convirtiéndose en uno de mis actores favoritos, su actuación como el discapacitado Bobby es tan genuina y tierna que fue imposible no enamorarme del personaje, toca todas las notas emocionales y cautiva por completo, sin duda uno de los mejores actores de la actualidad.
    Me ha parecido una película maravillosa y de lo mejor que he visto últimamente, injustamente desapercibida, es un poderoso y hermoso drama con tonalidades oscuras, una combinación rara pero súper efectiva, las actuaciones de Hurt y Bale son genialísimas, la historia es algo diferente a lo ya visto y es imposible no sentirse conmovido por ella, me enamoré completamente de ella.

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

[It] refuses to reduce its story to simple terms, and the visible story seems like a manifestation of dark and secret undercurrents. Even the ending, which some will no doubt consider routine revenge,... full review

View more All The Little Animals reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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All The Little Animals Trivia


  • What is the name of the film starring Christian bale as a runaway who meets an animal lover played by John Hurt?  Answer »
  • What kind of animal where the driver that Bobby (Christian Bale) hitched a ride with in the movie "All the little Animals" trying to run over?  Answer »
  • In what Christian Bale movie was his character hit by a car as a child.  Answer »
  • What 1998 thriller featured Christian Bale playing opposite John Hurt as a mentally slow man escaping his abusive father?   Answer »

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