The City of Lost Children (La Cité des Enfants Perdus) (1997)
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78% of critics liked it
(41 reviews) -
88% of users liked it
(64,401 ratings)
This visually inventive French sci-fi/fantasy tale began winning a cult following practically from the moment it was released. Krank (Daniel Emilfork) is a foul, monstrous creature who lords over the inhabitants of a small island; Krank's emotional being is every bit as ugly as his physical… More This visually inventive French sci-fi/fantasy tale began winning a cult following practically from the moment it was released. Krank (Daniel Emilfork) is a foul, monstrous creature who lords over the inhabitants of a small island; Krank's emotional being is every bit as ugly as his physical personage, largely because he does not have the ability to dream. However, he has developed a machine that can drain the dreams of others from their heads, and he devotes himself to kidnapping children from a nearby harbor town so that he can steal their pleasant dreams. Denree (Joseph Lucien) is one of the children who has been spirited off to the island; Krank discovers that he's an even bigger problem than he imagined when his big brother One (Ron Perlman), a harpoon-wielding mountain of a man, sets out on a rescue mission. Once he arrives on Krank's island, One encounters a brain in a fish tank that has learned to talk, a group of clones who can't decide who is the original, a pair of Siamese twins, an octopus that guides a group of orphaned thieves, and a girl named Miette (Judith Vittet) who says she can guide One to Denree. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- In Theaters
- Dec 15, 1995 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Classics
Critic Reviews
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Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
Set in a wondrously seedy waterfront world populated with runaway children and grotesque, sinister adults, it glistens with dense fantasies, technological feats that make the catch-phrase "state of the art" seem antique.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The emotions seem almost as manufactured as the sets.
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Derek Elley, Variety
With each frame filled to bursting point with visual detail and multiplaned design, plus razor-sharp cutting that often eliminates transitions, it's not a movie you can afford to take your eyes off for a second.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Extraordinary.
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Stephen Holden, New York Times
Watching the film is like leafing through a giant sketchbook crammed with intriguing ideas that can't all be comfortably fitted into the same master plan.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Ron Perlman
as One
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Daniel Emilfork
as Krank
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Judith Vittet
as Miette
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Dominique Pinon
as Clones, Diver
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Jean-Claude Dreyfus
as Marcello the Flea-Tamer
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Genevieve Brunet
as Octopus
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Lorella Cravotta
as Woman at her Window
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Mapi Galán
as Lune
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Nane Germon
as Miette age 82
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Ticky Holgado
as Ex-acrobat
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Ham-Chau Luong
as Tattoo Artist
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Serge Merlin
as Cyclops' Leader
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Rufus
as Peeler
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Jean-Louis Trintignant
as Irvin
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Marc Caro
as Brother Ange-Joseph
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Cris Huerta
as Father Christmas
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Francois Hadji-Lazaro
as Killer
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Briac Barthélémy
as Bottle
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Joseph Lucien
as Denree
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Hong-Mai Thomas
as Tattoo Artist's Wife



