Loving Vincent

Loving Vincent has built a real following in the US on Netflix and Kanopy among viewers who do not usually seek out animation. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. 2,615 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. The visual style is immediately recognisable, but the writing is what keeps you watching. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

Loving Vincent arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The look of Loving Vincent gets people in the door, but the writing is what keeps them there. A young man arrives at the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there. Douglas Booth and Robert Gulaczyk lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2017. The animation style is distinctive enough to be immediately recognisable, but it is the writing underneath that keeps viewers coming back for more. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Loving Vincent belongs on any best-of list regardless of format. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Douglas Booth's voice work is a big part of what makes it distinctive. If you have been sleeping on it because of the format, the format is not the thing here.