The Promised Neverland (2025 film)

The Promised Neverland is a 2025 American-Australian horror film produced, written and directed Leigh Whannell and based on the anime and manga of the same name by Kaiu Shirai. The film follows a group of orphaned children in their plan to escape from their orphanage, after learning the dark truth behind their existence and the purpose of the orphanage. The film was praised for its direction, screenplay, faithfulness to the source material, visuals, cinematography, musical score and performances. It became the fourth and most recent film (the other three being 1934's It Happened One Night, 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and 1991's The Silence of the Lambs) to win Academy Awards in all the major five categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay and winning Best Cinematography and nominated for Best Original Score.

Plot
The bright and cheerful Emma is an 11-year-old orphan living in Grace Field House, a self-contained orphanage housing her and 37 other orphans. They lead an idyllic life, with plentiful food, plush beds, clean clothes, games and the love of their "Mom", Isabella. Their education is seen as an important part of their development, and Emma with her two best friends Norman and Ray, always excel in the regular exams. The orphans are allowed complete freedom, except to venture beyond the perimeter wall or gate which separate the house from the outside world.

One night, a girl named Conny is sent away to be "adopted", but Emma and Norman follow with her favorite stuffed animal toy. At the gate, they find Conny dead and discover the truth about their existence in this idyllic orphanage – to be raised as meat for demons. Emma and Norman plan with Ray to escape from Grace Field House with the children, but Norman is taken off to be "adopted". Emma and Ray then decide to escape with some of their older siblings, leaving half of the younger children behind.

Cast
Rose Byrne as Isabelle

Release
The film was released on February 7, 2025.

Music
The film's score was composed by Ramin Djawadi, who previously with Whannell on Pumpkin Reports (2021). For his work, Djawadi earned his first Oscar nomination for Best Original Score.

Transcript
The Promised Neverland/Transcript

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Critical reception
The film has an approval rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.