Kensuke’s Kingdom (2024, dirs. Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry)

by Jack Martin | Jul 30, 2024

Certificate: PG

Running Time: 84 mins

UK Distributor: Modern Films

UK Release Date: 2 August 2024

WHO’S IN KENSUKE’S KINGDOM?

Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy, Raffey Cassidy, Ken Watanabe, Aaron MacGregor, Alfred Kodai Berglund

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry (directors), Frank Cottrell-Boyce (writer), Camilla Deakin, Ruth Fielding, Anne-Laure Labadie, Martin Metz, Adrian Politowski, Sarah Radclyffe and Barnaby Spurrier (producers), Stuart Hancock (composer), Richard Overall (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A young boy (McGregor) washes up on a desert island…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON KENSUKE’S KINGDOM?

Animation is, always has been, and will continue to be a medium that gifts storytellers an entire new realm of possibility to bring their tales to life on the screen. Yet, there are still far too many people who prefer to label it as a “genre”, which has rightfully earned the ire of many an animator whose hard and underappreciated work is undeservedly dumped in the same category as action, horror, comedy et al. When will we learn, once and for all, that animation is no less a form of expression than live-action filmmaking is, especially when it is animated films like Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 that are currently dominating the box office, and when others like Robot Dreams and now Kensuke’s Kingdom are gaining significant critical traction on the independent circuit?

The latter animated film, from first-time feature filmmakers Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry, shares some things in common with the Oscar-nominated Robot Dreams. For instance, it relies less on dialogue and much more on the visuals to do the lion’s share of the storytelling, and it refuses to overcomplicate a reasonably simple story that nonetheless explores some heavy themes, all in a fairly short runtime (though this film is shorter by about twenty minutes).

Both movies, though, are also quite astounding in their visual storytelling, with Kensuke’s Kingdom in particular delivering some plentiful animation and tender emotion to carry itself, which ultimately makes it a lovely family-friendly delight.

Adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s book of the same name by fellow writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the film is about a young boy named Michael (voiced by Aaron MacGregor), who’s sailing the open seas with his mother (Sally Hawkins), his father (Cillian Murphy), his older sister Becky (Raffey Cassidy), and the family dog Stella. One night, during a storm, Michael is washed away by the waves along with Stella, and both end up on a remote island seemingly in the middle of nowhere, with escape all but impossible. Michael soon discovers, though, that he’s not the only human on the island: an elderly Japanese man named Kensuke (Ken Watanabe) has lived there for years, having built his own home and developed a good relationship with the native orangutans. After a brief period of wanting nothing to do with the new arrival, aside from leaving him some much-needed water and food, Kensuke soon assists Michael in helping him to survive, leading to a strong friendship between the two of them.

One thing that is immediately apparent about Kensuke’s Kingdom, other than how beautiful the hand-drawn 2D animation is, is how much it values the fact that it is telling this particular story through a visual medium. While there is dialogue throughout the film, it’s really only there to fill in some of the narrative gaps, leaving much of everything else to be told almost exclusively with the imagery on the screen, from certain plot developments to characters’ backstories. Morpurgo’s original story isn’t a massively complicated parable, though there are aspects to it which are surprising that screenwriter Cottrell-Boyce and directors Boyle and Hendry have been able to convey with as little dialogue as possible, making it all the more impressive as the filmmakers, as well as the numerous animators who worked on it, fully embrace their visual storytelling prowess with this adaptation.

It is highly beneficial that Kensuke’s Kingdom is such a visual delight at all times, because it makes things a lot easier for the viewer when it comes to following this narrative without feeling confused or lost. Even in the near-total absence of dialogue, you are able to fully understand what each character (even when they’re not even human) is thinking or going through, with the animation working tirelessly to convert every single frown, wound, piece of body language etc into a stunning display of genuine emotion that regular scripted conversation wouldn’t be able to fully replicate. Once again, it is remarkable how these filmmakers have managed to rework the much wordier original book into a striking visual montage, all without sacrificing the strong emotional power that numerous readers will remember from reading it back in the day.

The narrative in and of itself has plenty of charm, as we are able to follow young Michael’s growing friendship with the elderly Kensuke in ways that make both characters incredibly empathetic, and seeing how the latter has effectively made his own little ecosystem is quite delightful to see in motion, as is his respectful relationship with nature as a whole. That being said, there are times when the story feels a bit too simplistic and could have perhaps used a tad more conflict to further raise some of the stakes, including the development of one particular threat that shows up for one vital sequence but is promptly dropped for the remainder of the narrative. It also ends on a note that, while undoubtedly bittersweet, seems mightily convenient and even a tad contrived, especially as it comes when things feel like they’re about to progress even further.

Minor quibble aside, Kensuke’s Kingdom is a lovely and beautifully realised film that, just like Robot Dreams before it, fully appreciates the power that simple but heavily detailed drawings can bestow onto an already emotional tale, and while it’s not quite on the same level, this film nonetheless uses that power with great responsibility (thanks, Uncle Ben).

SO, TO SUM UP…

Kensuke’s Kingdom is a gorgeously animated display of visual storytelling that translates Michael Morpurgo’s original tale into an emotionally rich, if sometimes narratively simplistic, experience for the whole family.