Kensuke's Kingdom (PG)

Young boy Michael embarks on a sailing trip of a lifetime with his parents and older sister Becky. The family's dog Stella has been secretly stowed away by Michael. During a violent storm, Michael and Stella are swept overboard and they eventually wash up on a remote island. Over time, the boy realises his shares his new home with a Japanese man called Kensuke, who has secretly lived in isolation since the Second World War.

LondonNet Film Review

Kensuke’s Kingdom (PG) Film Review from LondonNet

After a particularly stressful day at work, a fractious family gathering or the sensory overload of day-to-day urban living, it’s easy to romanticise the tranquillity of sun-kissed seclusion on a supposedly deserted island. For stranded fictional characters, there’s often trouble in paradise. Tom Hanks’ systems analyst loses his beloved volleyball companion Wilson and almost his sanity in Cast Away; surviving passengers of crashed Oceanic Airlines Flight 815 encounter otherworldly foes and a mind-boggling final episode in Lost; paranoia and mob rule run rife in Lord Of The Flies; and all that glisters isn’t gold in Treasure Island…

Faithfully adapted by screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce from Michael Morpurgo’s children’s novel, Kensuke’s Kingdom is a poignant animated drama which strands a young boy in the Indian Ocean with a canine companion. A touching friendship with the island’s other residents including a family of orangutans expands into a wider discussion of conservation, co-existence and co-operation, rendered by around 200 artists in a combination of expressive 2D hand-drawn and 3D animation with photographic real elements. Kensuke’s Kingdom took two and a half years to realise under the direction of Kirk Hendry and Neil Boyle and every minute resonates, especially a watercolour flashback that tastefully but powerfully depicts the bombing of Nagasaki to illuminate the title character’s heartrending backstory.

Eleven-year-old Michael (voiced by Aaron MacGregor) begrudges his parents (Cillian Murphy, Sally Hawkins) after they both lose their jobs and relocate the family, including Michael’s older sister Becky (Raffey Cassidy), onto a sailing boat called the Peggy Sue for a round-the-world adventure. “Before you know it the Peggy Sue will feel just like home,” Michael’s mother cheerfully promises. The boy secretly stows pet dog Stella in a cupboard at the bow of the vessel.

Following rendezvous for supplies in Lisbon, Gran Canaria and Dakar, Peggy Sue heads into the eye of a storm and a large wave sweeps Michael and Stella overboard. They wash up on a remote island. “Help me,” Michael whispers aloud to the universe. The next morning, coconut milk and slivers of raw fish magically appear and Michael discovers he shares the island with a Japanese man named Kensuke (Ken Watanabe), who has secretly lived in isolation since the Second World War.

Kensuke’s Kingdom confidently sets sail through Morpurgo’s text and illustrates mankind’s plunderous relationship with the natural world in a way that will be easily accessible for audiences of all ages. A family-friendly 84-minute running time is another buoyancy aid. Composer Stuart Hancock’s score ebbs and flows beautifully in extended silences between effective vocal performances and increases in urgency when invaders materialise on the shimmering horizon. Against seemingly overwhelming odds, one tearful child separated from family and society can make a profound difference.

– Jo Planter