--- title: "Kensuke's Kingdom" year: 2024 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/kensukes-kingdom" fi1m_id: "kensukes-kingdom" imdb_id: "tt5674658" tmdb_id: 587563 wikidata_id: "Q65120101" fi1m_score: 76 critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-10-03T03:32:35.716782+00:00" updated: "2026-10-03T03:32:43.210813+00:00" region: "BR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Kensuke's Kingdom (2024) Directed by Kirk Hendry, Neil Boyle · 1h 24m · ClassInd L · Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family ## Identity Kensuke's Kingdom - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/kensukes-kingdom - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** kensukes-kingdom - **IMDb ID:** tt5674658 - **TMDB ID:** 587563 - **Wikidata ID:** Q65120101 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5674658/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/587563, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65120101 **Fi1m score: 76** · Critics 69 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* A boy gets stranded, and the drawings make us reluctant to leave > Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry’s hand-drawn adventure is quietly affecting, especially when its drawings carry the feeling. The island’s dangers are softened too much, but the central friendship makes this worth a family’s evening. ## Synopsis British boy Michael (Aaron MacGregor) is a castaway on an isolated island, separated from Mum (Sally Hawkins) and Dad (Cillian Murphy). He needs to learn how to get by, but the island is unfamiliar territory. He encounters Kensuke (Ken Watanabe), an elderly Japanese man who lives there. Michael now has someone else to reckon with as he tries to understand his surroundings. The boy and the man begin to establish a connection, with the island’s natural life becoming a concern they share. ## Review *Kensuke’s Kingdom* is a good, gently paced adventure that finds enough feeling in its central friendship to make its quieter stretches worthwhile. Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry adapt Michael Morpurgo’s novel without hurrying the connection between a stranded boy and an older man. That is a sound choice for a story set on an isolated island. The reservation is that their care for a family audience sometimes makes the predicament feel too manageable. The hand-drawn animation gives that patience something worth looking at. The 2D landscapes make the island somewhere we want time to explore, while images that resemble watercolours give the film a welcome delicacy. The passages in which the characters’ own drawings come to life are especially effective. We were moved by them. They make private feelings visible without needing a character to explain them, and we wanted more of that freedom. Frank Cottrell Boyce’s screenplay is strongest when it lets concern for the natural world grow out of the setting. The conservation message matters because the island has been made worth looking at, and because companionship is already at the centre of the story. We do not need much persuading that the place deserves care. The adaptation can nevertheless feel cautious, following its source closely when a little more of the drawings’ inventiveness might have made the storytelling less predictable. Aaron MacGregor voices Michael and Ken Watanabe voices Kensuke, whose presence gives the relationship much of its weight. The elderly man’s side of the story is more compelling, leaving the boy a slightly underpowered centre for his own adventure. That imbalance matters because we need to care about Michael for more than his connection to Kensuke. Cillian Murphy brings welcome warmth to Dad, but the lasting interest lies with the two islanders. Richard Overall’s editing gives the images room to register within an economical 84 minutes. The pace suits the growing bond, even if the adventure could occasionally use more pressure. Stuart Hancock supplies the music, though the emotional work we remember most clearly is done by the animated faces. There is a useful confidence in letting a family film take this much time over how its characters respond to one another. The weakness is survival itself, which can seem too comfortable for the story’s own good. A castaway adventure needs us to feel that being stranded matters, even when its audience includes children. Here the softened jeopardy sometimes leaves Michael with too little to struggle against, and good intentions cannot supply the missing tension. The environmental concern remains persuasive, but the drama does not always give it enough force. The PG certificate should not be read as a promise of an entirely soothing evening. Some of the material has a severity that sits awkwardly with the gentler adventure, and younger children may need company through it. We would still choose this over a family film afraid to leave a moment unfilled. Watch it with children who like seeing a friendship develop, and leave time to talk afterwards. *Fi1m score 76, published 3 October 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews lean towards qualified approval of Kensuke’s Kingdom, with praise clustering around its hand-drawn landscapes, environmental themes and emotional warmth. Critics respond to the castaway story’s old-fashioned appeal, while several find particular strength in Kensuke’s backstory and the animation’s treatment of memory. The conservation message is generally seen as effective, and the connection between the central characters gives the adventure a tenderness that even the more reserved notices acknowledge. The spread runs from enthusiasm to modest approval, with no outright negative verdicts, but critics differ over how fully the animation serves the adaptation. Little White Lies finds it too faithful to the novel and insufficiently inventive visually, whereas Sight and Sound praises its imaginative animated drawings and memories. The Guardian thinks the storytelling sometimes softens the danger. Deadline, by contrast, praises the suspense but warns that the stark wartime material may make it less suitable for some families. ## Straight answers **How long is Kensuke's Kingdom, and what is it rated?** *Kensuke's Kingdom* runs 1h 24m and is rated L by the ClassInd in Brazil. It is an animation and adventure film. **Where can I watch Kensuke's Kingdom in Brazil?** *Kensuke's Kingdom* is available to rent from Apple TV from R$7.90. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **What should I watch after Kensuke's Kingdom?** After *Kensuke's Kingdom*, try [*The Red Turtle*](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle) (2016, Fi1m 84): Another island story that gives loneliness and companionship time to become complicated. Then [*My Neighbour Totoro*](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro) (1988, Fi1m 89): Children and the natural world observed with patience, humour and little fuss; and [*Ernest & Celestine*](https://film.one/film/ernest-and-celestine) (2012, Fi1m 84): Softly drawn animation and an unlikely friendship, with rather more room for laughter. ### Reviews we read (7) - **Sight and Sound** (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the adaptation a delicate, rapturous adventure with a thoughtful emotional undertow. They especially praise its imaginative hand-drawn animation, including sequences that bring characters’ drawings and Kensuke’s memories to life. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/kensukes-kingdom-rapturous-british-castaway-fable) - **Empire**, Yasmin Omar (75/100, inferred): Omar finds the film an engaging, stylish eco-fable that delivers its conservation message with considerable effectiveness. She singles out its evocative 2D landscapes and the striking watercolour-style Nagasaki flashback for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kensukes-kingdom/) - **Screen Daily**, Wendy Ide (65/100, inferred): The accessible page does not reveal Ide’s verdict. Its standfirst describes an animated adaptation centered on the connection between a British boy and an elderly Japanese man on an isolated island. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/kensukes-kingdom-annecy-review/5183043.article) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (65/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the adaptation attractively presented and family-friendly, though its storytelling sometimes softens the island’s jeopardy. He singles out Kensuke’s poignant and awe-inspiring backstory as a strong contrast to Michael’s. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jul/31/kensukes-kingdom-review-michael-morpurgo-boys-own-tale-frank-cottrell-boyce) - **Little White Lies**, Joel Oiku (3/3/3): The review finds the adaptation heartfelt but too faithful to escape the novel’s shadow. It praises the film’s atmospheric storytelling and environmental themes, while noting that its visuals rarely use animation to bring the book vividly to life. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/kensukes-kingdom) - **Time Out**, Kambole Campbell (3/5): The review finds the film an enchanting, pleasingly old-fashioned castaway story. It singles out the animation and Cillian Murphy’s voice performance as appealing features. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/kensukes-kingdom-review-2024) - **Deadline**, Damon Wise (75/100, inferred): The critic finds it a timeless, emotionally affecting castaway fantasy, though its stark wartime material may limit its appeal to families. He singles out the suspenseful poacher sequence and the emotion conveyed through the animation. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/06/kensukes-kingdom-review-michael-morpugo-novel-becomes-a-timeless-castaway-fantasy-1235419534/) ## Details - **Director:** Kirk Hendry, Neil Boyle - **Director:** Kirk Hendry, Neil Boyle - **Screenplay:** Frank Cottrell Boyce - **Novel:** Michael Morpurgo - **Editor:** Richard Overall - **Music:** Stuart Hancock - **Producer:** Adrian Politowski, Stéphan Roelants, Camilla Deakin - **Cast:** Sally Hawkins as Mum (voice); Cillian Murphy as Dad (voice); Raffey Cassidy as Becky (voice); Aaron MacGregor as Michael (voice); Ken Watanabe as Kensuke (voice); Alfred Kodai Berglund as Michiya (Kensuke's Son) (voice); Ken Ochiai as Nagasaki Announcer (voice); Cavin Cornwall as Additional Voices - **Runtime:** 1h 24m - **Certificate (ClassInd):** L - **Release (Brazil):** 12 September 2024 - **Genres:** Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family - **Budget:** $11 million - **Box office:** $3 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_brxqXn4-I ## Where to watch in Brazil - Apple TV: rent R$7.90, hd - Apple TV: buy R$17.90, sd *Checked 2026-10-03.* Also available in: AE, AU, BR, CA, CH, DK, FR, GB, IE, NO, NZ, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - BAFTA Film Awards 2024: Best Children's & Family Film (nominated) - NYICFF Grand Prize 2024: NYICFF Grand Prize (won) - Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film 2023: Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film (nominated) ## If you liked this - *The Red Turtle* (2016), Fi1m 84: Another island story that gives loneliness and companionship time to become complicated. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-red-turtle.md) - *My Neighbour Totoro* (1988), Fi1m 89: Children and the natural world observed with patience, humour and little fuss. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro.md) - *Storm Boy* (1976): A coastal childhood and an animal friendship, with affection that earns its sadness. - *The Black Stallion* (1979): A boy and an animal build trust before anyone needs to explain it. - *Ernest & Celestine* (2012), Fi1m 84: Softly drawn animation and an unlikely friendship, with rather more room for laughter. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ernest-and-celestine.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/kensukes-kingdom