---
title: "Kensuke's Kingdom: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/kensukes-kingdom/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/kensukes-kingdom"
critics_score: 69
critics_reviews: 7
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): what the critics said

Critics' score 69 from 7 reviews: 3 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative.

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.

## Sight and Sound

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 July 2024. 

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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/kensukes-kingdom-rapturous-british-castaway-fable)

## Empire — Yasmin Omar

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2024. 

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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kensukes-kingdom/)

## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 13 June 2023. Festival review. 

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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/kensukes-kingdom-annecy-review/5183043.article)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 31 July 2024. 

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 the review](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

Rating 3/3/3. 1 August 2024. 

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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/kensukes-kingdom)

## Time Out — Kambole Campbell

Rating 3/5. 28 July 2024. 

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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/kensukes-kingdom-review-2024)

## Deadline — Damon Wise

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 2023. Festival review. 

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 the review](https://deadline.com/2023/06/kensukes-kingdom-review-michael-morpugo-novel-becomes-a-timeless-castaway-fantasy-1235419534/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/kensukes-kingdom.md