'Kensuke's Kingdom' Wows Critics

Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash

         On October 18, 2024, 'Kensuke's Kingdom' was released by Blue Fox Entertainment, receiving rave reviews and a score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the animated film, "A young boy and his family set off on a sailing trip of a lifetime until a violent storm erupts, sweeping Michael and his dog overboard. After washing up on a remote island, terrified, they struggle to survive and adjust to life alone, One day, Michael discovers he is not alone when he is confronted by a mysterious Japanese man who has lived there secretly since World War II, angry that Michael has arrived. However, as dangerous invaders threaten their fragile island paradise, Michael and the old man, Kensuke, join forces to save their secret world." The ensemble cast includes recent Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, Sally Hawkins, Ken Watanabe, Aaron MacGregor, and Raffey Cassidy. But what did the critics say?

       Joseph Tomastik of Loud and Clear Reviews says, "Kensuke’s Kingdom is a British 2-D animated film … which, the more I think about it, I can’t remember the last time I ever saw one of those. This work of animation is based on Michael Morpurgo’s 1999 novel that I had never even heard of, but having seen the film and then read the summary of the book’s plot, I can almost guarantee it would have moved me had I read it as a kid. Thankfully, this film adaptation brought out that reaction of childlike wonder in a distinctly simple, heartfelt way that very few animated films – hell, very few films, period – manage to do."    

        Jack Martin of Film Feeder notes, "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."

       Peter Bradshaw of Guardian writes, "In some ways, Kensuke’s existence cancels the jeopardy of Michael and Stella’s arrival on the island and solves the terrifying question of how they are to get food and water; Kensuke obligingly (if mysteriously, at first) provides these. But then Michael is to find that the island is home to apes and other animals which are being hunted by sinister people who show up in a boat, and for a while these apes, and not Michael, assume a virtually centre-stage position in the story. Another type of story might have pondered the possibility that Michael would simply get older and inherit Kensuke’s position as “king” of the island and die there himself in due course, alone. Well, a happier and simpler ending is at hand. It’s rather Spielbergian in its way (Spielberg filmed Morpurgo’s War Horse) but more low-cal."