Shadows on the Wall | Kensuke's Kingdom

Kensuke’s Kingdom

dir Neil Boyle, Kirk Hendry
scr Frank Cottrell Boyce
prd Camilla Deakin, Sarah Radclyffe, Barnaby Spurrier, Ruth Fielding, Stephan Roellants
voices Aaron MacGregor, Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy, Raffey Cassidy, Ken Watanabe, Alfred Kodai Berglund, Kotoko Wertheim
release UK 2.Aug.24,
US 18.Oct.24
23/UK BFI 1h25

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Michael Morpurgo's beloved novel is adapted into a gorgeously hand-drawn animated adventure, an involving survival tale infused with realistic but hopeful ideas about humanity and nature. Complex characters and unexpected situations add deeper resonance than expected, and many sequences are visually dazzling, featuring an artistic touch that elevates both smaller details and expansive landscapes. This is an often thrilling film that isn't afraid to get either silly or dark.

Taking a year out to sail around the world, 11-year-old Michael (MacGregor) is travelling with his parents (Hawkins and Murphy) and older sister Becky (Cassidy). Unsafely on deck during a storm, Michael and his dog Stella are washed overboard, waking up on a deserted Pacific island. Stranded on a beach, food and fresh water begin appearing mysteriously. And when Michael lights a signal fire, Kensuke (Watanabe) emerges from hiding to put it out. A Japanese WWII sailor lost here decades ago, Kensuke reluctantly bonds with Michael and begins teaching him the ways of the island.

Tightly told through Michael's perspective, the story has unusually strong resonance. This is an impulsive, rebellious child who knowingly breaks rules and resists warnings about his own safety. Indeed, this led him into a potentially fatal situation on the family boat. Then on the island, these attitudes further put him at risk, eventually forcing him to learn some hard lessons. Refreshingly, he isn't crushed into submission along the way, but instead begins to channel his independent will in more positive directions.

With a distinctive animation style, the characters are line drawings against lavishly painted backdrops that often appear shimmeringly photoreal. The humans and animals have a strikingly authentic presence, including a baby orangutan that's almost too adorable. And because both Michael and Kensuke are artists, there are also beautiful sequences animated as pencil sketches and ink drawings. Intriguingly, the dialog has been stripped back to the bare minimum, well-performed by a starry voice cast in support of young MacGregor.

Remarkable character depth makes these people both likeable and sometimes infuriating, which brings the situations to life in unusually powerful ways. The most intense sequence is when a team of hunters arrive on the island to collect exotic creatures, threatening animal families and putting both Michael and Kensuke in considerable danger. It's a properly harrowing moment that adds gravity to a story that shouldn't be seen as a lighthearted lark. And it brings the ideas about the balance of nature into sharp relief.

themes, violence 11.Jul.24

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