This Touching Animation With 96% on RT Is the Biggest Hidden Gem on Apple TV
You must see this one.
Michael Morpurgo's novel Kensuke's Kingdom was first published in 1999. Later, Sarah Radcliffe acquired the rights to make a movie, but for almost 20 years she was unable to find a team and funding to make the project a reality.
One day, Radcliffe sent a script written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce to up-and-coming directors Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry, hoping to finally get the project off the ground. Fortunately, they were interested in the story.
After studying the script, they read the book and were surprised to find that it was even part of the British school curriculum. Kensuke's Kingdom is one of the most famous novels by Morpurgo, who wrote more than 150 books in total.
What Is Kensuke's Kingdom About?
Michael, his older sister Becky, and his parents set out on a yacht. After his parents lose their jobs, a trip around the world seems like the best way to start a new life. The adults are eager to finally see the world and at the same time instill a sense of responsibility in their children – everyone on the yacht has their own responsibilities.
But the boy has no desire to join the family unit. All Michael thinks about is his dog Stella, – the boy hid the dog in a small locker on the yacht.
One day, during a violent storm, Michael goes up on deck to retrieve Stella, but a huge wave lifts the boy and the dog and then plunges them deep underwater.
Kensuke's Kingdom Is an Experimental & Expressive Work
Michael and Stella wake up on the shore of an uncharted island. Gradually, the screen fills with details – the gray rocks, the colorful variety of plants, the blue surface of the water. Michael barely manages to make contact with the wildlife – he eats inedible berries, finds only a few drops of dew, and has no idea what to do next.
A local resident, a quiet Japanese man named Kensuke, unexpectedly comes to the rescue. Michael suspects that his new acquaintance has been living on the island for a long time: Kensuke has managed to build a house on a tree and even installed a water supply using bamboo.
The two do not understand a word of each other's language, but this does not prevent them from communicating. The lack of a common language allows the authors to experiment with the image and look for new ways to tell the story.
To tell about the past, Boyle and Hendry use the characters' shared passion – drawing. Kensuke finds Michael's album, from which he learns about his trip around the world and his parents, and the boy carefully examines the portraits and landscapes hanging on the walls.
Kensuke's story is full of pain, he has terrible memories, and the way the authors tell it is the best part of the animation.
Creators Managed to Make a Touching Movie While Preserving the Spirit of the Original
In the first frames, Michael appears to the audience as an irresponsible child who, out of boredom, puts the dog in danger. He enters Kensuke's secret rooms, bombards the man with questions, demands food and does not thank him for his help.
But living on the island helps the boy grow up. He learns to be responsible for his actions and to appreciate the world around him.
Boyle and Hendry have not only succeeded in creating an eye-catching animation with many expressive images, but also in respectfully transferring to the screen Morpurgo's main precepts – his love for nature and his tireless desire to find harmony between man and the animal world.
Where to Watch Kensuke's Kingdom?
Kensuke's Kingdom is available to stream on Apple TV.