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A still from animated film Kensuke's Kingdom, featuring a boy and an older man walking through a jungle with a dog. A small monkey hangs between them on their outstretched arms.

Bankside Films share first look still for Kensuke’s Kingdom animation based on Michael Morpurgo’s best-selling children’s novel

Bankside Films have today shared a first look image for Kensuke's Kingdom, directed by Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry. The film features a voice cast including BAFTA winner and Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water, Happy-Go-Lucky), BAFTA nominee Cillian Murphy (Inception, 28 Days Later), Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima, The Last Samurai) and fast-rising young star Raffey Cassidy, whose recent credits include The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Vox Lux and Tomorrowland.

Neil Boyle is a director and animator with credits that include Tom and Jerry, The Simpsons, Ethel and Ernest, Space Jam and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Kirk Hendry is an award-winning filmmaker who directed Junk, which was nominated for a British Independent Film Award.

The screenplay for Kensuke's Kingdom has been written by BAFTA nominee Frank Cottrell-Boyce (Goodbye Christopher Robin, The Railway Man, 24 Hour Party People, Hilary and Jackie) and is adapted from War Horse author Michael Morpurgo’s best-selling children’s novel of the same name.  

Producers for the film are Emmy award-winning producers and founders of animation studio Lupus Films, Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding (Ethel & Ernest, The Snowman and The Snowdog, The Tiger Who Came to Tea), Academy Award nominee Stephan Roelants of Melusine Productions (Ernest & Celestine, The Breadwinner, Wolfwalkers) Sarah Radclyffe, who co-founded Working Title and has since produced or executive produced over 30 feature films, BAFTA nominee Barnaby Spurrier (Somers Town), Co-Founder and CEO of Align Adrian Politowski (The Artist, Mandy, Blithe Spirit) and Senior Vice President, Martin Metz (La Belle Époque, Mandy, Blithe Spirit), award-winning producer Jean Labadie and Anne-Laure Labadie (Pinocchio, Dogman, Where is Anne Frank?) of Le Pacte.

Executive Producers are Nadia Khamlichi, Nessa McGill, Sierra Garcia, Bill Godfrey, Nick Miller, Tim Morris, Courtney Pledger, Sam Wright, Stephen Kelliher, Natascha Wharton, Kimberley Warner and Bizzy Day. 

A still from animated film Kensuke's Kingdom, featuring a boy and an older man walking through a jungle with a dog. A small monkey hangs between them on their outstretched arms.

Kensuke's Kingdom is a BFI and Align presentation of a Lupus Films production in association with Kensuke’s Kingdom, Jigsaw Films, Melusine Productions, Le Pacte and Bumpybox, with the support of Film Fund Luxembourg, Ffilm Cymru Wales and Creative Wales. The BFI and Ffilm Cymru Wales have both awarded National Lottery funding.