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still from kensuke's kingdom featuring a boy standing on a wooden balcony looking out over a forest horizon

Exclusive first clip unveiled from animated feature film Kensuke’s Kingdom

An exclusive first clip from hand-drawn animated feature Kensuke’s Kingdom has been unveiled ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.

Directed by Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry, Kensuke’s Kingdom is based on the best-selling novel by Michael Morpurgo (War Horse) and adapted for screen by BAFTA Award nominee Frank Cottrell-Boyce (The Railyway Man).  

It features the epic adventure of Michael, a young boy, shipwrecked on a remote island who discovers he’s not alone when he encounters a hostile old Japanese soldier who retreated there after World War Two. 

The illustrious voice cast includes BAFTA Award winner and Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water, Happy Go Lucky), BAFTA Award nominee Cillian Murphy (Inception, 28 Days Later), Raffey Cassidy (The Killing of a Sacred Dear, Vox Lux), Aaron MacGregor and Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima, The Last Samurai).  

The newly released clip features Michael (MacGregor) as he discovers the mystical hidden secrets of his new island home.

The producers for the film are Emmy Award-winning producers and founders of animation studio Lupus Films, Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding, Academy Award nominee Stephan Roelants of Melusine Productions, co-founder of Working Title Sarah Radclyffe, Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning producer Barnaby Spurrier, Co-Founder and CEO of Align Adrian Politowski and Senior Vice President, Martin Metz and award-winning producer Jean Labadie and Anne-Laure Labadie 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, Kim Warner and Bizzy Day. 
 
Bankside Films hold the global sales rights, and will be introducing the completed film to buyers at the Annecy Film Festival for the first time. 

Kensuke’s Kingdom is presented by BFI, Film Fund Luxembourg and Align and is a Lupus Films production in association with Kensuke’s Kingdom, Jigsaw Films, Melusine Productions, Le Pacte and Bumpybox, with the support of Ffilm Cymru Wales and Welsh Government via Creative Wales.