Kensuke's Kingdom Eyes International Release
Author, playwright and former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo is probably best known for writing War Horse. It was adapted into a film by Steven Spielberg and has also been adapted into an acclaimed stage play. Another of his books Kensuke's Kingdom has been adapted as an animated feature by Lupus Films. Following the adaptation winning three British Animation Awards including Best Film, it's preparing to roll out to cinemas around the world. Its theatrical distribution reach has been expanded to include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Ukraine, Brazil, multiple Latin American territories such as Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia and worldwide airlines.
The film is based on the acclaimed 1999 novel and was adapted by acclaimed playwright Frank Cotrell-Boyce. It follows the adventures of a young boy named Michael who is shipwrecked on an island, and must learn to adapt to life alone. But over time, he begins to sense another presence, learning that world is home to both unimaginable danger and beauty.
The film is directed by Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry and features a starry voice cast including Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water, Paddington), Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders, Oppenheimer), Raffey Cassidy (Snow White and the Huntsman, Tomorrowland), Aaron MacGregor (Puffin Rock and the New Friends) and Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai, Inception).
"We couldn’t be happier that our production has enticed such a-list distributors to get behind a theatrical release for KENSUKE’S KINGDOM," said Lupus Films Producer Camilla Deakin. "We are very excited to be working together towards theatrical releases as of August in Latin America, the end of summer in the UK and early fall in the United States and Canada. Having recently signed on to distribute the film are James Huntsman’s Blue Fox Entertainment (US/Canada); Eve Gaberau’s Modern Films (UK/Ireland); Stefano Jacono’s Movies Inspired (Italy); San Fu Maltha’s Periscoop (Benelux); Denis Ivanov’s Arthouse Traffic (Ukraine); Roman Gutek’s New Horizon (Poland); Otelo Bettin Coltro’s Playarte (Brazil); Anurag Chourasia’s Cinetopia (Chile and other Latam territories) and Yukii Chan acquiring for Encore Inflight Ltd (worldwide airline rights)."
Producers are Emmy-Award-winning producers and founders of Lupus Films Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding, Oscar-nominee 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 former Senior Vice President, Martin Metz and award-winning producer Jean Labadie and Anne-Laure Labadie of Le Pacte. Rights were negotiated on behalf of the producers by Cinema Management Group (CMG) which recently came on board as a sales agent.
The film is presented by the BFI, Film Fund Luxembourg and Align and is a Lupus Film production in association with Kensuke's Kingdom, Jigsaw Films, Melusine Productions and BumpyBox, with support from Ffilm Cymru Wales and Welsh Government through Creative Wales. The BFI and Ffilm Cymru Wales both awarded National Lottery funding.
"One of the core messages of Michael Morpurgo’s work which we've absolutely held on to in the film, is how important it is to look after the environment and be respectful of it," says co-director Neil Boyle. "Michael's journey in the film is going from being a little urban child who is not connected to the environment to then transforming and understanding how the environment works and why it needs protecting."
"Animation is a great way to tell KENSUKE’S KINGDOM because it gives things a fable-like quality, which live action doesn't. It makes you suspend your disbelief quickly, so you just get pulled into the story immediately, which is the great power of animation," says Kirk Hendry.
The Film will be screening at the upcoming Cannes Festival at the 2024 Marche du Film (Film Market) in Cannes.
