Kensuke’s Kingdom coming to BBC
July 30, 2025

Lupus Films’ award-winning, hand-painted animated feature film, Kensuke’s Kingdom, is set to take family audiences on a thrilling adventure when it sails onto BBC iPlayer and BBC One on August 3rd.
Based on the best-selling children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo and adapted for screen by Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Kensuke’s Kingdom features the epic adventure of Michael, a young boy, shipwrecked on a remote island, who discovers he’s not alone when he encounters a mysterious Japanese man who retreated there after World War Two. But as dangerous invaders appear on the horizon, it becomes clear they must join forces to save their fragile island paradise.
Directed by Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry, Kensuke’s Kingdom‘s voice cast includes Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy, Raffey Cassidy, Aaron MacGregor and Ken Watanabe.
The vast natural landscapes, human characters and teeming wildlife in the film were lovingly hand-painted over two and a half years by 200 artists working at Lupus Films, the London-based film and television studio behind award-winning family hits The Tiger Who Came to Tea, The Snowman and The Snowdog, Ethel and Ernest, Mog’s Christmas, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland.
Kensuke’s Kingdom has won numerous international film & film music awards including: three British Animation Awards including Best Feature; Grand Prize at the New York International Children’s Film Festival; winner at the Indie Fest USA International Film Festival; Best Original Score and Best Animation at the New York Movie Awards; and Gold Awards for Animated Film and Original Score at the Hollywood Gold Awards. It was nominated in the Best Children’s and Film category at this year’s BAFTA Film Awards and the children of France voted Kensuke’s Kingdom (Le Royaume de Kensuke) as their favourite movie of the year at the Cine Jeunes Awards.
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