‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ Draws an Impressive Voice Cast, Including Cillian Murphy

‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ Reveals Impressive Voice Cast, Featuring Cillian Murphy

The voice cast for the upcoming animated feature ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ has been unveiled, showcasing the talents of Ken Watanabe from ‘Tokyo Vice’ and Cillian Murphy from ‘Peaky Blinders.’ A sneak peek clip of the film has also been released in anticipation of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival happening this weekend.

In this hand-drawn animated masterpiece, Watanabe (known for ‘Godzilla: King of Monsters’ and ‘Pokémon: Detective Pikachu’) lends his voice to the character Kensuke, a gruff and elderly Japanese soldier. Murphy (renowned for ‘Inception’ and ‘The Dark Knight’) takes on the role of the protagonist’s father, while Sally Hawkins from ‘The Shape of Water’ voices the protagonist’s mother. Raffey Cassidy (‘White Noise’ and ‘The Other Lamb’) also joins the cast, portraying a character named Becky, whose details are yet to be revealed.

Although the main cast comprises well-known stars, ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ introduces a newcomer, Aaron MacGregor, as the voice of the young protagonist, Michael. MacGregor’s previous acting credits include playing Finn in the TV series ‘Princess Mirror-Belle’ and a minor role in the popular period drama ‘Outlander’ in 2014. In this film, MacGregor’s character finds himself stranded on Kensuke’s remote island along with his faithful dog.

The shared clip offers a tantalizing glimpse into the world of ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom.’ We see MacGregor’s animated character bravely exploring his newfound deserted island home, from carefully navigating slippery rocks to following his loyal canine companion into a mysterious cave. Additionally, we get a first look at Watanabe’s character as he peacefully sits by a waterfall, offering fruit to the island’s resident orangutans.

What is ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ About?

‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ is an adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book of the same name. Directed by Neil Boyle (‘Tom and Jerry: The Movie’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’) and Kirk Hendry (‘Junk’ and ‘Festival Road Trip’), the film narrates the encounter between a young boy (MacGregor) and an elderly Japanese soldier (Watanabe) who sought refuge on the island after World War II. The production team includes Emmy Award-winning producers Camilla Deakin (‘The Ghastly Ghoul’) and Ruth Fielding (‘A Christmas Number One’), who joined forces with Stephan Roelants, Sarah Radclyffe, Barnaby Spurrier, Adrian Politowski, Martin Metz, Jean Labadie, and Anne-Laure Labadie. The film boasts an impressive lineup of executive producers, including Nadia Khamlichi, Sierra Garcia, Bill Godfrey, Nick Miller, Tim Morris, Courtney Pledger, Sam Wright, Stephen Kelliher, Natascha Wharton, Kim Warner, and Bizzy Day.

‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ will be screened at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival from June 11 to June 17, 2023. In the meantime, don’t miss our previous interview with Ken Watanabe as he shares his insights on working on ‘Tokyo Vice.’

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More about Animated feature film

• Deadline: ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ Reveals Impressive Voice Cast, Including Cillian Murphy
• Annecy International Animation Film Festival
• Michael Morpurgo’s “Kensuke’s Kingdom” book
• Neil Boyle on IMDb
• Kirk Hendry on IMDb
• Camilla Deakin on IMDb
• Ruth Fielding on IMDb