Considering the recent ruffled feathers about AI getting too close to ripping off beloved artist & filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, and the stunning yet intimate work we've seen from Studio Ghibli in the past thirty years, it's easy to be taken aback by this mildly reminiscent work by long-time animator Neil Boyle, who has been working since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But in this case, it is not a bad thing whatsoever. The reality is, this film has drawn comparisons especially in the music and sentimentality of the film, but not in the animation style (which may have a similar palette of color, but not in all else).
AI creating “studio ghibli style art” knowing Miyazaki spent 1 year and 3 months on a 4 second scene just hurts my heart💔 pic.twitter.com/l2L4xi1xtd
— Fľøkï (@Dee_Floki) March 28, 2025
But this film is the farthest thing from an insult to Miyazaki's or any other artists work! Nor does it use generative AI. Kensuke's Kingdom represents a beautifully intimate portrayal of a modern family who loses their son at sea, by utilizing traditional animation methods. It's like an east-meets-west Robinson Crusoe or Swiss Family Robinson, and it looks absolutely sublime!
Watch this trailer for the new animated family adventure film, Kensuke's Kingdom, starring the vocal talents of Cillian Murphy, Sally Hawkins, & Ken Watanabe, playing Kensuke.
What a beautifully unfolding story makes me think of the true tales of Japanese soldiers stranded on random islands in the South Pacific after WWII. Often deranged and disabled from their own personal wars for survival, the legend goes that they often go mad.
But this trailer also makes me think of the environmental political messaging we often see in kid's entertainment and in some of Miyazaki's work. Hopefully, if there is any environmental politics in this film, it will not overwhelm the beauty of the story about family, exploration, and self-sacrifice.
We will see.
The film is now on the Angel streaming platform– but only for Guild members. More can be learned about the film, and it can be viewed below.
This film comes from a recent rash of distribution acquisitions that Angel Studios made from Blue Fox Entertainment, who also provided other internationally-produced works such as Lost on a Mountain in Maine (2024), and A Sloth Story (2024), which have been released in the last few weeks and months.
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Did you enjoy this trailer for Kensuke's Kingdom? Do you appreciate this new work coming from Angel Studios, that can now be shared from Guild members to friends and family who are not subscribed to their platform? Let us know your thoughts down below (with sub) or on our social media!
