Kensuke’s Kingdom | 2023 | PG | – 1.3.1

Why is “Kensuke’s Kingdom” rated PG? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “violence, thematic content and peril.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a kiss, a storm at sea leaving a child and a dog washed overboard, several poachers sedating and caging several wild animals and birds and killing an orangutan, a boy being stung by jellyfish, flashback sequences to war scenes with a naval vessel being sunk and a bomb dropped on a city, and a few arguments and some name-calling. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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An animated adventure about a boy (voiced by Aaron MacGregor) finding himself on a seemingly uninhabited island after falling off his family’s sailboat in a storm. He soon discovers that there is someone else there who will teach him valuable lessons on how to survive. Also with the voices of Cillian Murphy, Sally Hawkins, Raffey Cassidy, Ken Watanabe and Kotoko Wertheim. Directed by Neil Boyle & Kirk Hendry. A few lines of dialogue are spoken in Japanese without translation. [Running Time: 1:25]

Kensuke’s Kingdom SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A husband and his wife kiss tenderly and their children say “Gross!”
► A man and a boy are shirtless through the majority of the movie (we see bare chests, abdomens, backs and legs to the knees).

Kensuke’s Kingdom VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 – A family takes refuge in the cabin of a boat as a violent storm with thunder and lightning rages outside; the boat is thrown in large waves, a boy leaves the cabin without his life vest to retrieve his dog from a compartment and a wave washes them overboard; the two struggle in the waves and we see them sink underwater as the scene ends, and awaken on shore in thick fog. A boy wades into the ocean and a man calls for him frantically from the shore; the boy is surrounded by jellyfish, yells when he is stung and the man rescues the boy and takes him to a shelter to treat his wounds (we see red slashes on the boy’s side).
► A boat sails near an island and a boy scrambles to light a fire to get the sailors’ attention; the boat lands onshore and men with weapons and cages disembark and search the island for animals, they shoot a bird with a tranquilizing dart and it falls to the ground, a man tries to help animals get away and he is struck by falling timber (we see bloody wounds on his side). An orangutan is trapped by several gunmen in a walled area and hands its young orangutan to a boy for safety; when the animal turns back to face the gunmen it is shot (we hear the orangutan roaring as gunshots ring out, and we see the motionless body later); the gunmen take birds and animals away in cages.
► A boy starts a fire on a beach when a plane flies overhead and a man charges out of the brush nearby and douses the flames and smoke; the man draws a line in the sand indicating that the boy should not cross it. A dog leads a boy into a dark passage and the boy arms himself with a piece of bamboo; they hear a man singing in the distance and find him making an offering to a troupe of orangutans that come toward him; the boy falls near the man and threatens the orangutans with the bamboo spear causing them to leave, and the man is upset and throws the boy’s spear away. A man and a boy make offerings to orangutans in a few scenes and one large orangutan with a scar across one eye growls deeply at the boy and takes a young orangutan away.
► We understand that a man left his wife and child to fight in a war and a flashback shows his naval vessel being struck by a bomb splitting it, with the sailors left in the ocean and bombs dropped on a city killing many people including the man’s family. A boy covers the body of an orangutan with sand and places a flower on it as a young orangutan climbs on the mound and lies down on it.
► A boy and a dog sleep on a beach inside a hollow log and we hear noises and calls of animals and insects; the boy wakes to being bitten on the leg by ants and we see a lizard nearby eat another creature. A boy cries in a few scenes fearing the worst when he and his dog are stranded on an island; the dog whimpers and licks the boy’s face.
► A man shoos seagulls away from a young turtle that comes out of the sand and tries to reach the ocean; a boy shoos several more seagulls away from several more young turtles and helps them to the water. A man catches a fish with his hands and a boy tries to catch a fish but is stuck by an urchin (we see spots on the boy’s hand). A dog chases a crab on a beach. A boy searches for water and food on an island; he climbs a sheer rock wall and picks berries before falling on his back (he’s not injured) and after he eats the berries, he vomits (we hear retching with no goo visible). A boy searches through overgrowth and a large parrot flutters toward him startling him. A boy and a dog search for a man and climb down steps wrapped around a tall tree to the ground.
► A boy opens a compartment where a dog has been kept and the dog comes out and scampers along the deck; the dog falls overboard and the boy catches it, calls for help and his family pulls them back onboard. A man threatens to leave a dog at a shelter. People on a sailboat are clipped to safety lines when on deck.
► A boy bargains with his older sister to take the night watch. A boy is sad about having to leave his dog when his family left their home to live on a sailboat. A boy is grumpy about living on a sailboat and his mother describes having lost their jobs and needing to make a change. Birds squawk and tussle midair.

Kensuke’s Kingdom LANGUAGE 1

 – 1 mild obscenity, name-calling (idiot, gross), 3 religious exclamations (e.g. oh my God). | profanity glossary |

Kensuke’s Kingdom SUBSTANCE USE

 – None.

Kensuke’s Kingdom DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Adventure, family, responsibility, survival, sailing, adjustment, canine companions, the bombing of Nagasaki.

Kensuke’s Kingdom MESSAGE

 – Unexpected adventures lead to learning and appreciating what you have.