Michael meets the orangutan that Kensuke cherishes like family.
By IZUMI HASEGAWA
Hollywood News Wire Inc.
“Kensuke’s Kingdom,” an animated version of the children’s novel of the same name, has a nostalgic impression with its soft-touch illustrations that recall the Showa era, in contrast to the vivid and sharp images of today’s CG animation.
As someone who grew up watching TV animations created by Hayao Miyazaki, the moment I saw this work, it reminded me of “Rascal the Raccoon” (1977), in which he was the key animator.
Ken Watanabe voices Kensuke, an old man who meets the main character Michael on an island where Michael is washed ashore. Due to the language gap, Kensuke has almost no lines. However, through his drawings, photographs, and imaginative images, the audience learns about Kensuke’s past and understands his character. Is it a coincidence that Watanabe’s father is also an active painter?
Watanabe’s soft voice brings realism to the character of Kensuke, who lives in harmony with nature while protecting the island’s animals from poachers. The bonus for his fans is to be able to hear his singing voice in the film.
Even though they don’t speak the same language, Kensuke and Michael eventually bond as if they were a family.
When Michael first meets the island’s orangutans, he threatens them with his bamboo spear. This scene got me thinking. How do we react when we face something unknown? Do we threaten them because we think they will harm us? Or do we smile because we try to understand them? Threatening may be an animal instinct. However, humans also tend to think that others are the same as us, so perhaps we try to attack before they harm us? The idea being “attack before we are harmed.”
When Kensuke first meets Michael, he is cold towards him, even though Kensuke had secretly given him water and food. For many years poachers were the only contacts Kensuke had with humans. For Kensuke, who was never able to see his family again because of the war, it was very difficult for him to smile at Michael, a Westerner, even though Michael was just a young boy.
Then I asked myself, “Would I want to save myself even if it meant hurting someone? Would I pursue my own prosperity even though it harmed someone? As someone who grew up in the traditional Japanese culture of coexistence and universal prosperity passed down by Shinto, would I try to intimidate someone with a weapon?” Am I the type who “attacks before you’re attacked” or am I the type who “tries to find a way to coexist”?
Synopsis: Michael, a young boy who was sailing around the world with his family, falls into the sea on a stormy night while trying to save his beloved dog. He is washed ashore on an island and is saved by an old man, Kensuke, from whom he learns many things.
Released in theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Oct. 18.
— Translated by Jerry Jorgenson