Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Film myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.The next move after an Oscar is an interesting point in an actor’s life. For Cillian Murphy, his first role following his triumph with Oppenheimer sees him leave the screen entirely, instead joining the voice cast of gentle animation Kensuke’s Kingdom. In fact, he’s really a supporting player: Murphy’s lines must have taken all of a morning to record in a London sound booth. Still, his aural presence alongside Sally Hawkins gives a starry frisson to an otherwise pointedly modest movie. The source is the children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo, presented here by Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry as an old-fashioned adventure yarn. Murphy and Hawkins give voice to two kind-hearted parents, who find themselves unemployed and embark with their teenage daughter and scampish son Michael (Aaron McGregor) on a sailing jaunt around the world. But storms at sea follow those in life, and Michael is soon lost overboard. Very young children may find this turning point upsetting, which is tricky given they feel like the target audience. Or perhaps that’s their parents, cherishing the thought of their children enjoying the soft, slow eco-parable Kensuke’s Kingdom becomes, in preference to Despicable Me 4 yet again. The script simplifies Morpurgo’s novel too much to give anyone over eight much to chew on. Still, an essential sweetness shines through — and there’s even a faint late echo of Oppenheimer, for any adult who lasts the journey.★★★☆☆In UK cinemas from August 2
