Talking Soundtracks: Interview with Stuart Hancock

British composer Stuart Hancock’s most recent work on the animated epic KENSUKE’S KINGDOM Kensuke’s Kingdom helps establish the children’s book adaptation as one of the year’s most sweeping and heartfelt stories. The film is a good old-fashioned adventure rendered in gorgeous hand-drawn 2D animation with a voice cast that includes Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy, and Ken Watanabe. The story concerns a boy who is swept overboard during a storm on a worldwide sailing trip with his family and washes ashore on an island in the Pacific Ocean. While there, he realises someone is nearby, aiding him with his survival. The script for the film was by award-winning British scriptwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce based on the book by celebrated British author Sir Michael Morpurgo, who is most well-known for his book WAR HORSE, also adapted into an acclaimed film by Steven Spielberg. In November 2024, Jason Drury had the pleasure of speaking with Stuart Hancock via Zoom from his home in Leighton Buzzard, England. During the conversation, they discussed his work on KENSUKE’S KINGDOM and the similarities and differences between scoring for commercials and narrative work. You’ll also hear numerous selections from KENSUKE’S KINGDOM. Enjoy! —— Special thanks to our Patreon supporters: Matt DeWater, David Ballantyne, Joe Wiles, Maxime, William Welch, Tim Burden, Alan Rogers, Dave Williams, Max Hamulyák, Jeffrey Graebner, Don Mase, Victor Field, Jochen Stolz, Emily Mason, Eric Skroch, Alexander Schiebel, Alphonse Brown, John Link, Andreas Wennmyr, Matt Berretta, Eldaly Morningstar, Jim Wilson, Glenn McDorman, Chris Malone, Steve Karpicz, Deniz Çağlar, Brent Osterberg, Jérôme Flick, Sarah Brouns, Aaron Collins, Randall Derchan, Angela Rabatin, Michael Poteet, Larry Reese, Thomas Tinneny, William Burke, Rudy Amaya, Stacy Livitsanis, Rick Laird, Carl Wonders, Nathan Blumenfeld, Lee Wileman, Daniel Herrin, Scott Bordelon, James Alexander, Brett French, Ian Clark, Ron, Andy Gray —— Cinematic Sound Radio is fully licensed to play music by SOCAN. Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cinematicsoundradio Check out our NEW Cinematic Sound Radio TeePublic Store! https://www.teepublic.com/stores/cinematic-sound-radio Cinematic Sound Radio Web: http://www.cinematicsound.net Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cinsoundradio Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cinematicsound Cinematic Sound Radio Fanfare and Theme by David Coscina https://soundcloud.com/user-970634922 Bumper voice artist: Tim Burden http://www.timburden.com