Film

The Kid Who Would Be King

Name: The Kid Who Would Be King
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Released: 2019
Cast: Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Dean Chaumoo, Tom Taylor, Rhianna Dorris, Denise Gough

A scrappy British kid finds Excalibur in modern-day London and accidentally becomes the leader of a ragtag group of schoolmates-turned-knights. Director Joe Cornish brings genuine warmth and invention to Arthurian legend, blending family adventure with earnest heart. It's for anyone who loved *How to Train Your Dragon* but wants something rooted in our world.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy family-friendly adventure where a band of young misfits inherits a legend and a quest, with an old-fashioned Arthurian heart and a present-day setting.

Skip it if you want Arthurian myth played with real menace, since this is a bright, gentle PG romp where the darkness stays light and the pace stays brisk and breezy.

What it asks of you: Two hours at a brisk clip, with plenty of cheerful, broad-brush characters and not much room for slow brooding; it rewards a relaxed sitting over close study.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

How to Train Your Dragon2010

A misfit discovers unexpected power and must unite his peers against an ancient threat. Both films nail the emotional core of a kid learning to lead and trust friends he didn't choose.

But The CG animation is nearly two decades old now, and the story beats follow a familiar template. It won't surprise you.

Paddington 22017

Joyful, visually inventive British family filmmaking with real warmth under the whimsy. Like *The Kid Who Would Be King*, it trusts children to handle stakes that matter while keeping the tone playful and generous.

But If you find talking animals or deliberately cosy aesthetics cloying, this will test your patience. It's relentlessly wholesome.

The NeverEnding Story1984

A child's imagination literally saves a magical world, with that same blend of adventure, friendship, and genuine peril. Pure escapism with real emotional stakes—the template both films are working from.

But The pacing is slow by modern standards, and some practical effects haven't aged well. Kids today might find it ponderous.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Kid Who Would Be King

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Princess Mononoke1997

Both argue that the real weapon against darkness is a coalition of people who didn't start out trusting each other. Both insist that understanding your enemy—even Morgana—matters.

A visually staggering meditation on humans learning to work alongside something wild and powerful instead of conquering it. Like *The Kid Who Would Be King*, it suggests that the greatest strength is alliance rather than dominance—but here that lesson costs something real.

But It's a 2-hour anime film in Japanese with a layered environmental parable. If you want straightforward adventure, this will feel heavy and thematically dense by comparison.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife2021

A young ensemble must step into larger-than-life roles and work together against the odds. Both films give kids agency and treat their friendships as the real story, not a subplot.

But It leans heavily on nostalgia for the original films. If you haven't seen those or don't care about that legacy, it loses something.

The Goonies1985

Ragtag kids on an adventure, bickering and bonding as they face danger together. It's the DNA for this kind of film—chaotic, funny, genuinely exciting, and deeply about friendship saving the day.

But The humour is dated and some scenes are genuinely scary for young viewers. It's less family-friendly than *The Kid Who Would Be King* despite the premise.

Lightyear2022

A lonely character discovers he's stronger than he believed and finds his people. The emotional architecture is similar: learning that leadership means letting others help, not doing everything alone.

But This Pixar film underwhelmed audiences. It's competent but not exceptional—perfectly fine to skip if you've got limited time.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief2010

Young people discover they're heirs to mythological power and must band together. It's the same energy: ancient magic, modern kids, clumsy exposition delivered with affection rather than annoyance.

But The film adaptation is noticeably weaker than the source books. If you want this story done right, the recent Disney+ series is the better version.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief poster

The Spiderwick Chronicles2008

Siblings stumble into a hidden magical world and must defend it using wits and teamwork. Darker and more genuinely frightening than *The Kid Who Would Be King*, but built on the same foundation of wonder and found family.

But The CGI goblins are rough, and the film feels rushed in places. It's a good adventure that doesn't quite stick the landing.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica2018

Both understand that the real adventure is learning to become a team. Both treat friendship not as a nice bonus but as the central story.

Four schoolgirls with nothing in common discover that chasing an impossible dream together makes them unbreakable. The emotional texture is identical to *The Kid Who Would Be King*: messy, funny, earnest, and genuinely moving about why friendship is the point.

But It's a 13-episode anime series about teenagers walking to Antarctica. There's no magic, no world-ending stakes, just girls and their ambitions. The smallness might feel slight after a fantasy epic.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho A Story that leads to the Antarctica poster

The Green Knight2021

Both are modern conversations with medieval legend, but where *The Kid Who Would Be King* says 'this myth belongs to now,' *The Green Knight* says 'this myth is older and stranger than we admitted.' They're opposite answers to the same question.

A gorgeously strange reckoning with Arthurian legend that takes the mythology seriously—treating it as real, dangerous, and morally ambiguous. If you want to sit with the Arthurian world in a completely different register, this is hypnotic and unsettling in all the right ways.

But It's a 2-hour tone poem masquerading as a quest film. There's barely a plot, the pacing is glacial, and it's intentionally bleak and surreal. If you want clarity and conventional narrative, this will frustrate you profoundly.