Created by Mochinosha Puppet Company

Review by Christian Maddock

In a world where digital animation dominates the world of children’s entertainment, handcrafted animation carries a special level of humanity. In ‘Shadow Kingdom’, Mochinosha Puppet Company delivers a thoughtful and funny show through the magic of paper puppets.

The story centres around the freedom of dreaming and the boundless limits of the human mind. Following a young girl attached to her phone and her subsequent journey through her dreams, ‘Shadow Kingdom’ addresses lots of heavy-hitting topics with beauty and humour. Struggles with friendship, growing up and responsibility are covered with nuance, and most importantly in a way that is easy to consume for a younger audience. 

The puppetry is what truly makes the show. Comprising over 400 handmade puppets, each moment in the show feels unique and special, as though a storybook is coming to life. The voice acting in the show is also superb, further creating a vivid sense of wonder in this already wonderful story. 

To disregard puppetry as being old-fashioned is to miss out on a truly wonderful show, and the opportunity to bask in the imagination of two sublime storytellers.