What is the fictional island called in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom?

The fictional island in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom is called New Penzance.

The 2012 film is set in 1965 on New Penzance, an invented island off the coast of New England. The setting contains the small community of New Penzance, Camp Ivanhoe, and the homes of the story’s central characters.

Jared Gilman plays orphaned Khaki Scout Sam Shakusky, while Kara Hayward plays Suzy Bishop. The pair run away together after forming a correspondence and planning to escape the adults around them. Their disappearance sets off a search involving Scout leader Randy Ward, played by Edward Norton, and police captain Sharp, played by Bruce Willis.

The island’s isolated geography shapes the plot: storms, waterways, camps, and limited roads make the children’s flight both plausible and dangerous. Although New Penzance is fictional, the film was shot in Rhode Island, especially around locations in and near Narragansett Bay. The invented setting supports Anderson’s storybook treatment of childhood, authority, and first love.