Kubo and the Two Strings is a stop-motion film from the studio that brought us Paranorman and Coraline. This studio has time and time again reminded us of the beauty of a traditionally animated film. In a time where just about any studio can put out a low-budget animated movie with semi-cute characters out and make a quick buck, Studio Laika has shown us that the art is not dead. They have taken the stop-motion animation and used visual effects to take the experience to another level. Visuals aside, the story is a magical journey of a boy seeking to understand why his own two aunts are after him and his mother. The pacing is very effective, leaving little time for unnecessary information. Given how much work every single shot was; I am not surprised. Regardless of the difficult task that lay ahead, Laika didn’t cut corners. The music is carefully orchestrated to keep you at the edge of your seat and completely immerse you in its influences. My only gripe with the movie is with the script and a few moments where there seemed to be a few lines of dialogue missing that would fill in the gaps as to why a character acted a certain way. All in all, Kubo delivers a great story, paired with some of the best visuals of the year.
Kubo is a young boy who lives at the top of a mountain somewhere in Japan. Each day he wakes up and takes care of his mother, who appears to be suffering from some kind of mental breakdown. Kubo has a Shamisen, a three stringed instrument played in Japan. He takes this and plays at the little village located at the foot of the mountain. Kubo is a good kid and knows he’s suppose to be back home before dark. Even then, given that he’s just a kid, one day he forgets to get home before dark and he is discovered by his aunts, who are trying to take his eyes from him. Literally. His mother saves him, and she sends him on a quest to find three different pieces of a set of armor he needs to defeat the man who killed his family. The story demands that you suspend your disbelief almost entirely. This is a movie where the main character has magic powers he can summon when he plays his Shamisen. There is magical clothing, shape-shifting and an overall feeling that anything is possible in this world.
There were a few gaps in the story that really bothered me, and I can’t ignore them from a story-telling stand point. If you watch the movie, there are a few emotionally significant moments that I don’t think the movie addresses. In the beginning I was very confused as to why the mother was very quiet and did nothing all day. All of a sudden she starts talking, and telling stories, but not a whole lot is explained as far as why she’s acting so weird. Throughout the journey there were a few points where I wondered how the characters even knew where they were going. I understand the point of the little samurai character pointing them in the right direction; but even then, how did the monkey know “we have a lot of walking to do?” I thought to myself, what? How do you know that? Near the end Kubo is fighting one moment, and magically teleports back to his village in the in a matter of seconds. I think the story could have been cleaned up just a tiny bit to make the story a coherent whole. I’m not usually one to nitpick at little things like this, but as I watched it I couldn’t help but think of ways it could have easily been made a little more cohesive.
The art is phenomenal in this film. I say art because there are so many great pieces that come together to create a beautifully animated film like this one. The set design is awesome, full of detail and color. The characters, masterfully sculpted, with just the right amount of wrinkles and little blemishes in their faces to make them feel stylized and not overly realistic. There was a great sense of stretchiness to their faces that any animator will appreciate, (myself being one of those, hehehe). Lastly, the animation. I don’t usually call upon forces bigger than myself, but my god, the animation was amazing. There was such a great sense of weight to each character. The way they moved and acted was something all beginning animators will strive for (I also fall into this category). The action sequences were all expertly choreographed. I can not praise this movie enough in this regard.
Coming from an animation background myself, I don’t think I can remain objective when it comes to a movie like this one. The movie is just so damn beautiful it’s easy to overlook any little flaws I could find. Voice acting, good, story, good, great art direction, what more could you want? When it comes to original movies that remind you of why you love movies, this one does not disappoint.
I give this movie a: 9/10
Reviewed by: Edwin R.R.
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