Review of Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) by Colginator — 12 Sep 2016

Kubo and the Two Strings is the fourth feature film from Studio Laika, the animation studio responsible for some of the best stop motion films of the past couple of years. Their previous work includes Coraline, The Boxtrolls and ParaNorman, all of which have been consistently fantastic, mixing studio Laika's signature stop motion animation with heartfelt stories and memorable characters. And Kubo might just be their best film yet. It's the brilliant kind of family film that doesn't just try to distract kids for an hour and a half, but instead challenges them, whilst also taking us on an epic adventure not quite like any I've seen done through stop motion animation before.

The films story feels as if it's been ripped right from the pages of a classic fairy-tale. Kubo (Art Parkinson) is a young boy gifted with magical powers that allow him to control paper using his shamisen. At day he uses his powers to tell stories in a nearby town, often telling tales of his father, who was a legendary samurai warrior. Then at night he must return to live with his mother in a cave, as if he wonders out at night Kubo's grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), will find him and steal his remaining eye to make him blind to the world.

One night Kubo ventures out too long and his grandfather sends his mothers sisters (both played by Rooney Mara) to capture him. Now with the help of a strict and protective monkey (Charlize Theron) that has been bought to life from a wood carving to protect Kubo and Beetle (Matthew McConaghey) who is a samurai that was transformed in to a giant insect man, Kubo sets off on a quest to find his fathers armour and defeat the Moon King.

They never really explore much what exactly the Moon King's powers are or why they need to find the armour to defeat him. But just like we never need to know where the fairy godmother comes from in Cinderella, we never need a backstory here. We're so caught up enjoying the adventure and are too invested in Kubo's journey to start questioning the logic of this world. Also whilst all the characters of the film play their typical roles, they all play them so well. Our trio of heroes are all hilarious and lovable whilst the villains are genuinely threatening, having an intimidating presence whenever they're on screen in a similar style to the Other Mother from Coraline.

The story is the stuff of mythical legend, but Kubo's journey in the film is one that we can all relate to. He ends up facing a great deal of loss in the film, which is something that any viewer can relate to in some way. But the film tackles death in a very unique way. Instead of just showing death to be the end, this film serves to remind us that the ones we love will always be with us within the memories that we cherish. That they can live on through us and the stories that we tell. It's a message that might sound difficult and complex for a kids film, but it's told in such an elegant way that it's actually a very accessible message for audiences of all ages.

Then there's the films breath taking imagery. It's always incredible to see what minds like Pixar are able to do with computer generated animation, but there's something truly special about seeing a film on this scale made using stop motion animation. It's the same reason to love a film like Fury Road over something else that favours CGI. It just looks all the more impressive when it's really there. Plus the epic scale that Laika's undertaken for this production is remarkable. Whilst there is some CGI used, the focus on all the action sequences remains on using real sets and stop motion characters to tell the story. For example, in one stunning sequence Kubo is fighting a giant skeleton to retrieve a sword, which the animators created by using a giant 18 foot puppet in order to capture the scale of the monster.

Kubo is a rare family film that succeeds at just about everything that it sets out to do. It's both fun and adventurous, whilst also containing a very melancholy tone that's never afraid to take the film in to some dark places. Beyond this, the films ending, particularly its final shot, is something truly beautiful that really must be experienced to be completely understood.