Kubo and the Two Strings - directed by Travis Knight
This movie is something of an oddity in the animation realm.
It is basically stop-motion animation combining some pretty stunning CG - mostly for backgrounds.
"Kubo and the Two Strings" is the latest film from Oregon based Laika Entertainment who also gave us "Coraline", "The Boxtrolls" and "ParaNorman" so it isn't surprising that it utilised this method as it is kind of what they do.
This movie however is far and away their most visually impressive to date.
Like the films before it Laika has given it quite a dark edge but fear not parents of very young kids - it is still completely suitable for all ages.
Beginning with the great line 'If you must blink - do it now!' the film is off with a hiss and a roar.
We see Kubo's Mother navigating a stormy sea with the baby Kubo in tow.
She suffers a nasty head injury that causes her difficulties later in keeping awake and/or focused.
They take up residence in a cliff-top cave and every day Kubo goes down to the village below to tell his stories.
He does this with origami figures that come to life a he spins a yarn and plays his Shamisen.
The crowd that gathers every day is captivated by his stories but grow frustrated when Kubo leaves without getting to the ending.
You see he is under strict instructions from his Mother to never be out after sundown.
It is in the dark that his Grandfather The Moon King will be able to find him.
It was he from whom the pair escaped in that opening scene.
The Moon King stole one of Kubo's eyes and wants the other one. Kubo's Father Hanzo dies to save him.
Told you it went to dark places.
Note that all of this is told in the first ten or fifteen minutes and is basically the set up.
One of the things that really works early on and did a lot to get me onboard with this film is Kubo's storytelling.
His origami figures of Hanzo as a Samurai fighting giant crabs and even a fire breathing chicken(!) are superb.
The animation and the way that it is framed is utterly gorgeous.
A sequence shortly afterwards utilises a seamless cross cutting technique using trees and other parts of the scenery as Kubo treks through a forest.
Visually this movie is a genuine treat from the stop motion main characters to the beautiful computer generated environments.
Not that CG is used much - this is a genuine Stop motion film I was shocked to learn.
I can stress enough how amazing it looks.
The real star of the movie is the story itself however.
It is loaded with mythological elements from the unbreakable sword, impenetrable breastplate and invulnerable helmet that Kubo and his friends must find to the ghostly, villainous sisters and other creatures that they meet along the way.
Each character has an interesting backstory - a reason why they are the way they are.
By the time Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) show up and the movie goes into full people on a quest mode I was completely enthralled.
It's not a complicated tale but then stories are in the telling more than the plot and this film tells a story really, really well.
This is McConaughey's first shot at voicing an animated character and it seems like he waiting for the right one.
He is a hoot as the samurai brought back to life in a beetles body.
The banter between he and Theron as Monkey is one of my favourite parts of the film.
Best of all is young Art Parkinson as Kubo.
Parkinson played Rickon Stark in "Game of Thrones" and had a role in the awful but fun "San Andreas".
As Kubo he is pitch perfect.
His storytelling scenes are terrific but it is when he is called on to deal with weightier issues later in the film that he really shines.
"Kubo and the Two Strings" races along at a cracking pace and even though there is the sense that a couple of scenes are rushed and some detail is missing it is never less than captivating.
Loaded with humour, great performances, superior character design and animation and a frequently breath-taking visual presentation it is easy to recommend this film.
As the end credits rolled to an excellent cover of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps" from Regina Spektor I knew that I would need to see this again - maybe in 3D next time.
While watching it became even clearer to me why I didn't enjoy "Finding Dory" much.
Pixar's film seemed to me to be purely a sequel cash grab that existed not because there was more to tell but because there were tickets to sell.
It was patchy and the writers seemed to wheel out that damned octopus every time the shambolic story got itself backed into a corner.
Kubo has a carefully paced setup with a clear path as to who is who and who wants what.
There is no fat on it - if anything it is almost too briskly paced.
On the surface they are both very similar with a small group on their way to retrieve something or someone.
Deep down though they are chalk and cheese for me.
I liked Kubo a lot and if only a quarter of the people who bought tickets to Dory buy one for this it will be a tenth the number that should.
An excellent film.
RATING: 83 / 100
CONCLUSION: A fine film filled with great characters, humour and packing a stunning visual style. An absolute winner.
Starring: Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Ralph Feinnes, George Takei, Matthew McConaughey, Art Parkinson, Meyrick Murphy, Minae Noji, Alpha Takahashi, Laura Miro, Brenda Vaccaro, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Screenplay: Marc Haimes & Chris Butler
Music Score by: Dario Marianellia
Cinematography: Frank Passingham
Cinematography: Frank Passingham
Edited by: Christopher Murrie
Running Time: 102 minutes
Language: English
Rated: PG - dark themes
Running Time: 102 minutes
Language: English
Rated: PG - dark themes
It is basically stop-motion animation combining some pretty stunning CG - mostly for backgrounds.
"Kubo and the Two Strings" is the latest film from Oregon based Laika Entertainment who also gave us "Coraline", "The Boxtrolls" and "ParaNorman" so it isn't surprising that it utilised this method as it is kind of what they do.
This movie however is far and away their most visually impressive to date.
Like the films before it Laika has given it quite a dark edge but fear not parents of very young kids - it is still completely suitable for all ages.
Beginning with the great line 'If you must blink - do it now!' the film is off with a hiss and a roar.
We see Kubo's Mother navigating a stormy sea with the baby Kubo in tow.
She suffers a nasty head injury that causes her difficulties later in keeping awake and/or focused.
They take up residence in a cliff-top cave and every day Kubo goes down to the village below to tell his stories.
He does this with origami figures that come to life a he spins a yarn and plays his Shamisen.
The crowd that gathers every day is captivated by his stories but grow frustrated when Kubo leaves without getting to the ending.
You see he is under strict instructions from his Mother to never be out after sundown.
It is in the dark that his Grandfather The Moon King will be able to find him.
It was he from whom the pair escaped in that opening scene.
The Moon King stole one of Kubo's eyes and wants the other one. Kubo's Father Hanzo dies to save him.
Told you it went to dark places.
Note that all of this is told in the first ten or fifteen minutes and is basically the set up.
 |
| (left to right) Kubo, his Mother and one of the villainous Sisters |
His origami figures of Hanzo as a Samurai fighting giant crabs and even a fire breathing chicken(!) are superb.
The animation and the way that it is framed is utterly gorgeous.
A sequence shortly afterwards utilises a seamless cross cutting technique using trees and other parts of the scenery as Kubo treks through a forest.
Visually this movie is a genuine treat from the stop motion main characters to the beautiful computer generated environments.
Not that CG is used much - this is a genuine Stop motion film I was shocked to learn.
I can stress enough how amazing it looks.
 |
| Hard to believe but most of this movie is stop motion - not computer generated |
It is loaded with mythological elements from the unbreakable sword, impenetrable breastplate and invulnerable helmet that Kubo and his friends must find to the ghostly, villainous sisters and other creatures that they meet along the way.
Each character has an interesting backstory - a reason why they are the way they are.
By the time Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) show up and the movie goes into full people on a quest mode I was completely enthralled.
It's not a complicated tale but then stories are in the telling more than the plot and this film tells a story really, really well.
This is McConaughey's first shot at voicing an animated character and it seems like he waiting for the right one.
He is a hoot as the samurai brought back to life in a beetles body.
The banter between he and Theron as Monkey is one of my favourite parts of the film.
Best of all is young Art Parkinson as Kubo.
Parkinson played Rickon Stark in "Game of Thrones" and had a role in the awful but fun "San Andreas".
As Kubo he is pitch perfect.
His storytelling scenes are terrific but it is when he is called on to deal with weightier issues later in the film that he really shines.
"Kubo and the Two Strings" races along at a cracking pace and even though there is the sense that a couple of scenes are rushed and some detail is missing it is never less than captivating.
 |
| The mythological aspects are a perfect blending of eastern and western storytelling |
As the end credits rolled to an excellent cover of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps" from Regina Spektor I knew that I would need to see this again - maybe in 3D next time.
While watching it became even clearer to me why I didn't enjoy "Finding Dory" much.
Pixar's film seemed to me to be purely a sequel cash grab that existed not because there was more to tell but because there were tickets to sell.
It was patchy and the writers seemed to wheel out that damned octopus every time the shambolic story got itself backed into a corner.
Kubo has a carefully paced setup with a clear path as to who is who and who wants what.
There is no fat on it - if anything it is almost too briskly paced.
On the surface they are both very similar with a small group on their way to retrieve something or someone.
Deep down though they are chalk and cheese for me.
I liked Kubo a lot and if only a quarter of the people who bought tickets to Dory buy one for this it will be a tenth the number that should.
An excellent film.
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