Kubo And The
Two Strings is the latest stop-motion animated film from the studio Laika. You
know them from films like Coraline, ParaNorman and the Boxtrolls, and this film
tells the story of a young boy named Kubo, who through various circumstances
that I don't want to ruin for you find himself on an adventure with a monkey
and a beetle searching for three very specific objects that he believes he can
use to do battle against an evil force from his past.
If you guys
know anything about me, you know that I love animation, but I specifically love
stop-motion animation a lot. I love this art form, I have ever since I was a
kid. the early days of old animated shows like bump in the night to newer
things like Wallace and Gromit, and then Laika came along with their beautiful
films and have blown me away consistently, save for the Boxtrolls which I
thought was just ‘fine’. But ParaNorman was fantastic and Coraline to me, is
one of the best animated films ever made and I like Kubo even more than Coraline.
For me, this is
Laika’s best film so far, and I am a huge fan of their studio. Similar to
Zootopia earlier this year, this movie reminded me why I love animated film so
much. This is a glorious, beautifully animated film that rarely has a dull
moment, in fact it doesn't. This movie is constantly entertaining, this is such
a well-directed movie too. Even though I am such a big fan of Laika, I just
didn't expect this movie to be as thoughtful or mature as it was, and to use
various themes that I think a lot of the kids that saw this movie probably
aren't even going to pick up on yet until their older. But that's okay because
this is also an action-packed extremely fun adventure film that can work on
multiple levels. You can watch this movie as a more mature film or you can
enjoy the adventure and the spectacle because it is beautiful to look at.
The voice work
is all uniformly great, the animation as I've already said I could sing its
praises forever, it's fantastic to look at and the amount of work that's put into
these movies is absolutely staggering, and it's never been more impressive in
any of Laika’s films than it is in this one. The action sequences are extremely
fantastic, the characters are also very entertaining, the Monkey especially
stole the entire film for me, you're gonna love the monkey she's awesome. It's
also a film brimming with imagination that asks kids to be imaginative, to use
their imagination and to think beyond our own physical world that's in front of
us and to think about other more important things as well, which is a hugely
important message for kids and adults.
I have but one
small issue with this movie, and it's once the main villain is revealed, his
motivation for being evil and for doing what he's doing is very murky and kind
of unclear, and doesn't really make sense. I get it from the perspective that
the film is telling me as I watch it, but it just doesn't really connect with
me as a clear motivation for doing what he's doing. Before I started typing
this review, I was like ‘should I say what I'm thinking but I'm thinking it so
I'm going to say it’. I honestly think that if Laika continues on this level of
animation, on this level of storytelling for the next few years in the next few
decades, I think we might have the next Studio Ghibli on our hands. These guys
are making quality films and my god Kubo is a beautiful one.
Grade - A
Besides the
fact this movie is really that good, I strongly suggest seeing it because Laika’s
film simply don't make enough money, and they need to, it's one of the biggest
reasons why Studio Ghibli had to close its doors, they just weren't making
enough money. Laika needs to make some money because they are making some of
the best animated films out there. Go see this movie this weekend support them
it's worth your time guys.
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