Kubo and the Two Strings

Laika studios has shown themselves to be a strong animation company, but also very underrated as well. While their films have showcased how excellent their animation has gotten with each passing film, their strongest aspect from where I see it, is their storytelling. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of their previous work, “The Boxtrolls,” their other two films, “Coraline” and especially “ParaNorman” were downright brilliant, because their style aided to how it told the story the whole way through. And the same can be said for their newest film, “Kubo and the Two Strings.”

The film tells of a young boy named Kubo, who lives in a cave in the mountain with his mother, hiding away from dark forces lead by his grandfather. He goes into town regularly to tell stories of a great warrior, until he is found after staying out late to try and communicate with his father. Now Kubo has to set out on a journey to find his father’s legendary armor, along with the help of a guardian monkey and a samurai beetle.

First off, the animation is absolutely spectacular, easily the best that Laika has delivered thus far. The way a lot of the paper moves, the designs of the characters, as well as the scenery is crafted so damn well. One thing that I love about Laika is that they’re not afraid to show off. The teaser trailer for “The Boxtrolls” shows snipets of how they get their film made, and they do the same with this film in the end credits on one particular moment. With the minimal budget they’re given, they somehow manage to keep putting forth more and more effort into the animation. I was especially impressed with the action scenes that this film pulled off, and how when it got violent, it wasn’t afraid to back down from it.

As I was watching this, the film reminded me a lot of “Samurai Jack.” Not because it’s a samurai story, but because of the way it tells its story. It has a lot of calm moments, letting the atmosphere soak in, and let the visuals tell the story to you. The calm nature of this film even transcends with the voice acting, as you can feel them keeping their tone of voice very laid back and quiet, and I just found that very refreshing. It especially impressed me, since most of the cast is consisting of on-screen actors. Sure, a few have done voice over roles, but for the rest, this is their first time taking on a role in animation, and they all do a magnificent job. The one that truly took me by surprise was Matthew McConaughey as the Beetle. While he does have a few moments that have that “alright, alright, alright,” to him, the rest of it is very toned down and reserved, fitting the nature of his character.

I also have to applaud this film for deeper themes that its story goes into, giving a proper balance for both kids and adults to enjoy on equal terms, much like what “Zootopia” did earlier this year. And even in its slow moments, the film never got dull. I was always entertained watching Kubo, Beetle, and Monkey interact and work off of each other, even if it was them having a meal. That, and I have to admit, the ending of this film really had me teary-eyed with how beautiful it was. I don’t want to go into spoilers, so go see the movie and find out what I’m talking about.

Guys, “Kubo and the Two Strings” is a wonderful work of art, and is definitely going to be among my favorites of the year. How high you may ask? We’ll wait and see. But like I said, go out and see the film in theaters. Support Laika’s films, because I would love to see more animated film like these, where it has so much depth and weight to it, than what people give it credit for.

Rating: 10/10