Kubo and the Two Strings.
Film review of the stop motion film that is filled with imagination and charm.
Director: Travis Knight. Laika Entertainment.
Animation/ Adventure/ Family.
Rating: 4/5
Cast & Credits.
Producers: Travis Knight, Arianne Sutner.
Writers: Marc Haimes, Chris Butler.
Music: Dario Marianelli.
Camera: Frank Passingham.
Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Vaccaro.
Synopsis:
Kubo (Parkinson) lives with his ill mother on a mountain above a small Japanese village. After learning the dark truth about his family, he accidentally summons their evil spirits. Now, with his magical shamisen, he must set out on an adventure to locate the powerful and mystical armour that will protect him from malicious power. Along for the journey is the maternal Monkey (Theron) and a humanoid Beetle (McConaughey) who cannot remember his past. As the three battle many evil beings that stand in their way, they also begin to realise the importance of family.
Review by Claire Durrant
With previous successes such as Coraline (2009) and ParaNorman (2012), the stop motion animation company Laika are back on top form with their latest release. Elegantly directed, Kubo and the Two Strings is beautifully detailed.
The mythology, the themes, the score, the images, everything about this film screams Japanese culture and it's completely compelling to watch.
The level of work from all aspects of filmmaking is simply astounding. There are plenty of videos surfacing the internet to illustrate this. The creative team can boast that they have made what is considered to be the largest stop motion characters on film; an 18 foot skeleton puppet, and yes it is epic!
But its not just the animators that should be proud. The writers have also succeeded in creating a great narrative. The story is full of genuine emotions, but is also filled with imaginative action scenes, adventure and charisma. The characters are also memorable, with Parkinson taking the lead as kindhearted and brave Kubo.
At times I felt that the pacing could be a bit too slow for younger audiences. However, I feel that this is a family film that is more appropriate for older generations. Some images in the film are threatening and scary, but that is what makes Laika such a special animated company. They dare to push the boundaries of dark themes in children films.
A personal issue I had with the film was with McConaughey's voice as Beetle. Now, it wasn't a bad performance, it's just his voice is so recognisable that it jarred me from being fully engrossed in their cinematic world. But like I said it's a small gripe, I'll admit that he did add much charm and humour to his character. As did Theron with her deadpan performance of Monkey.
Kubo and the Two Strings deserves to be seen on the big screen.
The film is stunning, intricate and will leave you feeling uplifted. The film is also enriched with beautiful artistry.
From the opening scene, to the origami sequences throughout, right to the final shot, the team have succeeded in proving that in a society filled with CGI animation, stop motion can still tug at our heartstrings.
