By If you know the name Laika then you know they do amazing things with stop motion. They may be the only ones doing it at the scale they do it too. Anyone who has seen Coraline or ParaNorman or any of their other work knows that they simpy do amazing things on screen. So you probably already thought you knew just how great looking Kubo and the Two Strings was going to be.
It’s even more so. Liaka’s most ambitious work is one of the most visually engaging films of the year. A film that once again reaffirms that doing things physically generates an entirely different presence than a computer can.
But looks aren’t everything. The real key is matching that stunning art with a story that’s just as powerful.
Kubo and the Two Strings
Director: Travis Knight
Rated: PG
Release Date: August 19, 2016
Kubo is a bit of a departure for Laika both visually and thematically. While their animation style still seeps through Kubo is far more inspired by Japanese art and anime than their previous work. It’s also their most serious plot to date. Kubo is a young boy who lives with his mother in a cave hiding from his grandfather, who, when Kubo was a baby, stole his eye. His grandfather is now after his other eye for nefarious reasons. One day, when Kubo doesn’t make it home before dark, his mother’s evil sisters find him and adventure begins to find three pieces of magical armor in order to defeat Kubo’s grandfather, the Moon King. Having to set out on his own, Kubo is accompanied by Monkey and Beetle on his grand adventure.
It is a very traditional quest adventure, but the story is infused with themes of family, love and loss. If it weren’t for the stop motion animation you would easily thing that this was a Pixar movie the story is so well executed and characters so likable. Kubo’s tale isn’t just one of high adventure, but also deep sorrow. It, like Pixar films, believe in the intelligence of the children it is geared towards and instead of pandering to them executes and story that engages both young and old.
It is, of course, easy to engage when your visuals are probably some of the most stunning of the year. You’ll want to pause every scene to see the clear and crisp details while marveling at just how they could possibly do half the things they do with some lumps of clay. Even the simplest movements seem to stand out more thanks to the stop motion. The painstaking creation seeping through every scene.
Director Travis Knight, who is CEO of Laika but has never directed, paces what could be a very dull story beautifully. Despite the standard set up the story unfolds wonderfully, building tension between the characters fantastically. He also has an eye for pushing scary things just enough. Never letting them get so overwhelming that children won’t enjoy it, but actually making villains menacing and powerful.
Kubo is also being pushed hard in Dolby’s new digital theaters where new projectors bring forth some the sharpest images you’ll ever see and surround speakers shake the seats. It is possibly one of the best advertisements for these theaters, though whether or not the fantastically crisp picture and blacker than black blacks are worth the extra cost is up to you. I can only tell you that the movie looked better than anything I’ve seen outside of true IMAX.
It isn’t what size screen you see Kubo on or how earth shattering the sound is. Those things can make it better, but what make it great is its imagination. It’s a stunning world that’s hard to forget, and in that world a poignant story is told. The title may only mention two strings, but it will easily pull on all of your heart strings.
