REVIEW: Kubo and the Two Strings

I have a horrible confession to make. I did not go see Kubo and the Two Strings when it was in theaters last summer. Worse yet, I instead went to go see a certain other movie, which shall remain nameless. You can imagine how bad I feel, especially since that movie went on to be a box office smash while Kubo just barely earned its budget back. The two came out within a week of each other; objectively, I am part of the reason Kubo failed, and let me tell you that nothing makes me feel worse. This is an incredible film that deserves every ounce of respect and acclaim it receives, and then some. Hopefully, this Review will suffice as an act of penance, inspiring you to check it out and guarantee it a good afterlife on home video.

Brought to us by the geniuses at Laika, the plot follows the story of a young, one-eyed boy named Kubo (Game of Thrones' Art Parkinson). He lives in a secluded mountain in ancient Japan with his ailing mother, telling stories to the locals with the assistance of his magical shamisen. After getting caught outside after dark, Kubo is forced to flee his home, constantly pursued by his wicked aunts (Rooney Mara) and his grandfather, The Moon King (Ralph Feinnes), who hope to rob him of his other eye. Displaced from his home and his family, Kubo is joined by the gruff, protective Monkey (Charlize Theron) and an amnesiac samurai who was cursed to take the form of a giant beetle (Matthew McConaughey); together, they set out to find his father's enchanted armor and defeat his evil grandfather once and for all.

As one would expect from a Laika film, Kubo is animated entirely through the use of stop-motion animation. Laika has a knack for setting the bar in terms of visual excellence with each release, and this is no exception; Kubo and the Two Strings is one of the most visually stunning pieces of art I've ever seen. There's bustling towns full of lively extras, pulse-pounding action sequences, and massive, intricate creatures, all animated frame by frame by frame by some of the most talented animators, artists, and puppeteers in the industry today. It almost feels like the animators are showing off at times, judging from how often we get a close-up of a character folding origami, handling a sword, or playing a stringed instrument, but frankly they deserve to boast as much as they please. The animation is so smooth, lively, and impressive that I almost forgot I was watching physical puppets interact with one another; its only detriment is that it sometimes looks too good, to the point that we're liable to forget the amount of physical work that went into bringing everything on screen to life. However, those moments when it dawns on you that every single thing on screen had to be sculpted, posed, and animated by hand (from the swooping paper figurines to each flowing strand of hair) are just as mind-blowing as they sound. The term "a feast for the eyes" is thrown around a lot these days, but it honestly doesn't do Kubo justice.

Laika has a talent for making films where the aesthetic is entirely vital to the tone and atmosphere of the film, and Kubo is no different. The story and plot conventions sound as though they're straight out of an actual Japanese legend, so the use of stop motion puppets gives everything an appropriately organic, folk-tale kind of feeling; combined with the narration at the beginning and end, it feels as though we're being told a story that was passed down through the generations. I get the same feeling watching this that I get when I watch a period piece or a Kurosawa samurai film, and that's mostly due to the incredible set design and visual style. A big part of what makes the film work is that it feels authentic (even though it's an original story, rather than an adaptation of any existing folklore) in terms of its visuals, music, and story.

For as much as I love the visuals here, the plot is just as deserving of praise. The story feels totally organic; there aren't any elements "for the kids" or "for the parents", it's simply concerned with being a good movie first and foremost, rather than appealing to any specific audience. I wouldn't really even call Kubo a children's movie; while it's colorful and animated and doesn't stray beyond PG territory, the tale it tells is very melancholy and refuses to talk down to its audience in any way. This is a true "all-ages" film, in that anyone, young or old, can find something to appreciate. I understand that major releases need to synergize with a studio's marketing departments, appealing to specific demographics and offering up ample opportunities for merchandise (on a totally unrelated note, check out this sweet clip of Justice League's new Batmobile design, now with MORE guns and missiles that really launch!). 

Really, this is a luxury that Laika, as a smaller studio, can readily afford, but I see no reason larger studios can't take the occasional risk and level with their audience. Kubo made lackluster returns at the box office because it was a low-key release surrounded by high-profile blockbusters; critically speaking, however, everyone loved it. If it had the exposure of other, more mainstream animated films, it would have been a huge financial success as well. Critics loved Kubo because it respected its audience. Themes of death, maturation, and loss are steeped deep within the movie's DNA, but not once does it feel like a dreary, unpleasant experience. It levels with its audience and accompanies them on a journey, rather than holding their hand, slapping on some blinders, and forcing them down a linear path. It's a film that, while not necessarily made for children, is definitely marketed to children; with that in mind, I think the film's approach to the story it sets out to tell is monumentally important. This is how you make a piece of art that has truly universal appeal.

I have not a single bad thing to say about Kubo and the Two Strings. I believe it to be Laika's finest film and one of the finest stop-motion pictures ever produced. Again, I deeply regret not seeing this last August when it was in theaters. Not only would I be happy to give the studio money for this, but I can safely say that this would have shown up at least twice on my End of the Year Retrospective. If you haven't seen Kubo, you need to atone for your mistake as I have. Track it down and check it out, I promise you won't be disappointed.