It's really hard to fathom just how in the hell Laika have produced such a monumental piece of work. Keep in mind this was made on a 12 foot table!! Sure, you can see just how parts of Kubo and the Two Strings was created during the credits, via some timelapse footage. But that aside, this is an absolute visual masterpiece. And the story ain't bad either, even if it will go over the heads of very young members of the audience or those with an IQ as low as their pants.
In a nutshell, A young boy named Kubo must find a magical suit of armor which was worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past. That's the story at it's most basic, but ultimately this is fantastical tale taking the audience on an incredible journey full of twists and turns coupled with a rather superb finale and ending. To have such a complex story in a piece of animation, is a brave move by Laika and if you give the movie your full attention, then you'll be rewarded time and time again. There is no hand holding here and you really have to pay attention. Young kids though, will probably lose their way, story wise, for some of the movie, but it's a spellbinding experience so they'll be glued to the screen either way.
A decent voice cast, that includes Rooney Mara, Matthew McConaughey, Charlieze Theron, Ralph Fiennes and George Takei, rounds things off. It's McConaughey and Theron though who sound like they thoroughly enjoyed their work here and are a perfect match for their animated counterparts.
Kubo and the Two Strings is a really incredible experience, especially from the visual side of things. The visuals are completely enveloping and at times are genuinely surreal. However, it's the story and the pacing that leaves things down ever so slightly. The story is a bit too convoluted in one or two places and the occasional scene drags on for a bit longer than it should. However, these are minor gripes for a movie that gives so much. It wears it's heart well and truly on it's sleeve and handles death in the most beautiful way possible.
On a different and more personal note, I didn't catch a press screening for this and attended a 3D screening with my son in a local theater chain here. The movie was shown in the biggest screen (Screen 1) and excluding ourselves, 6 other people were the only ones there. Whether it's the lack of a full blown marketing campaign (I haven't seen a great lot to be honest) or what I don't know. Or maybe the movie doesn't look that appealing to some. All I do know though, is if you miss out on this, you're missing out on something unique and special.
In a nutshell, A young boy named Kubo must find a magical suit of armor which was worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past. That's the story at it's most basic, but ultimately this is fantastical tale taking the audience on an incredible journey full of twists and turns coupled with a rather superb finale and ending. To have such a complex story in a piece of animation, is a brave move by Laika and if you give the movie your full attention, then you'll be rewarded time and time again. There is no hand holding here and you really have to pay attention. Young kids though, will probably lose their way, story wise, for some of the movie, but it's a spellbinding experience so they'll be glued to the screen either way.
A decent voice cast, that includes Rooney Mara, Matthew McConaughey, Charlieze Theron, Ralph Fiennes and George Takei, rounds things off. It's McConaughey and Theron though who sound like they thoroughly enjoyed their work here and are a perfect match for their animated counterparts.
Kubo and the Two Strings is a really incredible experience, especially from the visual side of things. The visuals are completely enveloping and at times are genuinely surreal. However, it's the story and the pacing that leaves things down ever so slightly. The story is a bit too convoluted in one or two places and the occasional scene drags on for a bit longer than it should. However, these are minor gripes for a movie that gives so much. It wears it's heart well and truly on it's sleeve and handles death in the most beautiful way possible.
On a different and more personal note, I didn't catch a press screening for this and attended a 3D screening with my son in a local theater chain here. The movie was shown in the biggest screen (Screen 1) and excluding ourselves, 6 other people were the only ones there. Whether it's the lack of a full blown marketing campaign (I haven't seen a great lot to be honest) or what I don't know. Or maybe the movie doesn't look that appealing to some. All I do know though, is if you miss out on this, you're missing out on something unique and special.
