Movie Review 042 Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings (Laika)
[081916] 4.5/5

~ Synopsis ~

A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.

Cast
Art Parkinson - Kubo
Charlize Theron - Monkey
Matthew McConaughey - Beetle
...

- 96%/ 91%, 8.4/10, wiki, official -

(Director Travis Knight [Coraline, ParaNorman. the Boxtrolls], Budget $60 Millions = Box Office $19.4> Millions [domestic], Duration 1hr 45mn, Rating PG, Genre - Action Adventure, Animation, Comedy, CGI, Family, Stop-Motion, Supernatural)

- Pushing the boundaries with exceptional animations that seamlessly blend stop-motion and CGI, masterfully use the former which is complimented by the smart addition of the latter, bringing the complex concept to life with the lively and entertaining interaction between the characters

- A fully realised world with mythology and characters both rich and lively, full of life and artistically rich with clear inspirations from Japanese culture and also animations, with its main plot revolving around storytelling and its meta twist as the generic narrative is boosted tremendously by its execution

- Beautifully atmospheric and enchanting soundtrack pairing perfectly with the visuals and even with vital roles in the story itself

- Gorgeous cinematography with numerous eye-catching scenery and beautiful imagery suiting the epic scale of the amazing story

- Captivating storytelling and great world building with a minimalist approach, telling and showing only what is necessary to add to the storytelling of a single adventure while leaving the rest of the magical world untouched (i.e. the extraordinary characters are being introduced earnestly) 

- the apparent themes behind every Laika film revolving around a child protagonist that is now dealing with the moral value of family, grief and then acceptance with a nice balance of tone between cheery and serious and then emotionally moving

+ Highlights: beautiful soundtrack, gorgeous cinematography, the slicing of the wave, the enormous rocks by the sea, the storytelling with the origamis, the origami samurai, the creepy introduction of the sisters, the wavy hair of Monkey, the funny bird scene, the giant skeleton big bad boss fight, that leaves boat and the fight scene on top of it and down in the water with the eyes and mouth,  heavy subject matter, beautiful ending credits with the eye-opening timelapse peek of the big skeleton scene and its breaking the fourth wall interaction with its animator as per tradition of Laika films

- Lowlights: the great performances by the predominantly English voiceover cast seemed more out of place but a necessary evil(?) to appeal to broader audiences & the subject matter could be too scary and heavy for younger audiences