Review of Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) by Krisstolliday14 — 25 Sep 2016

A wonderful animation tale filled with original, innovative moments that will make you laugh and cry. Interesting and fascinating characters are spliced with Japanese folklore bringing together a Hollywood version of a Studio Ghibli production.

Kubo is the hero of our story. A story teller himself who longs for the truth behind his parent's demise. In order to unravel the one tale he doesn't know the ending of, he must find a suit of armour, with the help of a talking monkey and beetle, before his evil Grandfather and Aunts find him and steal his eyes.

What a truly unusual and unique concept and despite how outrageous it sounds the filmmakers manage to pull it off with glee and without feeling daft. Magic is used without having to be fully explained and that can only be a testament to the world that has been created by Laika studios.

Compared to the Pixar films I believe this lacks the family friendly warmth that the character's such as Dory or Sully bring to the screen, however with Kubo we have a new storytelling technique for children.

It is dark and unafraid to be so. The story isn't forced and overly explained and it encourages children to take hold of a very different type of narrative. There are still the comedic moments from Beetle and Monkey (McConaughey and Theron excellently bring these characters to life) to keep the children happy but it feels educational with dark themes that encourage new ways to look at life.

Beautifully animated and wonderfully told, this is Laika pushing Pixar and Disney all the way.