Review of Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) by Joshua M — 02 Feb 2017

With my past experiences in watching the films of LAIKA, I've always felt that something was missing; while their stop-motion animation was untouched by their peers (except maybe Aardman Animation could be close), their stories didn't seem to capture my interest or fell flat by the third act , especially as seen in "The Boxtrolls" (2014).

This time, they got all of the big pieces absolutely RIGHT. Of course, the animation is even more amazing than their past efforts, but the plot, dealing with ideas about family and the importance of legends (either imagined or the ones we all participate in), satisfies on almost all accounts.

Despite parts of the story being a little cliche'd, the crew of animators and other dedicated folks offer a tale the viewer can be emotionally invested in, not just a tale in which to be satisfied (though they succeed on that front, also).

I also must give high marks to the phenomenal voice cast they got for the flick (though I could give or take Matthew McConaughey as Beetle), especially Rooney Mara and Charlize Theron's Monkey. This film is certainly near the top, if not at THE top, of my list of favorite animated movies from last year.