Despite its struggles at the box office, Laika Entertainment’s latest film Kubo and the Two Strings is an excellent animated feature, furthering their stop-motion mastery that led to the success of previous films Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls.
The Japanese-inspired film begins with mystery as the young protagonist’s mother (Charlize Theron) is left with amnesia after an accident at sea. Kubo (Art Parkinson) supports her by telling stories illuminated by magical origami in their village. But one night their peaceful life is shattered after Kubo disobeys his mother. This cascades into a quest to find a mystical set of armour in order to defeat his wicked aunts (Rooney Mara) and evil grandfather (Ralph Fiennes).
Kubo’s strong formal elements coalesce into a very entertaining film. Its most defining feature is Laika’s stop-motion visuals, which have been carefully crafted into smooth animation that still allows for clear visibility of the great detail in every puppet and set piece. It makes wonderful use of colour: some scenes benefit from simpler, more focused palettes based around few tones, while others explode into vibrant contrasts, often sourced from its origami aesthetics.
The film’s music plays into its visual diversity, often being as grandiose as it is subtly whimsical. It’s a core element of the film’s narrative, as Kubo uses a shamisen (a traditional Japanese string instrument) to conjure his magical paper-based powers through plucky songs and powerful strums.
The story itself is a good family-friendly adventure. While some scenes are slightly frightening and surprisingly blunt, it is more closely defined by heartwarming themes and a solid sense of humour that had both kids and adults in stitches throughout. Matthew McConaughey was hilarious as a forgetful humanoid beetle, and aside from dialogue Kubo also demonstrated excellent comedic timing and visual comedy. That said, its action sequences were enthralling, and their conversely serious tone creates a very immersive experience.
The script made a good use of repetition, driving home its themes of family, memory, and storytelling in a way that was effective without having to bash them over viewers’ heads. As the story is about stories, the film is somewhat self-aware. Ironically, even though Kubo himself can never write a good ending, the film’s ending is one of its best sequences, encapsulating its bittersweet emotions throughout.
Beyond the narrative’s end, the film showcases the physical production of the film’s giant skeleton puppet in a time lapse of its animation at Laika’s studio. Seeing a little behind-the-scenes action after the first roll of credits was a delightful Brechtian treat, and really helps viewers appreciate just how much work went into this this one scene, let alone the whole movie.
My only big gripe with Kubo is that it suffers from a few pacing issues. The film clocks in at one hour and forty-one minutes, making it Laika’s longest film (trumping Coraline by one minute). While I thought the start and finish were very strong, parts of the journey throughout the middle felt a little more drawn out than they could have been. However, the exposition and character development within this period sort of makes up for it. I just feel it could have been a little tighter, and considering the immense time it takes to make a stop-motion film, trimming the fat likely would have benefited the studio as well.
Aside from this nitpick, Laika’s latest creation is a fun blend of fantasy, action, and comedy. If you’re a fan of fantasy films like Studio Ghibli’s, or just want to treat your eyeballs to a colourful romp, I highly recommend Kubo and the Two Strings.
