Kubo and the Two Strings

Laika continues its spooktacular filmography with Kubo and the Two Strings. This marks the directorial debut of its CEO, lead animator and producer since Paranorman, Travis Knight. And it's another marvelous directorial debut.

In Ancient Japan, young Kubo (Art Parkinson) lives in a cave with his catatonic mother. By day, Kubo entertains the nearby village with his living origami animated by his shamisen. By night, his mother is well enough to tell him the stories of his father, the samurai Hanzo. Kubo's grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), took his left eye when he was born. So Kubo has to hide at night or risk becoming all blind.

Kubo stays out late one day and meets his twin aunts (Rooney Mara), who both want to take him to the Moon King. Kubo's mother drives them off with all of her magic; when he wakes up, Kubo meets a Monkey (Charlize Theron) in a frozen wasteland. Monkey was a wooden charm brought to life by Kubo's mother. Her job now is to help Kubo find the pieces to Hanzo's magic armor. A giant Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) joins them on their quest.

The screenstory, by Shannon Tindle, Marc Haime and Chris Butler, is a simple quest story. But it's the characters that make it work. Our hero is likable, his companions are fun and the Sisters are creepy. There were some genuine plot twists concerning Monkey and Beetle. The Moon King doesn't show up until late in the film and it's in a dream. He makes for a memorable villain in-spite of his minuscule screentime.

Kubo's introduction warns us, "If you must blink, do it now." Otherwise, we might miss all of the incredible animation. The puppet characters and sets have wondrous designs. They perfectly capture the anime aesthetic in stop-motion form. The best set piece involved a skeleton demon, whose puppet was 18-ft tall. You can see the animators working on said demon during the credits.

Kubo and the Two Strings offers much to listen to. There's an unforgettable score from Dario Marianelli, the best piece being Kubo's shamisen music. There's an assortment of strong sound effects for monsters and weapons. So even if you blink, you won't miss the ambiance.

Kubo and the Two Strings shows, once again, that stop-motion is alive and well. It's a meaningful story of life, death and beyond, as well as forgiveness and remembrance. Don't let the spookiness scare you. It's a great family film and an unforgettable take on the hero's journey.