AC8: Random Movie Review - Kubo and the Two Strings

Next we come to the last of the already released Laika films which the CEO of the company directed in his directorial debut and also serves as being their first samurai film but still following suite with the fantasy genre of which the other films have been (minus ParaNorman which serves as a horror comedy). When I saw the trailer, until I eventually saw it, I thought the titular protagonist was a female based on the look and the voice when in fact he is a male. An easy mistake to make I know and hopefully one I won't do again. So let's see how this plays out and then I'll be up to speed with Laika's work:

Set in feudal Japan, we meet Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) a 12 year old who must tend to his dying mother and makes a living out of being a street performer telling the locals his story. But every time he does this, its never been finished due to both Kubo and his mother not knowing what truly happened to his father. He is also warned to not be out at night as his two aunts (both voiced by Rooney Mara) and his grandfather (voiced by Lord Voldemort himself, Ralph Fiennes) who calls himself the Moon King and the three of which are evil, will find him and take out his other eye and make him blind. A festival in which people are able to talk to their deceased love ones takes place which Kubo attends to talk to his father. However his father doesn't come out from his lantern which angers Kubo. But he forgets about his mum and stays out too late for his relatives to find him. And when he eventually escapes, he travels to find his father's armour and a legendary sword in the hopes to stand a chance against his aunts and grandfather while also to find his father as well.

It wasn't easy to reveal the plot without spoiling anything. Sometimes reviews can be like that. But anyway, this film is great. It breaks away from tradition in Laika's other work and is another beautifully stop-motion animated film. Everyone plays their parts well, it's epic but light hearted and shows the world that even stop-motion films as limited as they are, can be just as good and epic as CGI films. Maybe even better. 9/10