The Japanese inspired fantasy adventure Kubo and The Two Strings is the latest feature from LAIKA, the stop-motion animation studio which brought us Coraline and The Boxtrolls. It’s an original and inspired story of Kubo (Art Parkinson – Game of Thrones) a young boy with one eye who lives in relative seclusion with his protective mother Sariatu (Charlize Theron).
Kubo & Monkey
During the day Kubo enchants the local villagers with his tales of heroes and battles brought to life by the magic of origami characters. His mother has one rule he must abide by, Kubo must never be out after sundown for fear his mothers Sisters and his grandfather the Moon King will find him and take his remaining eye.
..an exciting and terrifying journey..
It would be a short film if our hero boy followed the rules, but of course he doesn’t. Staying out after sundown kicks starts an exciting and terrifying journey where Kubo must battle Gods and monsters while searching for a magical suit of armour belonging to this father. Aiding him on in his adventure we meet Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey). Monkey is clever and entertaining with a dry and sarcastic sense of humour while Beetle suffers with memory loss and more than once turns into an impression of Buzz Lightyear. The final ally in the battle is Little Hanzo, an origami warrior modelled on his father who helps lead the way to the suit of armour.
Kubo & Beetle
….at times it is quite dark…
While the movie may be aimed at a younger audience it is not afraid to buck the trend of fluffy everything will be fine kids movies. At times it is quite dark and unusually the story pits Kubo against his aunts and grandfather in a battle that not everyone will survive. I loved it. It has an original story with incredible visuals which immediately captivate you. The movies score also keeps you firmly planted in the middle of this thrilling fantasy adventure. Kubo and The Two Strings is going to delight children of all ages and adults too. It’s well worth a watch, is in cinemas now and I’m giving it 4/5 for being clever, fun and imaginative. Check out the trailer below and see what to expect.