Laika specializes in bizarre, supernatural tales about plucky children overcoming tremendous odds. Their newest film Kubo and the Two Strings follows that same tradition, but with some unique twists that separate it from the charming Coraline and the darkly funny but poignant Paranorman.
Alongside a lot of Disney and Pixar’s recent output, it’s part of a welcome trend of children’s films that are willing to take its audience seriously. This is evident in the opening, where our title hero (Game of Thrones’s Art Parkinson) informs the audience to pay close attention to the details.
The son of a famous samurai, Kubo’s story is the stuff of pure fable. In his own right he makes a living as his town’s beloved storyteller, aided by his magical shamisen that can manipulate objects to his will. He uses his talent to create elaborate origami figures that add a visual element to his tales, passed down to him from his overprotective mother.
Sadly he rarely ever gets to give his stories proper endings, as every night his grandfather, the magical Moon King, hunts him with the help of his mother’s witch-like sisters (a suitably creepy Rooney Mara) in pursuit of his one remaining eye.
Following one such attack in which his mother tries to defend the boy, Kubo wakes up stranded in a blizzard and is greeted by one of his monkey charms come to life, simply known as Monkey. Voiced by Charlize Theron in a strong, emotive performance, she plays straight woman to an initially somewhat rebellious Kubo, deadpan at times but still showing how much she cares about him. Eventually they’re joined by a new hulking comrade named Beetle, played by Matthew McConaughey with a mix of slightly dimwitted humor and genuine love.
The trio’s inevitable friendship is fun to watch over the course of their quest to find Hanzo’s magical armor that will hopefully protect him from the Moon King, but soon there’s a slight twist to their relationship that comes out of nowhere. While it is admittedly jarring, it doesn’t detract from the affection shared by our three heroes.
There’s actually been a fair amount of controversy regarding the racial makeup of Kubo and the Two Strings’s casting, citing the relative lack of Asian actors in a production with a story rooted in Eastern culture and mythology (exceptions include Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and George Takei, who are entertaining here but only play supporting roles). I personally agree it’s part of an unfortunate trend, but to be fair to the cast, all of the performances are generally solid.
Parkinson especially makes Kubo into an emotionally well-ranged hero who convincingly matures over the course of the film. He’s equally comfortable getting choked up and putting across the title character’s empathy during the scarier or sadder moments, just as he is entertaining villagers or battling various monsters. Ralph Fiennes once again gets to display his versatility as his archnemesis, the Moon King, masking sinister intent with a veil of geniality.
Said monsters are some of the most impressive Laika have developed, along with most of the cast and the backgrounds as a whole. The studio has been acclaimed for their attention to detail with stop motion animation, but Kubo represents a new watermark for their sense of meticulousness. The depth of the color scheme and how well rendered the characters are is nothing short of impressive, and some scenes approach Pixar levels of quality. I’d also argue there’s a fair amount of Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli influence on display, particularly in how much Kubo’s aunts resemble creatures from Spirited Away- and also with a number of the film’s plot details.
There is enough originality and creativity in Kubo and the Two Strings for it not to feel like a tedious re-run of their past films, even though it is another story about a young misfit with misunderstood abilities. It has an entertaining mix of danger, emotional maturity, sweetness and humor that isn’t ever cringeworthy.
I think this film should probably entertain most families, and there’s plenty of eye candy for animation buffs to salivate over. Not to mention it’s spearheaded by a notably charming protagonist, and that’s more than enough for me to easily recommend it across all demos.