Rent Kubo and the Two Strings on Amazon Video
Written by: Marc Haimes and Chris Butler (screenplay), Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes (story by)
Directed by: Travis Knight
Starring: Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei, Rooney Mara
Rated: PG
Plot
A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father in order to defeat the vengeful spirit of his grandfather.
Verdict
The stop motion animation is beautiful. It's an absolute work of art, and coupled with the intimate story, the quality of this movie is off the charts. This is a great movie that crafts each scene to create a visual and emotional experience. Kubo is a tragic hero in a dark story. The way the conclusion handles the bad guy is unlike anything I've seen and just a fascinating detail.
Watch it.
Review
From the start the animation is impressive. It's simply beautiful, combining stop motion puppets and CGI backgrounds. The hand crafted images bolster the story of a one eyed boy in search of mystic armor and a sword to defeat his grandfather. It's a dark story for a kids' movie. Kubo's grandfather is after him, and if he stays out late at night his aunts will try to snatch him away. His adventure begins when he accidentally stays out late, hoping his deceased father's ghost will appear.
Kubo lives in a surreal world where he can spin fantastic stories and cause origami to come to life. This is how he makes his living.
This isn't far removed from a fantasy quest movie, but it's told with such care. Kubo is aided by a monkey and a beetle samurai. As his adventure unfolds we learn the storied romance of his parents and the lust for power of his grandfather. For children the battles can veer into scary territory, but it's also incredibly deep. Kubo is dealing with multiple emotions at all times, and you just feel sorry with how much grief is in his life. He's clinging to the memory of his father, having never met him. Kubo takes care of his mother, and she's losing her memories.
Stories and memories are powerful themes in the movie. Kubo recites stories he's heard of his father, but doesn't have any actual memories. His grandfather's motives derive from stories and old motives. All we know is that Kubo's father and his grandfather enemies.
Kubo embarks on a quest that rivals the stories he used to tell. He seeks armor to defeat his grandfather, but it does little good when the final battle begins. While I really liked this movie, the ending took this to a new level. Kubo defeats his grandfather and the village embraces the grandfather instead of excommunicating or eradicating him. This ties into the power of memories theme with the villagers telling Kubo's grandfather, whose memories have been completely erased, what a good and selfless person he was. That level of kindness and love for someone that sought to do you harm is unparalleled. The other side is that some memories become so twisted that you can't repair them. The only way to fix the grandfather was to start him with a blank slate. Community plays an important role in shaping who he will be just as community helped Kubo triumph.
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