[in_circulation]: Kubo and the Two Strings (dir. Travis Knight, 2016)

For nearly a decade, Laika has profoundly changed the way we view animation by simply daring to exist. Though the Oregon based production company has only produced four feature length enchantments to date, they’ve uncovered a nearly untapped market within the mainstream of family entertainment.

Profoundly progressive while still retaining an adherence to the traditions of stop-motion techniques, Laika builds worlds not unlike that of early Pixar, but with a dedication to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in both storytelling and characterization. Their latest film, Kubo and the Two Strings, is a considerable leap towards creating something masterful, and based entirely on box office numbers has been woefully under-seen or appreciated. This is a tragedy not just for those who’ve seen and experienced the magic in this film, but for those legions of families and kids who will undoubtedly adhere to the likes of far less compelling material, like the schlockfest that is Suicide Squad, over embracing something truly worth our attention.

Kubo and the Two Strings contains a miraculous journey for those willing to embrace it. Parents with children looking for entertainment that challenges as well as enlightens look no further, as this is an original tale with stunning visual aesthetics and a story centered around grappling with our mortality in the face of the supernatural. It teaches the importance of adopting our ancestors stories in a way that honors their existence and informs our decisions moving forward.

Stylistically, the film is a mixture between traditional Japanese folklore and Laika’s inventive colorfully immersed style, yet it finds some grand influences in the form of the late-great Akira Kurosawa and the delightful animations of Studio Ghibli. Kubo faces many great perils, including a deadly 18 ft. skeleton guardian, and a literal garden of eyes that tempts you with visions of a better, happier time. There are origami samurais, boats made from leaves, deadly witches, and one frightening dragon. This is indeed, a thematically full, engaging fairy tale that wants us to embrace big ideas without compromise.

Kubo and the Two Strings tells the story of a gifted one eyed shamisen player named Kubo (Art Parkinson), who encounters great loss by way of his extended family and must contend with a perilous journey across Japan in order to find a legendary suit of armor to defeat Raiden the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes). Along the way he discovers Monkey, a transformed charm with inquisitive motherly instincts (Charlize Theron), and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), a somewhat dim witted samurai insect that shares a tie with Kubo’s long dead father, Hanzo.

Over the course of the film, Kubo grapples with the suddenness of death and the temptation to avoid mortality by joining his extended family in the heavens. Raiden tempts his grandson, calling for his remaining eye and dismissing the weaknesses of humanity as reasoning enough to leave it all behind. The separation present between Raiden’s idealogy and Kubo’s honor is symbolized both within their final confrontation and in Kubo’s willingness to save his grandfather from destruction despite his past misdeeds. Most films would merely kill the villain or find a way to contain their evil in a vessel, but not here, not when the protagonist has faced a great deal of turmoil but has learned how the world actually is and how it could be if we allow ourselves and others the chance to change.

Laika’s attention to detail and willingness to combine an old world mastery in a digital age, has proven again and again just how vital it is to those of us looking for narritively rich, imaginative films. Kubo and the Two Strings embraces the road less traveled and chooses not to placate to its audience, and for that it has found a niche in today’s overtly commercialized animations. I found it to be a rather magical and honest exploration of humanity done with a carefully crafted intention to challenge us to keep telling our stories.

Kubo and the Two Strings is playing in theaters nationwide.