Kubo and the Two Strings
The most underrated animation of 2016
We have had some pretty amazing animations in the past couple years. We’ve had animations cross the billion dollar mark (Frozen, Toy Story 3, etc); a mark once meant for the live-action big budget movies.
In 2016, the high profile animations that have made big bucks include but are not limited to Finding Dory (very deserving), Zootopia (I personally didn’t think it was that great), Secret Life of Pets (just okay), Angry Birds (still haven’t seen it at this time) and then of course there was (is?) Kubo and the Two Strings.
I really can’t say why it wasn’t given more attention. Yes it has a nomination for best animated feature at the Golden Globes and the British Academy Film Awards but I don’t think that’s enough at all. It should be winning all the awards because this animation is a pure masterpiece.
Kubo and the Two Strings is the story about a boy named Kubo (Art Parkinson) who has magical abilities. Armed with a magical guitar and accompanied by a talking monkey (Charlize Theron) and a Samurai (Matthew McConaughey) cursed to take the size of a human size beetle, he must embark on an epic quest of self discovery to find the truth about himself and his family while avoiding the perils that follow.
If reading the above alone didn’t sell it for you, I want you to picture this; imagine an animation not made strictly for kids that delves into mature themes of loss, pain, betrayal and self discovery. It has its whimsical moments that relieve the tension but it is a serious, thoughtful tale through and through.
…if you must blink, do it now!
We journey with Kubo from one scene to the next and watch him overcome challenge after challenge with the help of his companions and you realize that with each step, the animation is trying to tell you that you can’t do everything yourself even if you think you’re capable. It tells you that sometimes, while you have to rely on yourself, you have to first learn and lean on others before you can truly discover who you are.
I’m not a fan of stop-motion animation, but this is unlike anything I have ever seen in this category. It is really fluid and the fight scenes were actually really good and you can feel the tension of the moment. Kubo is a mixture of sophistication and class and Laika has done an amazing job here, both with the story and the animation.
This is a visually and emotionally stunning piece of art.
When the curtain call finally comes on this epic tale, you’ll wish it didn’t. One thing I will say though, the way it ends wasn’t really satisfying for me. I felt it should have ended probably a minute earlier, but that’s just my personal opinion.
In the end, Kubo and the Two Strings tells a very satisfying tale and one I know I’ll be revisiting really soon.
