Poignantly told and beautifully rendered, Travis Knight’s Kubo and the Two Strings may be the most striking film in a landmark year for
movie animation. Containing elements
from Japanese folklore, the screenplay by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler is
modeled after the classic hero’s journey as it chronicles a damaged boy’s
efforts to reclaim a piece of his heritage and come to terms with his
fragmented familial history. And while
the story has a distinct historical feel to it, there’s a modern sensibility to
the movie that makes it accessible to young viewers of a contemporary audience.
Young Kubo (voice by Art Parkinson) is a bit of a mystery to
those who live in the village where he sells his wares each day. A master storyteller, he thrills those who
pay to hear his stories, dazzling them with the aid of origami animals he’s
able to bring to life. However, he often leaves his followers wanting more as
he’s required to return home before sundown, many times unable to finish his
stories. His mother has warned him that
his grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes), who killed his father and stole
one of his eyes long ago, continues to hunt him. Kubo adheres to this rule
until the promise of being able to communicate with the spirit of his father
makes him late one evening. Found by his evil aunts, the Sisters (Rooney Mara),
he’s forced to flee and take on a great quest to find a suit of armor once worn
by his father that will enable him to defeat the Moon King. He’s aided in his quest by a cynical,
hard-nosed Monkey (Charlize Theron) and a rather dim-witted warrior named
Beetle (Matthew McConaughey).
The journey these three embark on is filled with one knock
out visual after another. In an obvious
nod to “Pinocchio,” Monkey and Kubo wind up in the belly of a whale that’s
suffused with ominous shadows; later they must battle a giant skeleton, its
bones rattling and on the verge of coming apart, while finally Kubo constructs
a ship out of autumn leaves so they might make their escape. Equally impressive are the origami animals
present throughout, all moving with a fluidity that seems to transcend the
medium.
Kubo was produced by Laika Entertainment and like their
other features Coraline and ParaNorman, stop-motion animation is used to
bring the tale to life.The meticulous attention to detail employed here
as well as the vibrant colors makes for a unique vision that allows this film
to stand out in a crowded animated field.
This, as well as its adult-minded story, which speaks to the theme of
having to reconcile with one’s past before being able to face the future, makes Kubo and the Two Strings, a breath of fresh air amidst the overblown,
predictable animated product from Hollywood that’s often propelled by garish
spectacle and hackneyed messages.
This article appears in Sep 1-7, 2016.
