Kubo and the Two Strings

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Discuss Laika’s newest, and quite possibly best, stopmotion film.

Kubo is a story of a young boy’s journey to recover the ancient armor his father once sought to defeat the cold Moon King. Aiding him are a serious monkey, a wisecracking samurai beetle-man, and the remnant of his mother’s magic through a guitar and paper origami.

Personal Review:
In the sea of good to mediocre animated films that focus on laughs and invoking easy emotions, Kubo stands out as a solid movie that manages to present a deep authentic feeling story while still being able to inject a healthy dose of good comedy. The poeple and the world feel alive thanks in part to the great interactions of the characters and the rich mythology of the world.

On the visual side, the stopmotion and CGI techniques are truly a beauty to behold and the effects they were able to achieve really add to the wonder aspect of the movie. From paper origami magic to action sequences the animation accomplishes and breathes it’s own special life into the scenes.

Pacing wise the story falters a little here and there. A few moments seem a little too slow or slightly too long but overall nothing too grievous.

The themes are definitely one of the movie’s strongest points. The classic family, lost loved ones, and growing up themes are there, but also included is the power of stories and how they stay, affect, and change with us. There’s a slight melancholy edge in the undertone of the movie that allows these themes hit home. If nothing else, Kubo will definitely provoke a few thoughts.

Overall Kubo and the Two Strings is a very well done movie I wholeheartedly recommend. It may not be out-of-your-seat fantastic but it is an extremely solid and enjoyable film with rich story, likable characters, and thoughtful themes. If you like a good adventure movie that appeals to more than just kids than this is the film for you.

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I want to see this. It seems quite good

Looks good haven’t seen it yet

I don’t believe it is out on Spain yet so I will have to wait, Im going to check anyways

I want to see it, it looks good.

Not sure what to think but I’ve heard positive things so I’m interested.

Meh, if it comes out on Netflix I’ll watch it.

YES, I’ve been waiting for someone to make a topic about this! :grin:

I saw it last Friday (on the American release date) and it was a very good and philosophical film. There’s plenty of witty banter between the characters, which makes for good comedy that doesn’t feel forced. The animation makes the film an immersive experience, so you feel like you’ve stepped right into Kubo’s world. Overall, awesome stuff. I highly recommend watching it.

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Just watched it, I did feel like some of the early jokes and banter between monkey and beetle was cringy, though the movie has great roots in Japanese culture and how they tell stories.

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I really would like to see this.

It looks good. I love their animation.

I just saw this yesterday
Its great, go see it

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Saw it today it’s my favorite animated movie of the year

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Flippen love this movie as much as box trolls!

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How have I not said anything here yet? I loved this movie when I saw it. The animation is beautiful, the sound track is top notch, the premise, effects, and amazing, and I love every time they do the flying origami thing. My favorite character would have to be Paper Hanzo, Beetle, Monkey, and that one old lady who’s almost more of a mom for Kubo than his actual mom. I also love the fight at the end, and how he also gets amnesia and then the whole village/town whatever helps him out, but it was a little disappointing when the golden armor turned out to be pretty pointless but they still had to leave it because then there wouldn’t be much less to the movie, and we would also miss out on the record breaking skeleton and awesome eyeball things. Back to the big climactic fight at the end, I loved it when goes all samurai Jack on the Moon King Beast or whatever he’s called. Which leads me into my next point. If you haven’t already guessed I absolutely love the designs for the monsters and other baddies. In fact the only really put off that any of them have is the awkward looking hand tail on the “Moon Beast”, but that’s it. I also love the humor. One of my favorite jokes would have to be when Paper Hanzo shows up and Monkey says “I’m not even sure this counts as origami. Scissors must have been used somewhere.” or something like that. I love the song they used for the end credits, and the instrument they used. What’s it called again? I just absolutely love how it sounds. I absolutely love this movie, and its an absolutely stunning piece in the seemingly dying art of claymation.