Kubo and the Two Strings

Voices of: Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, Matthew McConaughey, George Takei, Brenda Vaccaro, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Meyrick Murphy
Directed by: Travis Knight
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young boy goes on an epic adventure to defend himself against supernatural forces.

Review:

Tim: Kubo and the Two Strings is a surprisingly epic animated film. It takes you on a journey unlike most of those we see in animated adventures. It's certainly one of the best movies Laika Entertainment has done (although I'm embarrassed to admit I've seen far too few of them). I thought it was a good, entertaining movie, even though it didn't hit my emotions as strongly as I would have liked.

The story does offer quite a bit of mythology for us to follow. A boy with one eye is hunted by the Moon King. He takes his magical three-string instrument, teams with a Beetle and a Snow Monkey and searches for other magical items while being pursued by his evil aunts. I mean, the whole thing is a lot to take in. At times it does feel a little too much- like there's just too much craziness in this story for us to contend with. At other moments, though, it feels breathtaking to watch this completely original story unfold on screen- something that is so unlike the vast majority of animated films. This film scores major points for its creativity, but loses a few because it's so much to take in.

The animated is superb. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film, but it was also nominated for Best Visual Effects. No animated film has received a best visual effects nom since 1993. So that achievement right there is fairly stunning. This was obviously an incredibly well received film and one that is certainly worth checking out. Like I said, I really liked this movie.

So, if I really liked it, the question is, why didn't I love it? That is a little hard to answer. I can't say I was especially connected to Kubo. I liked the kid but I didn't feel the necessary emotional connection. Maybe the story was so unfamiliar, maybe first time director Travis Knight didn't quite know how to tug the right heartstrings at the right time. This is a monumental achievement for someone directing their first film ever, but it does feel a bit like a first-timer was responsible for the film. Everything in this movie is good, but not enough was elevated to really raise the movie up to where I wanted it to go. I enjoyed the journey, but there wasn't enough truly memorable moments in this film. So much is thrown on screen that you become a little dazed by everything. Still, this is a good movie.

The voice cast is superb. Charlize Theron does a very good job in the film. She had a challenging role, but brings both strength and warmth to the character. Matthew McConaughey was really good, too. I was worried his distinct voice would be too distracting, but besides a few moments, I thought he did a very good job. Rooney Mara and Ralph Fiennes both worked well, disappearing into their characters. I liked hearing George Takei here, although his role is so small. Art Parkinson was very good as Kubo.

While I admit I struggled a little to love this movie, I really don't want that to take away from the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed Kubo and the Two Strings. I thought it was equally as good as Zootopia or Moana, so it held its own against the big animated guns. This movie did offer up a crazy, almost-too-original-to-be-believed journey. It's a beautifully animated movie and one that I'd certainly recommend.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Zootopia, Moana, Coraline, ParaNorman