Kubo and the Two Strings

Dir: Travis Knight

2016

****

2016's Kubo and the Two Strings is an outstanding film debut from director Travis Knight and should act as something of an example for future animators. I'm sure CGI is a dirty set of letters to most stop-motion animators but Knight and his team have embraced every tool available to bring people the best that animation can be, combining classical stop-motion and up to date CGI perfectly. It reminded me of when Lars von Trier added special effects to Breaking the Waves - a move that got him kicked out of his own movement (Dogme 95), the larger audience didn't mind, in fact they were thrilled, just as a 2016 audience was thrilled with how glorious Kubo and the Two Strings looks. The balance is perfect, you can clearly see the characters and most of the set are stop-motion models, CGI is only used to create realistic looking weather, water, smoke and mist and to add slight detail to bring the story to life. It looks absolutely stunning and impressed me no end. Then there's the story itself. I expected a kids film, indeed, it was advertised as one and is still considered one but my goodness, I scared the life out of me. I don't think I'd put my kids in front of it, not until they were over 7 or 8 years old, and even then I expect them to be a little scared. As an adult I found the scary bits to be utterly thrilling though and I love the film makers for that. I think the tone was set fairly early on when we discover Kubo as a small baby and learn that his mother has taken him and fled their home after Kubo's grandfather stole his left eye. Kubo's mother dies and turns into a monkey and they both find his estranged father has become a giant stag beetle, it's easier to follow than that might sound and it's also very amusing but my goodness does it get dark. The introduction to Kubo's aunts is particularly disturbing but again, absolutely thrilling. The voice actors are big names but they work with their characters. The actors include Charlize Theron as Kubo's monkey mother, Art Parkinson, Ralph Fiennes as Kubo's power-hungry, eye-thieving grandfather (aka The Moon King), Rooney Mara as the wicked aunts, George Takei as the voice of minor townsfolk and Matthew 'Alright, alright, alright' McConaughey as Kubo's warrior/beetle father. The style of the picture is mildly Japanese and it's not quite the 'Samurai fantasy' that it was advertised as or what many would expect but it still feels somewhat authentic within the genre. The art itself took inspiration from such Japanese mediums as ink wash painting and origami among others. A particular influence came from the ukiyo-e wood block style, with Laika film productions intending to make the entire film "to look and feel as if it’s a moving woodblock print". Assistance came from 3D printing firm Stratasys who allowed Laika to use their newest technologies in exchange for feedback on them. For the terrifying Skeleton monster the team created a giant 16 foot, 400 pound puppet, which Laika claims is the record holder for largest stop motion puppet. The idea to make such a massive puppet was born out of a fear that individual smaller parts (meant to represent the larger monster) would not work well on screen interacting with the other puppets. The resulting puppet was built in two parts which were then attached together by magnets. For movement Laika had to design a robot to easily manipulate it. The team at one point bought an industrial robot off of eBay but unfortunately (typically) it didn't work. The film won the BAFTA for Best Animated Film and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Visual Effects, becoming the second animated film to be nominated in the latter category following The Nightmare Before Christmas in 1993. The brilliant The Nightmare Before Christmas was the first film I thought of once the film was over, it's almost as good as it, and I consider it the best. Everything about it is sublime, I didn't always like the story or where it went but consistently amazed by the visuals and tone, the score by Dario Marianelli is fantastic and I don't think I've ever been so taken aback by a kids film (its not a kids film) as this. Laika films are hit and miss, this is easily their biggest and best so far.