"Kubo and the Two Strings" is a hard movie to explain. There is a story in it and the adventure is grand and fun, but I can't place it into a category of traditional storytelling. The themes of the film are the values of memories and how we truly can never forget people that we lose throughout our lifetime. Very mature themes that are handled with such finesse and creativity that I can't say I have seen anything like it before. Even when you as the audience know where the story is headed, the film surprises you with the delivery and you actually grow and learn with the characters.
The strength of the film is the pure visceral experience it provides. The visuals and sound had a layer of depth and drama that you feel in your inner core. It is more of an experience than it is a movie that you watch. Throughout the film, I felt moments of sadness, loss, happiness, horror, fear, and accomplishment. It is a movie that truly raises the bar for animation and it saddens me that many people will not check it out as it is very different from traditional animated films that we are used to seeing from other major animation studios.
So much care and attention went into this film. The world Laika has created is rich with so much history, story, mythos, and culture that even some movies and series that are much longer can't fully create. I felt that the world is living and that magic is truly alive. I love how the character make it feel special that magic exists, but aren't put of by it, when they see it for themselves and have to question the logic.
The characters are fun and lovable, but also brave and dimensional. Not one character felt out of place and they're inclusion felt important. The voice casting is top-notch and I felt like the celebrities actually made an effort. Unlike many big-budget animated productions, The voice actors weren't distracting and added their own layer of charisma that enhanced and drew attention to the characters. Monkey is probably the best character and I feel like she'll be the fan favorite as she's funny, powerful, and a total bada**.
Overall, Laika has produced probably their best animated film to date and that is saying a lot from a studio that produces quality efforts time and time again. "Kubo and the Two Strings" is unlike anything out there and deserves to be seen on the big screen. The animation alone is breathtakingly gorgeous. The beautiful score and music only adds to the complexity of the film. It is probably the best film of 2016 so far and I find it hard to beat. I highly recommend that people check out this highly creative experience.
