User Reviews

A movie that is so much of a masterpiece, Laika may be the best animation studio. As Kubo says "if you must blink, blink right now" so I did what he had said & it was magic scenery coming to life. Such as lanterns lighting & the people of his area can see their deceased loved ones coming out of lanterns & close to them. Other magical moments of this movie is when Kubo tells stories: he tells stories via origamis, which come to life (like personified) & that when the confetti flies our that the sword points to it represents blood (that is fact watching DVD extras). Another fact about this movie is that ... you must give credit to the BTS because those monsters were very large (larger than a human) such as the skeleton & another was made as a robot to bring it to life, another had golden birthday balloons to be made with. You should give it credit like Aardman's "The Pirates! Band of Misfits". One last thing that we need to talk about is the emotion of a Japanese setting: Kubo lost his mother who then returned in the form of a monkey who cared for him & then a samauri beetle is his father who he barely saw because he died. This is very religious. Final few sentences. First, it has a very interesting title: "Kubo & the Two Strings". Second, it is so cinema & did not deserve to bomb at the office. Third, the 2 sisters remind of both the Beldam in "Coraline" & the 2 witches in an anime I was never aware of but was made when I saw Patty & Selma portraying them in the S25 episode "Married to the Blob" of the Simpsons. Fourth, the best animation studio is not actually Pixar.

Absolute masterpiece. Laika went full beast mode with this one. Every frame is handcrafted magic—stop-motion pushed to its absolute limit. The story blends myth, memory, and music in a way that hits both the heart and the imagination. Kubo’s journey isn’t just emotional—it’s epic. Monkey and Beetle are peak side characters, and the Moon King is eerie as hell. The score? Straight-up haunting. It’s rare for an animated film to carry this much weight without ever dumbing things down. There's no filler, no pointless jokes, just pure narrative precision and gorgeous visuals. You can tell this was made with love, not just a paycheck. If you didn’t feel something by the end, check your soul. Kubo doesn’t entertain. It transcends. Ten. Out. Of. Ten.

A young boy loses his parents to dark spirits and undertakes a mystical quest with the aid of an over-protective monkey, a beetle-themed samurai and the enchanted musical instrument over his shoulder. Charming and hypnotic, Kubo possesses a real sense of inner warmth, the kind that's often missing from shallower family films. I think the precise, breathtaking stop-motion animation is to thank for a lot of that. Clearly, a lot of care and painstaking effort went into the way the characters, landscapes and magical effects live, breathe and radiate. As a sheer visual showpiece, this is delightful; fresh and well-designed, loaded with winks and secrets and unexplored mystery. I could dwell here for ages and never run out of inspiration. The plot stumbles a bit, though, struggling to marry the journey's challenge with its destination, and only seems to scratch the surface of its larger potential. Charlize Theron is excellent as the film's motherly voice of reason, stern yet caring, but Matthew McConaughey was a mismatched choice as her bold-yet-brainless counterpart, the armor-clad insectine warrior. An excellent display of unbound creativity, which finally delivers a material counterpoint to the flood of CG kids' movies on the market today, I was deeply impressed by the looks and mildly underwhelmed by the story.

The fantastical elements mixed with the stop motion are where this film shines. However, the film really hurts itself by relying too much on CGI. What is actual stop motion and real versus what isn't? I didn't know. Whereas with Coraline, almost every part of the film was something handcrafted. Why go to all of the work for stop motion when you are going to add in digital effects and make the viewer forget that each scene was handmade? The story is really pretty great; albeit feeling a bit rushed. It also feels a little too overly sentimental at times. It's no "Coraline", but it is still very much worth watching and admiring.

I think this was the first movie i cried to when I watched it at the cinemas. Such a sad yet beautiful story that I don't think I will ever forget. The sisters as well with their chilling voice, calling out for Kubo, such a haunting and memorable line : "...We just want your other eye"

Kubo and the Two Strings is an absolute masterpiece of animation and storytelling. With stunning visuals and a touching narrative, this movie is a must-see for both adults and children alike. The story follows Kubo, a young boy with a magical instrument, on a thrilling adventure to save his family and uncover the truth about his past. The characters are well-developed, and their relationships are portrayed with depth and nuance, making them relatable and endearing. The animation is truly breathtaking, and the attention to detail in every frame is impeccable. The film also explores important themes such as family, sacrifice, and the power of storytelling. Kubo and the Two Strings is a true work of art and an instant classic that will stand the test of time. It's a must-watch for anyone who loves animation and a great story.

Excellent and charming movie with great characters, character designs, and story.

A beautifully animated movie. It had a great story and voice acting. I really enjoyed the mythology of this movie and the aspects it uses.

Just as ugly as Coraline. Laika is the worst companies to make big budget animation.

I really liked the visuals, music, and sound design of the movie. You can tell that the artists that worked in this movie knew their craft and worked to its sheer splendor. However, despite how beautiful I thought this movie was, the story was a bit odd. It was too weirdly paced with plot points being too fast and the characters weren't given their proper spotlight aside from Kubo himself and even then his was rushed. I really wanted to give this movie a higher rating because of how beautiful everything is aside from the story.

I just don't get the appeal of this movie. While the animation is first rate the telling of the story is dull and for me doesn't captivate either adults or kids.

Great, creative story. 'Kubo and the Two Strings' is a fun film, I enjoyed it all. I love the animation style that Laika use, they also tend to get the vibe of their stories pretty bang on. This is my favourite work of the studio's so far, at least before I watch 'Missing Link'. The casting could've been more appropriate, though I'm a believer of anyone playing anyone when it comes to voice roles. Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey make for an undeniably strong trio. Parkinson and Theron do particularly good jobs, though McConaughey is my standout. Elsewhere, Ralph Fiennes and George Takei are, minorly, involved. The lovely story and top animation are the biggest takeaways from this. Recommended.

Fantastic animation with a not so fantastic story. Seriously, the animation work here is just impressive. The amount of effort put into animating every single thing onscreen really shows. This might be one of the most stunningly animated stop motion films I've ever seen. But obviously just because the animation is amazing, doesn't mean that it's an amazing film overall. The story is **** twists are predictable and the movie tries to make it look like they're big reveals. There are no stakes because the characters seem to be able to do whatever the script says. There's too many plot conveniences and lazy writing that if it wasn't for the incredible animation, this would be just an average movie. Overall, good movie but nothing great.

Awesome visually but oh so unfunny and lamely written. Tedious as anything.

A Magical Melodramatic Family. Kubo And The Two Strings Knight's animated and magical world is adorable yet powerfully enchanting self inspired journey that is spellbounding for its originality and simplicity. Already been told a familiar concept as such, this savior of ours wins over the family drama than the general political views. Frankly, it is a personal tale conveyed with nightmarish demonic path and powerful undefeated- in fact- swords and magic. As much as mythologically the tale thrives upon, it also doesn't overstays its welcome by dwelling utterly on the past. It keeps refreshing the equation through creating the new equations on screen that leaves a long lasting impression. Another major contributing factor is humbleness that each of its three dimensional characters works on. Donating their last drop of sweat and blood for the greater good, each supporting character pushes the protagonist up till the hill. It runs on a linear and simpler track that every now and then is funny and action packed, which leaves you in an awe for its layered through provoking concept. Voice cast has managed to stick by their role convincingly. Theron as the overprotective mother or arguably the only guardian, is walking on new terms but is still a soothing compelling performer. Challenging her parallel-y lies McConaughey's completely opposite light hearted gullible brave warrior that keeps the bed warm and cozy. Fiennes as the ultimate climatic thrill may not have much to do but Mara as evil twins gets healthy amount of time to make it goofy with a still rigid mask. Parkinson, the protagonist, the one, is a fast learner and has the perfect amount of uncertainty in his voice to ignite the curiosity. Kubo And The Two Strings is Knight at his finest, from smoothness in sailing to exploring dark magic, his world is as always human to look at.

If you must blink, do it now. Because you don't want to miss anything. The best animated film I've seen in recent years!

This movie is absolutely amazing. The story, the animation, the message, the actors, everything was amazing.

Kubo and the two strings offer an odd if not beautiful viewing experience that both hits home and misses some great opportunities. The marketing alone showcases most of what is so great about this film; the soundtrack, the voice acting and the animation is all done to perfection. If you can enjoy a movie for its visual presentation alone, this can possibly be considered one of the most enjoyable films ever made. Where the film falls short for me is in the overall storyboarding, the themes it tries to tell and the exposition. The movie establishes early on that the use of origami and Kubo's magical guitar can be used to tell stories and yet we only see this being used effectively once. Other times we have odd and moment-breaking exposition during action sequences, that could have been used so much better in earlier scenes involving Kubo's magic. The twists and turns of this movie also appears out of nowhere with no hinting or foundation for such twists earlier in the movie. The story sort of follows the typical quirky adventure beat, without being smart about laying the foundation for the bits in the second and third act that could have had a much stronger impact. It's a shame, because the story and themes of this movie are well-intended, if not a bit rough in the finished product. All in all Kubo and the two strings is a good watch, that effectively relies on its animation and visual storytelling. The logic and structure of the story is excused by the adventure which is presented, possibly making the movie a spectacular watch for someone less critical than myself.

My expectation was a bit high given the reviews. But the story is boring and silly, voice acting was poor, and you have a poorly written story about Japan written and voice-acted by mostly white people. Perhaps the story was okay if you know few things about Japan or Asia, but this is a really weak movie. I did not enjoy it.

Wasn't expecting to to be blown away by Kubo and the two strings. This is a perfect film. The animation, humour, and voice acting are outstanding. Everything A+++++++++++++

Kind of confusing. Good. It's a film with a big heart that I wouldn't watch again.

Kubo and the Two Strings was absolutely robbed of the Best Animated Feature Oscar. This was even my favorite movie of 2016! Hell, this might even be one of the top five animated movies of all time in my opinion! This story is so gripping and emotional, with brilliant visual storytelling and facial expressions to show what the characters are thinking. And speaking of which, this rivals Aladdin and The Lion King as one of the most gorgeous animated films ever made. The tangibility of the stop-motion effects make it feel so real even though I'm looking at stop-motion. I fathom how some of these effects were done, like the water, mountains, this giant red skeleton, and even the combat sequences! Zootopia was good, but no where near as memorable or emotionally impacting as Kubo and the Two Strings.

Kubo and the two strings was a magical adventure that made me both smile and tear up. With beautiful animation that makes this movie even more magical. Great story, somethimes little slow, but it keeps up the pace very good throughout the movie. All the effort by Laika Studios has been awarded in this masterpiece.

Laika's Kubo and the Two Strings is by far one of the best animated films ever. The animation is once again flawless and the story is perfect. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this film and I really,really love it. And my rating is 10/10

For all that we associate bright colors and animation/stop-motion with kids, this isn't a children's movie. The hero is an eleven-year-old boy, but the themes aren't childish. There are moments of silly humor, but nary a fart joke to be seen. "And that really is the least of it." Ultimately, the movie is more about joy than happiness; if you don't get that, you won't like the ending. The visuals are gorgeous, with only one or two times during the whole movie where I felt something was off. Kubo and the Two Strings also has something else most movies lack for me: a kind of poetry. A good poem uses the fewest words necessary to achieve the desired result, packing meaning into every phrase. This movie packs meaning into every scene, every line and every visual. I almost never buy movies because I won't re-watch them, but as soon as I finished Kubo I wanted to restart it, to catch details I'd missed and to see how knowing more about the characters and story would shade my understanding. "If you must blink, do it now." Because once the movie starts, you won't want to.

By far the best animated movie of 2016, and the second best movie of 2016 only behind La La Land. First off, the animation is the best animation in any animated movie ever made. Second,the story is an emotional masterpiece. Third, the acting is great. And the music is powerful. This is a great movie I recommend to everyone.

Kubo and the Two Strings is a breathtakingly profound adventure of love & life. Bolstering a beautiful story, excellent voice acting and a particularly heart-wrenching soundtrack, it is genuinely one of the best films I have seen for a while. The ending is a little emotionally incoherent but is still delivered with a touch of magic.

The best movie that I have watched in a while. Profound , touching, funny , beautiful , creative , surprising and vibrant ! I do not have words to describe all the sensations and thoughts the movie delivered . I am Astonished.

Kubo and the two Strings left my eyes with immense satisfaction with its masterful stop motion and tears with its mature theme. Kubo and the two strings went completely under my radar for films to watch. So finally I gave it watch on Netflix. Just from the very few first minutes my eyes were greeted with masterful crafted stop motion. Kubo and the two strings sense of Art direction is something I have ever seen before. Kubo and the two Strings kept my attention throughout the whole film. Never in a moment where I felt this film hit a low point. Every scene either has well choreographed action set pieces or meaningful scenes between our characters. Also how this film paces through its editing style keeps every next cut interesting I never thought I would get such a serious theme from a film like this. I feel it was handles very well as it was being told through the film. Basically I saw two themes here. The major one was that memories are the most powerful thing you could ever have and every story has a end. These two kind of entangle with each other as in the end of the film Kubo honors his parents as passing memory at the ending scene of this film, thus giving Kubo a end to his story However, for the plot of the film I feel it was a little bit of a mashed up adventure with your typical encounters with baddies and with the epic final boss at the end. But for the most part it checks off everything on creating a compelling characters and conflicts. Kubo and the Two Strings is defiantly worth the watch and I encourage all of you to take a night with some popcorn and watch it.

Absolutely fantastic movie. The movie looks stunning and top notch cgi. All the main leads did a great job too. The movie is also extremely charming, funny, and has a fantastic never boring story. Can't say enough about this movie. This no doubt will be one of the best films of the year.

This is a complete film. All the characters are well developed during the entire film. The film never bores and takes it's time to present a good story, with an awesome looking 1st, 2nd, & 3rd act. Finally anyone can enjoy this film, it has drama, fun, action, & humor, all in one package. It's fully recommended, check it out!

The end was to be hoped for a more conclusive ending type he already old constituting the clan again without that boring discourse but anyway is great.

Good film about family and love. It makes me cry a little, so touching. I read that it's very hard to make this film. I think I can watch it anytime. i recommend for all of Asian friends.

I remember having goosebumps when i first saw the trailer, the visuals, the sound and the plot (which seemed different) caught my attention but i have to say i was very disappointed with the direction this fascinating story took. The plot is good, the love of the parents who wish to save their child from the horror that awaits due to the burden of his lineage...apparently. I can imagine it being a great great story on paper but the forcefully drawn out cliche characters paired with cliche moments and dialogues to fill you with synthetic emotions. "oh! the poor boy" "oh the evil antagonist" "oh the confused antagonist" "oh the confused boy", so it tends to leave the entire audience quite confused on how to feel about the movie, the twists it takes and its characters. The plot twists can be seen from light years away, at least for me it was and i was wondering if it is more than just a "good vs evil" movie, which would have given it so so much depth but the direction managed to make it annoyingly shallow. I would not take anything away from the stop-motion animation as it was always a visual feast in spite of the confusingly portrayed characters. At the beginning it was all heart warming for me seeing the love of son for his mother and vice-versa but as the movie progresses past the 15 minute mark you start to wonder if they are the same characters you thought you knew. Hence, at this point it becomes very clear that the character development is very disappointing, and i use the word "disappointing" because the script deserved so much more than what it got. I believe this was because the creators were torn between making it a kids' movie which they would enjoy and also understand in the simplest form without taking anything away from the interesting plot twists, but it failed to do both. This is a prime example how a great script can be ruined by lack of sincerity and vision and i could not help but feel ecstatic imagining what the same script would have done had it fallen into the hands of someone like Hayao Miyazaki who would know these characters and understand their motivations and enable any kid and child to feel for the in the ways they themselves would not be able to understand how. This just shows how much the western movie makers underestimate their younger audiences. They might as well just give out candies and ice-cream at the end to convince them they had a good time. The morally grey characters are forced to side with either black or white which leaves the audience confused on how to really feel about them. I loved the sound and the visuals but they do not do anything more to compensate for it, which might be asking too much from my side. Regardless the visuals are stunning and sounds soothing but they do not tie well with the overall theme of the movie or the characters. The action sequences are just as dull as the characters and the clashes are pretty basic hand to hand combats all the while trying to convince the audience that they are witnessing a battle of some of the most divine beings of the universe. That pretty much sums up the entire movie for me, everything and everyone seems out of their depth here and i can imagine the sigh the writers much have left with after watching it. Nevertheless, i hope in future, a distant future where we have forgotten about this atrocious attempt to take something so artistic and mold it into something so synthetic just to please the movie audience who are far more sophisticated than they give us credit for. I am also very disappointed to see great reviews for the movie which was not bad, nope, i could not be that heartless but fell extremely short of what it could have been and what it was meant to be.

Magnificent to look at, an unforgettable visual delight, Kubo is an amazing animation in every way, not the nothing I've seen so magical and charming of Laika since Coraline.

Kubo and the Two Strings is the new Laika movie and after the disappointment of Boxtrolls, this is a renaissance back to the time of Coraline and ParaNorman. The story, as always, show us a kid as protagonist, who is gifted and will have to face supernatural forces in order to prove him/herself the inherent value of his/her uniqueness. Here, the storyline is a quest for solving a family conflict, enriched with moments of self-discovery, acknowledging family relationships and learning the importance of memoirs and ancestors. With captivating plot-twists the dynamism is maintained and the protagonist’s process never becomes too dense or tedious. The problematic is without questioning, at the ending, when everything falls in the trap of an animated picture, resolving the conflict childishly and very quickly in order to get everyone happy. When comparing with the outcome in ParaNorman, where forces of good and evil preferred to talk and good showed evil how things actually were with the objective to teach instead of defeat; Kubo did nothing of that, although it could have. Besides that, the most outstanding achievement of this film is the stop motion and visual effects, where body movements and facial expressions are just basics; the natural flow of hair, fur, clothes and origami figures made it a work of art; and the job with the antagonist put this movie in a museum.

Kubo's myth is a visual feast and a masterclass in stop-motion puppetry, but its half-baked humor and reluctance to stray from the heroes journey leaves one hoping for a bit more.

Compared to other Oscar-nominated animated films I have seen (Zootopia and Moana), Kubo and the Two Strings is far superior when it comes to visual effects. It is no surprise that the film has received accolades for this, as the film's animations and little visual effect tricks are impeccable. As Kubo tells his stories and the papers begin to replicate characters, the visual impact is impeccable and a true testament to the hard work put in by the animators. The cinematography is also breathtaking with the film using the sun and the trees to create a very natural beauty for a film that occurs in such mystical terms. That said, it is not as funny or as adventurous as its animated counterparts and it is this missing element that leaves Kubo and the Two Strings as a good film, but not one that is very good or great. With terrific voice acting from Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes, and Rooney Mara, the film sets up a conflict between the Moon King (Fiennes) and Kubo (Parkinson). Kubo, a young boy with magical powers from his mother, is the grandson of the Moon King. However, the Moon King is blind to the world and its pain and desires. He is cold and unwelcoming and wants Kubo to be the same way, so he takes one of his eyes. He tries to take the other, but his mother and father take him away. However, his father is killed, leaving him alone with his magical mother, Sariatu (Theron). Accompanied by his mother as a monkey (it makes sense) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), Kubo embarks on a journey to find his father's armor in order to defeat the Moon King. What ensues is a film with great mythology, but is far too predictable. It is a kids movie, yes, but I do not mean the plot. The various little twists are ear marked from the beginning and, yet, the film treats them as if they are incredible and totally unforeseen. This is a shame because the film could have moved through some of these elements quicker and not just relied upon them for surprises. That said, the film's mythology and use of magic is incredible. Not only is it beautifully animated in this regard, but it always instills a sense of awe and incredible power that, for young kids, will make them want to run out and pretend to be Kubo. This is a terrific trait for an animated film aimed at kids and it is one this film has in bunches. It is an incredibly imaginative film that also serves as an introduction to Asian culture and beliefs regarding death and the connection between man and nature. Again, these sequences are brilliantly brought to life, but have even more power in the meaning of these moments and the weight with which it is communicated. This is a film with a deep respect for Asian culture and it shows. Comedically, the film is strongest when Beetle is on the screen. All animated movies must infuse comedy to keep kids engaged and this one is no exception. McConaughey delivers the comedic lines brilliantly and the film drags a bit when he is off the screen. Beetle really gives the film the comedic energy and urgency it desperately needs. On that note, the film can somewhat slack off at times, losing the sense of adventure and pace demanded by its target audience. The film may miss the mark in entertaining children for this reason as the film's comedic introductions are not frequent enough and its story can take a bit too long to reveal itself. More problematically, it is interesting to see this film be let off the hook for its casting. Sure, pile on The Great Wall where Matt Damon plays a white character from Europe that just happens to be in China, but let this one off the hook. All of these characters are voiced by white actors and all of the characters are Asian. This is not something I would detract from the film rating-wise, but how this one escaped controversy is very odd. There are enough good, talented Asian actors that could have fulfilled these roles, so it is a shame to see the film rely on talented, but white actors instead. Shocking that those who are more cognizant of these issues did not raise these concerns regarding these film. That said, the film is impeccably animated with phenomenal visual effects. Its embracing of its mythology and Asian culture is incredible and often quite powerful to watch unfold. That said, its plot "twists" are too obvious and the film can drag in parts, while never utilizing its strong supporting cast enough in comparison to the quality they bring to this film. Overall, it is a good film, but lacks that extra bit to make it a great one.

Originalidad es un adjetivo que el estudio Laika se ha ganado a pulso en los últimos años con títulos como la extraña y horripilante “Coraline” o la creativa “Boxtrolls”. Sin duda este estudio, que algunos pronostican que será el próximo Studio Ghibli, acaba de superarse con la épica historia de Kubo y las dos cuerdas mágicas. A Kubo le encanta narrar relatos y se le da realmente bien, pero siempre tiene problemas a la hora de cerrar sus historias con un buen final. De algún modo esta premisa servirá de alegoría a lo largo de un viaje de madurez en el que su vida y la de sus seres queridos se ve puesta en grave peligro. La aventura de Kubo es un relato que sabe mantener un tono sorprendentemente apropiado para edades muy dispares. Como niño sin duda es una aventura trepidante aunque con momentos realmente duros que el guión sabe suavizar con maestría para los más pequeños. A pesar de ello da en el clavo para aquellos con la madurez suficiente para ver lo que hay detrás. Es una película excelente para todas las edades. Kubo es una película que esta atada a la música casi de un modo sinestético y ésta está acompañada de la mejor animación de todo el año y el mejor “stop motion” de los últimos años (sin duda la principal arma del estudio Laika). El doblaje de voz por parte de Charlize Theron como el Mono y Mathew McConaughey como el escarabajo es inmejorable y saben dar vida a dos personajes que acompañan al protagonista en su viaje y se sienten totalmente vivos en pantalla. Hay frames de la película que podrían ser perfectamente un cuadro y tanto la historia como las imágenes que se encargan de contarla dejan boquiabiertos con cada giro del guión y cada nuevo descubrimiento. Trata además temas sorprendentemente maduros que no se ven con tanta frecuencia y recuerdan de un curioso modo al clásico “The iron Giant” y a la aclamada nueva película de J.A Bayona “A Monster Calls”. He de decir que Kubo y las dos cuerdas mágicas es seguramente la mejor adaptación al cine de Zelda que nunca tendremos. No toma elementos del clásico juego pero el ambiente de descubrimiento y aventura que plasma es sin duda muy similar. En definitiva Kubo y las dos cuerdas mágicas es un soplo de aire fresco y devuelve la esperanza que algunos veían perdida con el cierre del estudio Ghibli. Laika sigue así y no nos falles me acabas de regalar mi película favorita de 2016.

Wonderful visuals (though the renderings of humans are sub-par). However: poor dialogue rife with 21st-century colloquialisms and Americanisms, plot holes you could drive a tractor-trailer through, poor story logic, derivativeness, undeveloped characters. And it was boring. "Coraline" was much better. This was a triumph of style over substance. Only one Asian voice actor! The high scores are saddening.

It seems that many of the best movies I've seen this year are ones that are quietly waiting to be discovered, not the mainstream fare. After watching Kubo, I sat stunned through the credits and spent two days analyzing every last detail of the picture. It was delicate, sublime, sad, triumphant, exciting.... put in another 200 adjectives and that should cover it. It was also mind blowing to realize how much exacting work went into a stop-motion movie with quite a lot of action. I could watch this again forever. That's my favorite type of movie.

There's a heart and most importantly a soul to Kubo that you aren't going to find anywhere else. The tale is brimming with imagination. It's unique and powerful. Backed up by stunning stop motion animation. It's an emotional and adult story that's told in a way that's acceptable for all audiences. It's brimming with depth, humor, and emotion. There's also some impressive action and magic. Kubo is a family movie with enough maturity to be just as compelling to adults on a story level as it is to kids on an entertainment and humor level. A triumph in animation and storytelling, Kubo is not to be missed.

"Kubo and the Two Strings" was an exciting and touching story of adventure in which Laika Animation, stood out a lot in this film, I enter in the film, in its characters, and of history in general, is one of the Best animated films of the year.

An animated film for more mature kids. That I thought was fantastic, another beautifully animated film by Laika Studios. The one fault I had was that it wrapped things up too quickly at the end. But besides that the film kept my attention with a strong story and a few surprises.

Travis Knight takes the director’s chair under the same studio that created other stop-motion spectacles such as Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls. Except this one stands out far greater than the others, as Kubo and the Two Strings uses a classical story to make a tribute to the art of storytelling, in the form of Japanese clay puppets and the old forgotten art of origami. Never before has a story about a one-eyed lonely boy feeding his spiritually lost mother felt so captivating for a contemporary audience. This little restless wanderer takes his journey toward self-worth to a much greater level, as he treats us to a story told within a story with his origami figures, the strings of these puppets controlled by the strings of his musical instrument. Just one sound of the strum, and the paper folds itself to tell of a Moon King who takes a samurai and his family. But young Kubo is not satisfied with his life, as he longs to find his lost father, who he’s been told was once a mighty warrior. All other strides taken by the animators to generate this moving picture are worth the attention of all worldwide art academies. These artists know how to fluidly combine the techniques of stop-motion animation and computer generated imagery in a way that services the artistry rather than the technicality. I am now officially won over upon the concept of combining CGI with Claymation, as everything in the frame of this feature flows and blends together seamlessly, making it impossible to tell what is CGI and what is practical. Kubo is a remarkable feat for 3D viewing. The moments of spectacle in the near-two-hour run time include a moonlit ocean wave split in half, a big scary skeleton with glowing eyes, a large underwater sea creature with a circular mouth, a swordfight with a monster from the afterlife, and two frightening looking ladies who appear merged from V for Vendetta and the twins from The Shining. ​ With such a love toward the history of storytelling, it’s a shame that the story itself needed some fine tuning here and there, particularly in the second act. After some serious drama, Kubo winds up in some other world coated in snow, a monkey there to greet him. Here is where Kubo begins to feel tonally different from how it was marketed. The next hour contains an excess of humor that for the most part falls flat. The conflict is there between the boy and the authoritative monkey, but by jokes that suggest a genre not previously established. To make it worse, Kubo and the monkey later meet with a beetle who has no memory of his past life. Almost all of his dialogue contains jokes that would get on anybody’s nerves like the class clown you had in fourth grade. The voices of these two mentors to the boy are voiced by Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey, neither of which are that terribly fitting with their parts. But Theron does actually have her moment as she gets to tell a story to Kubo in the classical warm tone as told through memory. I’d also like to add that there is a plot twist involving these two figures, but it’s one of those twists you could have easily guessed. This film’s theme supports the belief of Buddhism, which includes reincarnation and praying to ancestors. If you, like me, are of a Christian or other religious belief, it might be offensive to you. But on the plus side, strong bonds in the feature are made between mother and son, offering children an important moral on the importance of storytelling from generation to generation. I always enjoy a good stop-motion film now and then; it’s such a shame there isn’t nearly enough of them being made nowadays. I think innovative forms of animation such as this one add significantly more meaning and artistry to storytelling, much more impactful than the computer animation we’ve gotten way too used to. Now look, I still enjoy CGI as much as the next guy, but I also enjoy a little variety. This story about stories reveals to us why we go to movies: the stories told reveal our true selves, including which ones appeal to us and which ones we choose to tell. Stories, especially in movie format, live on past our own lives through constant retellings.

Gorgeous visuals and animation, but story and character development are seriously lacking. At times, felt like watching an interactive video game, albeit a somewhat boring one.

This movie is worth the price just for the art. Seriously, the art is ridiculously beautiful. And even with just that, the story is good, the music is excellent, and it was a very fun ride. Definetely recommended to all public.

A boy, a monkey and a giant beetle team up for a quest. This is not an old fashioned stop-motion animation. This is a very modern, a hybrid of multiple techniques that includes 3D printing and digital special effects. The directional debut for the producer of 'ParaNorman' and 'The Boxtrolls'. The tale is about a one eyed boy named Kubo, who has been hiding in a seaside mountain cave near a small village from his grandfather, the moon king, ever since his birth, protected by his mother. He grew up listening the stories of a legendary samurai warrior Hanzo. But one day after he himself exposed to the moonlight, the troubles follow. Now his only chance to survive is to find his father's armours and so the quest begins where he teams up with other two. This is a Japanese story, takes place somewhere in a fictional ancient Japan. Technically, this film was so good, very pleasant for viewing, especially the framerate was higher than normal stop-motion animation. The character models, music, the length of the film, the pace of the narration, all were so brilliant, but not the story. It was average, I mean very, very simple and familiar. Still, it is a very likable film, particularly the children would love it. I'm going to repeat again like I always say while reviewing stop-motion animation films that this kind of films are rare, so when they make one, that automatically goes to a must see list. Whether you're going to like it or not, I hope you won't miss it. 7/10

Beautifully animated movie with the stop motion. I was kind of leaning towards a 7 but in the last 30-40 minutes of the film, It was like flicking a switch. The emotional journey that Kubo takes hits the high it's been building towards and by the climax, You can't help but feel for him, all he's lost and the closer he's gained by finishing his unexpected quest. And what really helps carry this film isn't just the talented voice acting cast but by the voice of Kubo - Art Parkinson. Not only does he have to compete against some of the best talent alive but at just 15, He totally delivers and gives a great performance. Kubo is my pick for best animated film of the year.

Okay, so Kubo is pretty weird – but in the best of ways. After all, what other movie have you seen that stars a magical boy, a monkey and a beetle samurai? The odds that you have come across this concept before is pretty unlikely. The movie is basically about a powerful young boy named Kubo (Art Parkinson) who embarks on a journey with his guardian, a.k.a. Monkey (Charlize Theron) and an amnesiac samurai-beetle (Matthew McConaughey) to find magic armour when his grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes) comes after him to convert him to the ‘dark side’, so to speak. And if that wasn’t already enough of an all-star cast, Rooney Mara voices Kubo’s two aunts, who are powerful and scary witches, both of who are excellently animated and acted. A strong link in this movie is the beautiful animation, which blends origami and stop-motion animation, which works surprisingly well. Some out-of-place CGI sticks out like a sore thumb, but luckily it is scarcely used. Kubo and the Two Strings is easily Laika’s best movie to date, with stunning animation, excellent voiceover work and one of the most original stories in recent memory.