KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016) Review
Directed by Travis Knight
Laika Entertainment’s latest stop-motion film puts adventure and fantasy into a whole new level. Kubo and the Two Strings doesn’t go far from formula, but it does take every detail of its story polished and close to the heart of its viewers of all ages.
Kubo grew up isolated from the others with his mother, or at least until sundown. He possesses the ability to control papers, to have them move the way he wants it as he tells a story, his story told by his mother. Things aren’t getting any better for him and his mother, but something worse is about to happen and will reveal everything about him and his family and why they had to keep isolated or hidden from the moon.
Simply put, Kubo and the Two Strings is beyond magical. It’s one of those stories that we tell because it means something for all of us, because we want to live for something, to fight for something. It’s beautiful animation is almost impossible, especially if you know how hard or how much attention needed to put up a full-length feature film composed of clays in a stop-motion way. Of course, not all of it was done that way but everything is just mesmerizing.
The structure of the story is common, but it’s special because it follows a story of a young boy, in a very personal way. We not only get to see his adventures, but also feel it. From his own journey to the ones he has with the people helping him which turns out to be more than just fulfilling a destiny, but rather finding your place in the world, along with every one that comes your way, be it an ally or an enemy.
4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS
“Kubo and the Two Strings” is now showing exclusively at Robinsons Movieworld, distributed by United International Pictures Philippines through Columbia Pictures. Rated PG by the MTRCB