My Movie Review on Kubo and the Two Strings

Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?

This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.

Today, for my 272nd film analysis, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Kubo and the Two Strings".

Here's the rundown of this tale:

Kubo is a 12 year old boy who lost his eye when he was a baby. The only family member he has is his mother, whose mental health has been in decline following a terrible blow to the head. Together, the two of them live in a cave that's next-door to a village, where Kubo frequently entertains the villagers by telling the tale of a samurai warrior named Hanzo.

However, when Kubo's whereabouts are discovered by his tyrannical grandfather, the Moon King, and his equally dangerous twin aunts, Kubo goes on the adventure of a lifetime. To protect himself from his grandfather and aunts, Kubo must find the gear of Hanzo, who was both Kubo's father and the only one capable of besting the Moon King and witches in battle.

Accompanying Kubo on the journey is a talking Monkey, who was a charm brought to life by the magic of Kubo's mother to be his guardian; and Beetle, who is an amnesiac warrior cursed to take the form of a stag beetle/human hybrid.

Will Kubo recover his father's battle gear to face his foes? Or will the Moon King be the one to end Kubo's story?

Back when I started to become a reviewer, "Kubo and the Two Strings" was a movie I had a very high interest in making an analysis of. I never did get around to reviewing it, though, which was due to my interest in analyzing other things more. And just like some other movies I previously reviewed, I kept the post I made for the occasion in my website's drafts for whenever I was ready to do so.

As you can see, I finally decided to analyze Kubo. I was thinking about the movie so much this year, and every time I did I became all-the-more interested in getting around to reviewing it. So, I did just that.

Prior to my plans to review the movie, "Kubo and the Two Strings" was something I saw two or three times on separate occasions long before, and I remembered enjoying it back then. Of course, I had to rewatch the film recently so that I could make my analysis of it, because the last time I saw it was after my high school graduation.

One thing I'd like to tell you guys is that reviewing Kubo turned out to be extremely challenging, which made the whole thing unexpectedly take longer to complete.

In preparation for reviewing Kubo, I watched it two times in order to be absolutely certain on what my thoughts on it were. For some reason, my head wasn't exactly getting its gears turning the first time around, which I believe had something to do with feeling tired after having such a big day. And as I wrote down what I thought of the film after the second time I saw it, I've often had to make quick edits in order to rephrase things and be much more clear with what I was saying.

All in all, creating my review on Kubo definitely wasn't an "easy as pie" task. The only thing I'm hoping for now is that everything came out well and that it's an enjoyable read.

So, what do I think of "Kubo and the Two Strings" after all these years? Even after seeing it twice?

Well, I really can't lie to you guys. Even after watching two times recently, I found Kubo to be one of the best animated movies I've ever watched!

For instance, the animation and visuals were astonishing beyond compare.

Whenever I'd think back on all the times I watched Kubo, I'd remember that this was the first film I saw to be animated by LAIKA. It helped me become much more aware of the company, and as I watched the movie...I was blown away with astonishment by their visuals and overall style. I noted the love and dedication the animators were putting into even the smallest of details, and they accomplished so many things that I didn't think would be possible to do in stop-motion animation. They made great use of their $60 million dollar budget too, because the results of their hard work were impressive even by that standpoint. The character animation was fluid, the settings and environments were beautifully well-done, and the moments involving paper were notable instances of animators trying to push the envelope.

The use of computer-animation for the Long Lake was also brilliant, and the best part was that it blended perfectly with the film's stop-motion animated elements. The hand-drawn animation used for the end credits was stunning too, especially to where they made the movie fun to watch despite coming to an end.

The direction by Travis Knight, the story by Marc Haimes and Shannon Tindle, and the screenplay by Haimes and Chris Butler, were fantastic as well.

With this movie being the very first to be directed by Knight, I could tell that his work as an animator and producer greatly prepared him for eventually taking the director's chair when he'd want to. He helmed Kubo with a passion and confidence that made itself known right at the first few seconds, and it was clear to me that he was willing to push himself into doing his very best.

In addition to this, the overall story tied itself together incredibly well as a traveling-quest concept. It contained tons of high stakes and surprises to where there's never a dull moment, and there was an unpredictable nature that could put people on the edge of their seats. Likewise, Knight and the writers incorporated an impeccably balanced tone, which would range from emotionally dramatic and dark to lightheartedly humorous and witty. The story wasn't without heart and emotion either, in that there were moments strong enough to tug at one's heart.

Another thing about Kubo that repeatedly caught my eye was the morals and themes it had about memories, family, love, and loss. In every way, the movie appeared to be teaching that remembering and honoring the people we love is how we can move forward after they die, which I know from experience is very true in real life. It also teaches that a real family should always be loving and nurturing for the child while still giving them room to grow and make their own choices, and that love is something no one should ever be without.

The voice acting, characters, and character development were fantastic as well.

Having learned a long time ago about the criticism towards the majority of the cast being white, the only exceptions being George Takei as Hosato and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Hashi, I honestly consider that to be one of the most ridiculous point of criticisms ever! Just like I stated in my review of "Raya and the Last Dragon", I believe that the most important thing when casting for animated characters is whether the performers could give their parts a sense of texture and dimension, no matter the race, gender, or ethnicity. And in my opinion, all of the cast members were able to do just that. They portrayed their characters like they were born to play them, and whatever piece of dialogue they were given was turned into a memorable quote thanks to their passionate performances.

Matthew McConaughey and Charlize Theron were instant scene-stealers in the roles of Beetle and Monkey, because they both incorporated a great sense of humor, personality, emotion, and depth that helped their characters click. Art Parkinson's performance as Kubo was also one of the most award-worthy vocal portrayals I ever heard, particularly to where he sounded like he did far more than just provide the character's voice. Plus, Rooney Mara gave a bone-chilling performance as The Sisters, George Takei and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa portrayed the parts of Hosato and Hashi flawlessly, Brenda Vaccaro stole the show with her portrayal of Kameyo, and Ralph Fiennes was quite a showstopper with his performance as the Moon King despite his character's lack of screen time.

The characters themselves were an absolute joy to watch. Each of them were memorable and distinct in the best way, and they all had dynamic development. Kubo in particular was the one whom I believe developed the most, because the more the story progressed, the more he was coming-of-age. Beetle and Monkey also grew incredibly well throughout the film, and it was amazing how the story gave them each a greater purpose than anyone could expect. Regardless of the Moon King not being featured much, he still had a great amount of buildup that would directly lead into the final confrontation between him and Kubo, and he certainly wasn't without personality or development.

Finally, the music by Dario Marienelli was magnificent.

Everything about Marienelli's score matched perfectly with the film's tone, story, direction, and characters. The way his melodies also reflected the movie's setting while taking things on an emotionally-invested scale was wonderful too, as they helped this motion picture actually feel like one that takes place in Japan. Also, I really can't lie when I say that Regina Spektor's rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is one of my all-time favorite songs. I loved it so much that I purchased it from iTunes and uploaded it to my Music app.

Despite my positive assessment of this movie, I'd like to say that I wouldn't recommend Kubo for anyone under 11 years of age. There are moments that may be too intense or scary for the littles ones, and while it is a family-friendly feature, it's also pretty dark and mature regardless. Needless to say, that's why I believe this movie would be more suited for pre-teens and older.

In conclusion, though, "Kubo and the Two Strings" is truly one of the best animated features I've ever watched. Everyone involved was in top form and having a great time taking part in this venture, and it practically stands apart from the multitude of computer-animated movies that were released in 2016.

So, I rate "Kubo and the Two Strings" a solid five out of five stars.