Maybe summer 2016 will go down as the season of well made kids films. Finding Dory, The BFG, and Pete’s Dragon were all solid family films, and now we can add one more success to that list: Kubo and the Two Strings.
Stop motion animation is an art all its own and Kubo and the Two Strings continues the proud tradition in fine form. In addition to creating a few of the most colorful and engaging characters I’ve ever seen in a stop motion picture, it also has some of the most stunning scenic views and landscapes. There is a lot to love about Kubo and the Two Strings, and we hope you check it out this weekend.
Strengths
Visually stunning
Everything, from the characters to the costuming to the scenery, is beautiful in Kubo and the Two Strings. While it maintains that specific stop-motion quality that we have all come to enjoy, there’s a grander beauty present throughout Kubo that is hard to deny. I found myself looking at the entirety of the screen, scouring the edges of the frame trying to check out every detail in addition to enjoying the story.
Beautiful imagery
In addition to the film being beautifully made and crafted, the imagery used to convey the magic of this story was vivid and bright. The second Kubo strummed his two-stringed instrument, I gasped and watched wide-eyed as colored paper began folding itself into some of the most beautiful origami work you could imagine. The sequence that can only be described as “the one with the fire-breathing chicken” was one hell of an accomplishment. I cannot imagine that scene being more powerful in any other medium.
Cheeky sidekicks
A little ways into the film, you meet Kubo’s companions for his quest. Monkey and Beetle are a thoroughly enjoyable odd couple that brings a lot of levity to a film that could easily slip into darkness and tell a very different kind of story. They are snarky, and full of sass, particularly toward each other. More importantly, they’re both great allies to Kubo. Beetle is funny, but if you don’t walk out of Kubo and the Two Strings wishing that you had a Monkey all your own, we don’t want to know you.
Weaknesses
Pacing
The pacing in Kubo and the Two Strings left a lot to be desired. This story is incredibly dense and has a lot to tell and show you in it’s freakishly short running time. I don’t believe they used their time on screen in the smartest ways possible. There are whole sequences that are so cut up so thoroughly, you lose the intensity of the events happening on screen because it’s hard to understand the grander scheme at play.
Too short
In my humble opinion, Kubo and the Two Strings could have benefited from a longer runtime. The 101 minutes they had were full to capacity and maybe if they had given some scenes and/or ideas a little longer to germinate, the story itself would have felt stronger.
I would have appreciated more explanation as to what the armor that Kubo is looking for would do to protect him. We learn that his sword is unbreakable, that his breast plate is impenetrable, and that his helmet is invulnerable, but I don’t believe we ever discover just what kind of power can be harnessed by reuniting the pieces of armor. Instead, it seems that the armor was just a vehicle to get Kubo to where he needed to be for the final showdown between himself and the Moon King.
Ultimately
Kubo and the Two Strings is a good movie, and is perfect for older children, cinema-philes, and people that love breathtaking craftsmanship. It is clear that this project invoked a lot of love and passion, and no one is doubting that the parts of Kubo that work, work extremely well.
I will probably re-watch this film at some point, even if just to admire the scope and vision for this project as a whole. A lot of work went into getting this right and the story is compelling, fun, and a teensy bit scary. It’s beautifully made, and is well worth the price of admission, it just isn’t perfect.
That’s okay though. A movie doesn’t need to be perfect to be enjoyable. Good movies come in all shapes and sizes, this one just happens to come in a smaller package than we’d like. If you have been looking forward to Kubo and the Two Strings, we don’t think you’ll walk away disappointed.