First Take: Kubo and the Two Strings- the team at Laika nail it yet again

SYPNOSIS:

A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armour worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.

The animation slate this year has been absolutely brilliant, with films like Angry Birds and Zootropolis really standing out. However, I think we might have a real contender for the awards season here- the team who brought us Coraline, Paranorman and The Boxtrolls have made what can only be described as their best film yet.

Travis Knight does a brilliant job directing his first feature film, and it’s obvious how much involvement he has in the production of this film- he still gets a credit as the lead animator (something which he has been on every Laika film so far). Add to that a script that is bathed in Japanese cultural references that really lend themselves to stop motion animation and you have a plot that can really captivate audiences both young and old. Performance wise, it’s pretty much perfect. Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey and Game of Thrones cast member Art Parkinson put in some great work, and it’s safe to say that this is brilliant casting. The animation and production design is stunning, and even though I was at a 2D screening, it’s obvious that the 3D version was thought about in every shot, something which is really shown in the end credits sequence as it literally deconstructs one of the big action setpieces and shows us how it was animated. This is pure family entertainment brilliance.

THE VERDICT

Kubo and the Two Strings is a masterclass in filmmaking that really targets the PG certificate. With a great story and some incredible visuals, the 1 hour 41 minute runtime really flies by. This is possibly one of my highlights of the year so far- this is one of the most well thought out films I’ve seen.

RATING: 5/5