Kubo and the Two Strings is a stop-motion animated movie by LAIKA (Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls) centering on pre-teen hero Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) and his colorful companions as they journey on a folklore-infused quest through ancient Japan.
The movie plays with several themes: family bonds, and how they transform—or snap; memory and the remembrance of loved ones after death; stories and storytelling; what makes people human, and why humanity should be valued. These themes give deep undercurrents to a plot that, on the surface, resembles folktales of old: Kubo, who uses his two-stringed shamisen (a guiter-like instrument) to summon origami figures to life, among other feats of magic, discovers he must find his dead warrior father’s magical sword, helmet, and suit of armor if he is to protect himself from his maternal grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes).
After Kubo’s mother is killed protecting him from her powerful, witch-like sisters, Kubo journeys across the country and braves many perils, trying to keep a step ahead of his wicked aunts (both voiced by Rooney Mara). He forms a surrogate family with his traveling companions: Monkey (Charlize Theron), a wise, strong, and no-nonsense creature brought to life from a carved figurine with the last of Kubo’s mother’s magic; and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), a gentle warrior cursed to have a beetle’s likeness and to have no memory of his previous life. Beetle pledges himself to Kubo, since Beetle feels he was once one of the great hero Hanzo’s warriors, and Kubo is the son of Hanzo, who was defeated when he tried protect Kubo and his mother from the Moon King.
The animation is intricate and gorgeous, and defies what you think could be done with stop-motion. Hair, fur, leaves, and water—from small creeks to power ocean waves—are given loving and astonishing detail. The major origami scenes are dynamic and delightful--first at the beginning, when Kubo is entertaining a village crowd with the story of Hanzo by animating his paper figurines with the sounds of his shamisen, and later, when Kubo uses his music to summon paper wings with his increasing power.
Above all, the humor and heart in this movie shine through. Between the battles against deadly monsters and violent close-calls with the moon-witch aunts, the story is not afraid to give us tender moments of joking, teasing, and affection among the hodge-podge trio, along with quiet interludes where our heroes wonder about death, the loved ones who have gone before, and what happens after we’re gone.
One quibble I have with the movie is one which has been discussed before, for this movie and many others: whitewashing. The voice actors have all done a marvelous job, but Kubo, Monkey, Beetle, the witch sisters, and the Moon King are all voiced by white actors. Several Japanese actors make appearances as side characters, including the venerated George Takei. Matthew McConaughey did an admirable job voicing Beetle, but couldn’t George Takei (or any number of Japanese voice actors) have voiced the Japanese hero in this story based on Japanese folklore?
It’s a heated debate: Should people see movies like Kubo as progress, or too much of a missed opportunity? Maybe it should be seen as both. In any case, while we can be disappointed at what Kubo could have been, surely we can still appreciate it for the awe-inspiring, skilled animated wonder that it is.
Kubo and the Two Strings opened on August 19, 2016.
