Kubo and the Two Strings is another intelligent, tightly-written film from the animation company Laika. Much in the vein of Coraline and Paranorman, the film continues to touch upon emotional notes while continuing to support the legacy its creating company has garnered with its past few films.

And just like Paranorman and Coraline, Kubo reaches for its younger target audience with an emotional and empathetic intelligence. Death--including death of parents and loved ones--is addressed with finesse and without being too maudlin. There is also an overarching question of "what is humanity?" concerning the main antagonist, which is handled well and, given its world, realistically.

While I found certain aspects of the plot just a tad too predictable concerning two certain characters and their identities, it lends a certain amount of trust to its audience to figure things out on their own. As a result, the amount of visual exposition is incredible. And it goes without saying that the film is utterly gorgeous, utilizing a seamless blend of stop-motion puppets and CG backgrounds.

Kubo is also very dramaturgically sound (aside from a cover of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", covered interestingly on shamisen)--you can tell that the core creative team truly put in the time and effort that such an endeavor like this would require. The costumes and sets that have been created build exponentially on a world of magic and myth.

Something else I can appreciate in this film is the de-emphasizing of violence as a means to solve problems. While their are action scenes in the movie that contain violence, ultimately the main conflict is not solved through aggression, but rather by utilizing core parts of who Kubo is--his music and compassion. This message, I feel, will have an incredible effect on young boys (and children in general). Along with the overarching themes of humanity, love, and legacy, Kubo and the Two Strings will have its own spot as a classic.