Kubo and the Two Strings, the next installment from the stop-go animation studio Laika is here, and I think it's an amazing film. I've stated for years that Laika could be the biggest competition for Pixar, and finally Laika has delivered a movie to prove me right. Kubo and the Two Strings is beautifully animated, conveys amazing amounts of emotional depth, and brings a true sense of magic. In the past I had been critical of some stop-go animation, but the works of Aardman and Laika have taken it to a premier level.
This film's animation is gorgeous, simply put the characters, the settings, the creatures, they all look amazing. It shouldn't come as any surprise, Laika has consistently made beautiful films, but it's always impressive when you consider the amount of time and effort that goes into animating a stop-go animation film. Above the animation the looks of the film is amazing, as the animators used color so well to give the film a look, and even more impressively the animators weren't afraid to make it dark. That has been one of the best staples of Laika, it's boldness to be willing to make an animated movie dark (but only to an extent.)
The boldness to make the film look dark occasionally, really exemplifies the film's impressive emotional depth. Much like Pixar, Laika seems to understand that the marshmallow fluff most studios give kids, are very one dimensional. While that fluff is in this film, there's elements of light horror in this film as well. Any film that can juxtapose kiddy fluff with any kind of horror tones, deserves credit for their depth and understanding of mood. It also helps make this film feel all the more magical, as if the presence of a character can change the mood of an area, which is amazing.
The entire film's look and depth help create a truly magical film, one where imagination seems to be at full capacity for the writers and filmmakers. The film's villain characters, voiced by Rooney Mara, are creepy and perfectly designed, and the main characters are very well developed as well. This film uses color amazingly, especially blue, which is a common color used in films today, but the use of it in this film both enhances the story and the mood beautifully. Above that the voice work is also incredible, especially the work of Matthew McConaughey and Charlize Theron.
All in all, this film is amazing, it may possibly be the best film of the year so far, although it's still early and Captain America: Civil War was pretty great as well. The story may have been a tad predictable in the end, but the magical look and feel of this animated film transcends a slightly predictable story. For those who love great movie and those who have imaginative young kids, see this in the theaters where the sense of magic can still be felt.
This film's animation is gorgeous, simply put the characters, the settings, the creatures, they all look amazing. It shouldn't come as any surprise, Laika has consistently made beautiful films, but it's always impressive when you consider the amount of time and effort that goes into animating a stop-go animation film. Above the animation the looks of the film is amazing, as the animators used color so well to give the film a look, and even more impressively the animators weren't afraid to make it dark. That has been one of the best staples of Laika, it's boldness to be willing to make an animated movie dark (but only to an extent.)
The boldness to make the film look dark occasionally, really exemplifies the film's impressive emotional depth. Much like Pixar, Laika seems to understand that the marshmallow fluff most studios give kids, are very one dimensional. While that fluff is in this film, there's elements of light horror in this film as well. Any film that can juxtapose kiddy fluff with any kind of horror tones, deserves credit for their depth and understanding of mood. It also helps make this film feel all the more magical, as if the presence of a character can change the mood of an area, which is amazing.
The entire film's look and depth help create a truly magical film, one where imagination seems to be at full capacity for the writers and filmmakers. The film's villain characters, voiced by Rooney Mara, are creepy and perfectly designed, and the main characters are very well developed as well. This film uses color amazingly, especially blue, which is a common color used in films today, but the use of it in this film both enhances the story and the mood beautifully. Above that the voice work is also incredible, especially the work of Matthew McConaughey and Charlize Theron.
All in all, this film is amazing, it may possibly be the best film of the year so far, although it's still early and Captain America: Civil War was pretty great as well. The story may have been a tad predictable in the end, but the magical look and feel of this animated film transcends a slightly predictable story. For those who love great movie and those who have imaginative young kids, see this in the theaters where the sense of magic can still be felt.