In one of the most "meta" cinematic confessions of the last years since Kylo Ren being embarrassed by his inability to live up to Darth Vader in Episode VII, young wizard/storyteller Kubo (Art Parkinson), the titular protagonist here, sheepishly admits he isn't very good with endings.
This stop-motion fantasy adventure by Laika (Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls) has many successful elements: likable characters, strong voice acting (Charlize Theron in particular is great as a talking animal companion), enough original spins to make the classic hero's journey feel fresh ... and it looks phenomenal. Kubo bristles with visual details - it's one of the most gorgeous animated movies I've watched in years.
Spoilers aside, Kubo starts with an effective first act, builds up to a powerful crescendo... then sort of peters out at the end. Characters we've grown attached to get kicked off the spotlight by the main villain, who had been conspicuously absent until then. It's not a *bad* conclusion - it has a nice bittersweet flavor - but it's anticlimactic. It's the opposite of ParaNorman, which was droll but unremarkable for most of its running time but knocked it out of the park in the final act.
Overall, Laika's winning streak continues. Much like Coraline, however, this isn't fit for younger children - if you want a fine stop-motion adventure for little kids, go for the Shaun the Sheep movie.
7.5/10
This stop-motion fantasy adventure by Laika (Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls) has many successful elements: likable characters, strong voice acting (Charlize Theron in particular is great as a talking animal companion), enough original spins to make the classic hero's journey feel fresh ... and it looks phenomenal. Kubo bristles with visual details - it's one of the most gorgeous animated movies I've watched in years.
Spoilers aside, Kubo starts with an effective first act, builds up to a powerful crescendo... then sort of peters out at the end. Characters we've grown attached to get kicked off the spotlight by the main villain, who had been conspicuously absent until then. It's not a *bad* conclusion - it has a nice bittersweet flavor - but it's anticlimactic. It's the opposite of ParaNorman, which was droll but unremarkable for most of its running time but knocked it out of the park in the final act.
Overall, Laika's winning streak continues. Much like Coraline, however, this isn't fit for younger children - if you want a fine stop-motion adventure for little kids, go for the Shaun the Sheep movie.
7.5/10