Kubo And The Two Strings

“If you must blink, do it now.”
– Kubo

FIVE out of FIVE STARS!

I watched Kubo and the Two Strings for the first time last night and it was absolutely incredible. KATTS is made by Laika studios the same people responsible for cinematic feats such as ParaNorman, The Box Trolls, and one of my favorites, Coraline.

They’re not your typical computer animations that you expect from companies like Disney and Nickelodeon. These guys film these movies with stop-motion animation.

Stop-motion animation takes infinitely longer because they have to take a picture then move the character, take a picture, then move the character again. It’s a painstakingly detailed process.

Watch this trailer and look at the opening scene. Each piece of hair and fur was moved individually in each frame.

Typically there are 24 frames per second in a movie. That means that one second is made up of 24 pictures. KATTS is 101 minutes long that means there would be 145,440 frames in the movie. Imagine having to move the characters in a believable way 145,440 times while they walk, jump, talk, yell…it takes years to make. Did I mention there’s a sixteen foot character in it? Yeah, there is.

KATTS is a work of art not only in the sop motion animation, but in the storytelling. The story is about a boy named Kubo who lives in a quiet village with his sick mother, when their village is attacked, Kubo leaves on a quest to find his father’s magical armor. Kubo is a young boy who never knew his father, but that desire to know who he really was permeates him.

While his companions seem strange being an anthropomorphic beetle and a cautious monkey, you cannot help but love the trio as they journey together.

Dario Marianelli performed the music for KATTS, whom I fell in love with after hearing the soundtrack in Pride and Prejudice. He does an outstanding job on this film as well. Even as I write this, I’m playing the soundtrack to keep me on task.

You may be thinking, Kubo and the Two Strings? What a strange title! But when you see the story unfold, you wouldn’t pick any other name for it… This movie is the best thing to have come out of 2016. If you want to do yourself a favor, buy this movie and watch it with everyone. Take in ever little detail and enjoy a film that is sure to become a cult classic.