‘Kubo And The Two Strings’ Blu-ray Review: Visually Arresting Adventure

The stop-motion animated film Kubo and the Two Strings tells the story of a young boy living in Edo period Japan. Kubo (Art Parkinson) supports himself and his ill mother (Charlize Theron), who is loosing touch with reality at an alarming rate, by telling stories. With the aide of a magic guitar passed on to him from his mother, who is of supernatural lunar origins, he brings literal new life into the ancient art of origami as pieces of paper fold and unfold themselves to create the characters in the legends he tells about his father Hanzo who he believes to have been slain by his grandfather the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes). When his mother is strong enough to form coherent sentences, she reminds him of three things: always keep your father’s robe on you, always keep the wooden monkey charm on your person, and never go out after dark or your grandfather and aunts (Rooney Mara) will take your other eye. The story truly begins when he defies the third warning. What follows is a visually and musically arresting adventure of survival that mirrors the ones Kubo has been told and in return has told his whole life.

After his mother sacrifices her life to save Kubo from his aunts, she uses the last of her powers to bring the monkey charm to life and enchant the embroidered wings on Kubo’s robes to fly him away to the Far Lands. His only means of survival is to find the famed golden Armour from the legends he has heard about his father. He and the monkey are led by an origami Hanzo which Kubo conjured in his dreams. Along the way the trio are joined by a cursed samurai (Matthew McConaughey) forced to take on the attributes of a beetle. Although his memories are scrambled, he claims to be one of Hanzo’s retainers and pledges to help Kubo in his quest, much to the monkey’s annoyance.

Much of the dialogue in the film builds off the Monkey and Beetle’s bantering, initial rudeness, and sarcasm towards one another. While funny at times, it can also come out as dry and overused in some instances for adults watching. Another device used in the film is the dramatic monologue, which is employed to fill the audience in on the characters’s past, ambitions, and also used to introduce plot twists. Some are crucial to the character’s development, such as learning why the aunt’s hate Kubo’ mother and why they want to take his second eye. At times they are overly relied on to make  revelations, creating awkwardness in an otherwise strong moment, such as when the audience learns that the monkey is actually Kubo’s mother or that the beetle is his cursed father.

Some of the most masterfully animated portions of the film are the battle scenes between Kubo and the monsters protecting the three pieces of amour, the last being his grandfather. The only drawbacks to these is that they, namely the first battle, come off as too easily won, although perfectly adequate for a film aimed at a young audience. Perhaps it is purposeful, considering that the most intense battles are with the aunts and grandfather, who are ultimately painted as the true monster of the film.

The film, although beautifully animated and composed, suffers from a slightly overly conflated plot. While Kubo’s owns story line isn’t very hard to follow, that of his extended family members aren’t fully fleshed out, such as why they are so desperate to take his human eyes and have him join their family when they despise his mother for her betrayal. The film leaves us unsure if the aunts, the main antagonists in most of the story, were truly slain when the Moon King, Kubo’s grandfather, is turned into amnesia-ridden old man when defeated. Even then, we are unsure of the old man’s fate. Although the villagers give the man false memories of a kind and generous life and introduce him to his grandson, we do not see the grandfather integrated into the final scenes where Kubo finally gives his story an ending.

The Blu-ray DVD bonus features explores the creation of Kubo. It’s a must have for those who simply love the art and ingenuity that goes behind making these time-exhaustive stop-motion films. It gives the viewer perspective on how puppetry and computer rendered CGI are blended to create the final product we see in the movie. The DVD allows us to explore the expansive sets, which although scaled, are still massive. We get glimpses at more detailed processes, such as the hand stitched costumes and how water was created in the film. It also educates audiences a bit on the Japanese culture and music that inspired the project.