Kubo and the two strings was film released in the U.S. on August 19, 2016 and accumulated a box office of 73.3 million USD.  It came out on DVD in late November and is awaiting a release on Netflix.  If you didn’t see it in theaters, it’s worth a look at home.

Director  Travis Knight has worked on other movies that include the Boxtrolls (2014), and Paranorman (2012). He is also the CEO of the production/animation company LAIKA, known for their intricate stop-motion work.  According to Screen Rant, LAIKA is famous for “gorgeous art, creepy yet meaningful story lines and, above all, passion. They are dedicated artists who toil for years on a single movie, and while their films do not turn much of a profit at the box office, they are known to become fast cult classics.”

One notable actor in the movie is Matthew McConaughey who plays Beetle, an amnesiac samurai forced to take the form of a beetle.  Ralph Fiennes plays Raiden the Moon King, Kubo’s evil grandfather who claimed one of his eyes. He is known for his roles in Schindler’s List and Harry Potter.

The movie’s setting is in Ancient Japan where Kubo, a one eyed boy, lives with his ill mother, Sariatu, inside a cave atop a mountain. Each day Kubo travels down from the mountain to the village and tells the story of Hanzo, a Samurai Warrior, with origami paper that he controls with his Shamisen.

He never finishes telling the story because he must return home to the cave before dusk or else his aunts and his grandfather will come to take his other eye. One night while staying out past dark due to the Obon Festival, his aunts find him and attack him. His mother comes to his rescue and tells him that he must find his father’s magic armor. Kubo is then flown away by her magic.

Kubo wakes up to find a talking monkey who explains to him he must survive on his own now. The two begin their quest to look for the magic armor and encounter many trials and people along the way.

The main message of the movie is to focus on a dedication to family. The movie does a good way of representing the sense of family by making Kubo stronger when he is surrounded by his family and giving him the power to defeat his grandfather, the Moon King.

I would give this movie 4 out of 4 stars. It does an amazing job of progressing the story without leaving out any loopholes or details.  Even though it is a children’s movie, it appeals to audiences of all ages. Even though the story’s plot is compelling, the stop motion artistry of LAIKO and Director Knight are astounding.