Kubo and the Two Strings, film review: Animation to take the breath away

If you like crafty art, Laika's new 3D stop-motion cartoon is a must — even if some of the gags feel a little forced
Charlotte O'Sullivan9 September 2016

Another splendidly strange 3D stop-motion cartoon from Laika, the production company behind Coraline, ParaNorman and Boxtrolls. Set in ancient Japan, the story concerns one-eyed, 12-year-old boy Kubo (Art Parkinson), who uses origami and music to spin tall tales while his mother zones out in a cave.

She’s hiding from Kubo’s grandfather and aunts (who stole Kubo’s eye and now have designs on the other one). When the aunts eventually appear they’re as vicious as the furious figure in Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black. Kids may squeal at the sight and sound of “the sisters” (both voiced by Rooney Mara). Fragile adults will sweat a little, too.

There are also plenty of good jokes, though — once Kubo sets off on a quest for magical armour — some of the gags feel a little forced.

With the help of a monkey and a beetle, our hero must look for a “sword unbreakable”. “It should be called the sword unfindable,” says the beetle (Matthew McConaughey, who you can imagine sighing into his shoes when he read that line). Luckily, he and Charlize Theron (as the monkey) remain screwball-sharp — there’s a nice, romantic twist on the way.

And the animation? Well, it robs you of breath, over and over again. A boat made of crispy autumn leaves, the delicate face of an immortal tyrant... Computer technology is used to show off the versatility of a child’s imagination, as well as the polymorphic potential of paper. If you like crafty art, this one’s for you.

Cert PG, 102 mins

Latest film reviews

1/99

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT