Kubo and the Two Strings

Travis Knight's Kubo and the Two Strings is a work of art, no question about it. Very rarely has a keen focus on the small details been on full display from beginning to end. Whether it's a strand of hair or a whole vast landscape, it's a feast for the eyes.

For some reason, Kubo and the Two Strings (as well as other productions from Laika) got taken for granted. Was it because of its format that caused audiences to think less of it? Perhaps there's a certain stigma towards animated films not made by Pixar or Hayao Miyazaki. Who knows?

Anyway, Kubo and the Two Strings is proof that animated films can be more than something to distract the kids for two hours. It can offer a dazzling display of imagination usually not found in live-action works. Similarly, it's frequently animated films that are more accepting towards a sense of creativity.

Back to Kubo and the Two Strings. There's something about the score by Dario Marianelli that elevates it to a transcendent level. Music itself plays a key role throughout the film so what Marianelli brings to it makes the film more luminescent. (Similarly, be sure to stay through the entire closing credits.)

Kubo and the Two Strings is simply gorgeous in all its elements. It's not the usual animated fare the bigger name studios churn out on a yearly basis; it's simply proof that audiences should embrace what Laika has to offer. (Honestly, had word of mouth been larger, so would the ticket sales.)

My Rating: *****