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| Scene from Kubo and the Two Strings |
In an era where animated
films are more likely than not to get the CG treatment, one has to wonder if
these movies carry the magic that they once did. Beyond the rare exceptions
like How to Train Your Dragon 2 or Inside Out,
most fall into a formulaic, familiar style that make for an enjoyable
experience, but leave plenty to be desired in the aesthetic department. It is
in reasoning like this that Laika's latest Kubo and the Two Strings isn't
just the best animated film of the year, but possibly one of the most exciting
and revolutionary aesthetically of the decade. The blend of stop motion and CG
animation unveils the potential for what cinema can be by telling the story of
a boy named Kubo (Art Parkinson), a Monkey (Charlize Theron), and a Beetle
(Matthew McConaughey) as they go on a mystical journey that explores the grand
themes of imagination. If nothing else, it's the studio's most assured film
since 2009's Coraline, and it may be their most ambitious yet.
