I'm not just writing this because of the Regina Spektor cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps during the end credits. Promise there are other reasons I want to talk about this movie. That said, if you haven't heard that cover...
For the love, go listen.
But seriously, let's talk about this stunning work of art for a minute. This parable that'll probably mean way more to adults than to the kids it's masquerading as being targeted toward. This lovingly rendered sampling of why stop-motion will probably never be entirely replaced. It took me a good long while to finally see Kubo and the Two Strings, which released in 2016, even though I was super intrigued by the trailers. It took me too long to see it, really. That was a grave error I'll never get back. But I did finally see it.
I thought it was amazing, in case you couldn't tell.
And guess what? It's on Netflix right now! Don't make yourself wait any longer. Go and watch. You owe it to yourself. You deserve movies this good, don't let anyone (Michael Bay) tell you otherwise. Because they're wrong.
Now see, I could continue gushing about how much I loved this movie and how much you should absolutely watch it, or I could start gushing about why I loved this movie and why you should absolutely watch it! Unfortunately that discussion would include spoilers, and considering how many of you are likely not to have seen it yet, I won't do that to you. I won't rob you of the experience of watching this movie.
There are, however, a few things I can say. First, the music, which I've already referenced a bit, is astounding. If you've seen any of the trailers or even just most of the advertising artwork, you'll know that a musical instrument of some sort features prominently in the film. So it's likely that you're not surprised that the music plays a prominent role. But it really is more than just good music, it's meaningful. The music is interwoven into the narrative of the movie in incredibly clever ways, frequently delivering on conflicts or subplots that you might only catch subconsciously if you're not paying attention.
And as far as covers of Beatles songs go, the end credits of this movie are pretty stellar.
Second, the visuals. There are stories that lend themselves to the unique stylings of stop-motion animation, and this is absolutely one of them. The models are fantastic, the articulations are superb, and the animation is remarkably smooth for still maintaining that unusual flawed style that makes stop-motion so endearing. The vistas the movie is shot against are also stunning, with top notch cinematography throughout. It looks great, highly stylized and instantly visually distinct, and guys? The giant skeleton. Just... wow.
Third, the characters. They were... also wow. Tight characterization, a tiny but engaging cast, excellent voice work, and fantastical yet relatable challenges and conflicts. There's a lot of meaning in the things they do and the things they say and the people they are and want to be... meaning I won't be mentioning, because spoilers, but it's decidedly Pixar-esque in the depth of meaning they're willing to pack into a kids movie through these well-crafted characters.
Possibly the best thing the movie does is explain nothing. There's a lot of very loose magic in this story, thrown around without any real explanation for how it works or what it does, exactly, and that's fine. The less you explain the less people will whine about plot holes, and frankly while the magic is crucial to the plot of the movie, it's completely incidental to the meaning. And the meaning is what this movie is all about. The story is told nigh unto perfectly in support of that meaning, giving it volume and weight while keeping it accessible.
Kubo and the Two Strings is an excellently made movie. I would say adults will enjoy it because it is excellently made. The 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (87% audience score) would seem to agree. Where children are concerned I consider it to be roughly on-par with Inside Out or Coco in terms of importance, if maybe not quite as fun for little kids as those. But honestly, if you've got kids and your own childhood was influenced by something like, I don't know, The Land Before Time or The Iron Giant...
Well, you probably will want your kids to see this at some point.
For the love, go listen.
But seriously, let's talk about this stunning work of art for a minute. This parable that'll probably mean way more to adults than to the kids it's masquerading as being targeted toward. This lovingly rendered sampling of why stop-motion will probably never be entirely replaced. It took me a good long while to finally see Kubo and the Two Strings, which released in 2016, even though I was super intrigued by the trailers. It took me too long to see it, really. That was a grave error I'll never get back. But I did finally see it.
I thought it was amazing, in case you couldn't tell.
And guess what? It's on Netflix right now! Don't make yourself wait any longer. Go and watch. You owe it to yourself. You deserve movies this good, don't let anyone (Michael Bay) tell you otherwise. Because they're wrong.
Now see, I could continue gushing about how much I loved this movie and how much you should absolutely watch it, or I could start gushing about why I loved this movie and why you should absolutely watch it! Unfortunately that discussion would include spoilers, and considering how many of you are likely not to have seen it yet, I won't do that to you. I won't rob you of the experience of watching this movie.
There are, however, a few things I can say. First, the music, which I've already referenced a bit, is astounding. If you've seen any of the trailers or even just most of the advertising artwork, you'll know that a musical instrument of some sort features prominently in the film. So it's likely that you're not surprised that the music plays a prominent role. But it really is more than just good music, it's meaningful. The music is interwoven into the narrative of the movie in incredibly clever ways, frequently delivering on conflicts or subplots that you might only catch subconsciously if you're not paying attention.
And as far as covers of Beatles songs go, the end credits of this movie are pretty stellar.
Second, the visuals. There are stories that lend themselves to the unique stylings of stop-motion animation, and this is absolutely one of them. The models are fantastic, the articulations are superb, and the animation is remarkably smooth for still maintaining that unusual flawed style that makes stop-motion so endearing. The vistas the movie is shot against are also stunning, with top notch cinematography throughout. It looks great, highly stylized and instantly visually distinct, and guys? The giant skeleton. Just... wow.
Third, the characters. They were... also wow. Tight characterization, a tiny but engaging cast, excellent voice work, and fantastical yet relatable challenges and conflicts. There's a lot of meaning in the things they do and the things they say and the people they are and want to be... meaning I won't be mentioning, because spoilers, but it's decidedly Pixar-esque in the depth of meaning they're willing to pack into a kids movie through these well-crafted characters.
Possibly the best thing the movie does is explain nothing. There's a lot of very loose magic in this story, thrown around without any real explanation for how it works or what it does, exactly, and that's fine. The less you explain the less people will whine about plot holes, and frankly while the magic is crucial to the plot of the movie, it's completely incidental to the meaning. And the meaning is what this movie is all about. The story is told nigh unto perfectly in support of that meaning, giving it volume and weight while keeping it accessible.
Kubo and the Two Strings is an excellently made movie. I would say adults will enjoy it because it is excellently made. The 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (87% audience score) would seem to agree. Where children are concerned I consider it to be roughly on-par with Inside Out or Coco in terms of importance, if maybe not quite as fun for little kids as those. But honestly, if you've got kids and your own childhood was influenced by something like, I don't know, The Land Before Time or The Iron Giant...
Well, you probably will want your kids to see this at some point.
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