Kubo is an exceptional film - it takes a non-patronizing theme of loss, and like Song of the Sea, refuses to spoon feed its audience. This is a film all ages can enjoy - from younger children, who will love its sense of adventure and style, to older kids and beyond, who will resonate with its deeper themes.
It goes for simplicity in its straightforward appeal yet hides complexity in its nod to Pure Lands Buddhism, Shintoism, Origami as Zen, and other Eastern mysticism, while also touching on the central themes of the Western literary tradition of magical realism. This is a film with many layers and many ideas - yet has a cohesion - with the central idea of a child coping with loss - that any child can understand.
On top of this very good abstract base, it has great action, a good plot and story line, and good characterization - the time zips along.
The animation is simply stunning - the use of puppetry and sets is so different from both Disney and Pixar that we almost balk at the idea, but those who have seen ParaNorman or Coraline from the same studio, Laika, this is refined and simply breathtaking in places. The animation is complex, beguiling, and very engaging. Travis Knight, as director, does a great job at pulling together the piece in a very cohesive whole.
It certainly should be among the contenders for the 2017 Oscar - we all preferred it, ourselves, to Finding Dory - Kubo is a wonderful story about stories and storytelling as memory, and in the current era, where disposable is seen as optimal, to be given time to reflect on why memories and stories matter as connecting us is very powerful.
It goes for simplicity in its straightforward appeal yet hides complexity in its nod to Pure Lands Buddhism, Shintoism, Origami as Zen, and other Eastern mysticism, while also touching on the central themes of the Western literary tradition of magical realism. This is a film with many layers and many ideas - yet has a cohesion - with the central idea of a child coping with loss - that any child can understand.
On top of this very good abstract base, it has great action, a good plot and story line, and good characterization - the time zips along.
The animation is simply stunning - the use of puppetry and sets is so different from both Disney and Pixar that we almost balk at the idea, but those who have seen ParaNorman or Coraline from the same studio, Laika, this is refined and simply breathtaking in places. The animation is complex, beguiling, and very engaging. Travis Knight, as director, does a great job at pulling together the piece in a very cohesive whole.
It certainly should be among the contenders for the 2017 Oscar - we all preferred it, ourselves, to Finding Dory - Kubo is a wonderful story about stories and storytelling as memory, and in the current era, where disposable is seen as optimal, to be given time to reflect on why memories and stories matter as connecting us is very powerful.