KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS succeeds in creating a story that feels Japanese while being written and helmed by Americans. It’s mystical in a way that feels both possible and magical at the same time. The choice to do this as a combination of claymation and digital animation fit the style and worked well.
This is a story of a boy who goes on a quest to find three pieces of samurai armor his father owned which will help him defeat the Moon King. He’s accompanied by Monkey and Beetle. Kubo himself possesses magic of his own when he plays his enchanted shamisen. It stars the voice talents of Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei and Art Parkinson as Kubo.
While it was definitely very good, it was missing that final element to make it magical.
As someone who lived in Japan, I am always curious to see how the culture is addressed by American filmmakers. For more about KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS and the Japanese culture reflected in particular, take a look below:
