That's what our main character Kubo has to say on one occasion in Kubo and the Two Strings. But this sentence I believe is also a curcol as well as show off from the filmmakers. They ventured that the film was not made easy, which then produced a magical final product. With its amazing animations of detail and pampering the eyes, this film presents a rare magic of the cinema universe, which brings us to a new world we have never visited. We've never seen a movie like this. The plot points are relatively familiar, however, all seem very new and fresh.
The film is a stop-motion animation where, as we know, the characters and the background are made one by one in real mini size, moved slowly and then taken the picture frame perframe, then put together into a moving image. The makers are Laika studios which previously released 3 animated stop-motion (Coraline, Paranorman, The Boxtrolls), but all three were successful Oscar nominees. This one can not even go, because Kubo and the Two Strings is their most epic and best animation so far.
The animation is smooth, it should have a high texture, and the story is intimate. The film takes place in old Japan that is familiar with the mythology of the gods and the power of magic. This setting allows the movie to display visuals and unusual setpieces. We will see unique characters with distinctive ethnic costumes and strange creatures from Japanese mythology. Children, be careful, because just like the previous Laika movie, not all the creatures in their movie are cute. Often awful, but definitely a fresh treat for the eyes.
Kubo (Art Parkinson), a son of a legendary samurai named Hanzo, is an independent child. Every day, he goes to the city and the buskers tell stories with shamisen. Shamisen aka special Japanese guitar is special, because it can make the origami doll that brought Kubo live and move alone. But this does not seem to be a stressful thing in the city, because Kubo is not so celebrity. At night, Kubo takes care of his mother who lives in a cave on the seafront. Kubo's mother is very ill and his memory is vague, but always reminds Kubo not to go out at night.
Of course, one day Kubo broke the ban. This reveals a new family conflict known to Kubo. Apparently Kubo and his mother were hunted by his two aunt (Rooney Mara) who was sent by his grandfather, the King of the Moon (Ralph Fiennes). They eye Kubo's one remaining eye in order to gain the power of mandraguna magic. By using the remains of his strength, Kubo's mother managed to save Kubo.
From here, we are invited to follow Kubo adventure in a typical jagoan journey. To defeat the King of the Moon, he must find three ancient artifacts, namely Immobilated Armor, Unbreakable Sword, and Invincible Helmets. Who accompanied his journey is a talisman that he often brought monkeys who then live real to be a Monkey (Charlize Theron) who can talk. On the way, they will meet Beetle beetle (Matthew McConaughey) who claims to be a student of Hanzo. The superserius monkey is a fun couple for the nget beetle.
This journey will reveal many things to Kubo, including the family past that made his mother traumatized and the fact about his father. Although a family movie, this animation is a pretty dark tale. People will die, those left behind will lose, and Kubo must be strong enough to move on. At one point, Kubo must accept the fact that death is a part of life. For very young children, this and some strange creatures from the movie may scare them. The film is better suited for - and will be appreciated by - children who are already big enough. The plot touches on a deep and complex theme rather than an ordinary children's animation.
The creators are Laika boss Travis Knight, who was first in control as a director, but seems to have learned a lot from the Laika movie. Through this film, Travis and Laika set a new standard for stop-motion animation. The animations are amazingly smooth and detail like ordinary 3D animation, we often forget that this is made from a complex engineering between hand skill and sophisticated mini action-figures design. Since this is also an action film where Kubo must fight along the way, there are several action sequences. Most of them involve monsters, including giant skulls, underwater eye monsters, to centipedes. Yep. They make stop-motion action sequences underwater, while the giant skull is the biggest stop-motion doll ever made, and every leather centipede's books are rendered in detail. They seemed to prove that the stop-motion animation had no limit.
I can watch this movie over and over and find new details on every corner every time I watch. The film is rich visually, until I was asked, "How did they do it ?!" many times. This is a magic indeed. This magic is the result of imagination and hard work.