Movie Recommendation: Kubo and the Two Strings

[hawkeye_a]

This is a really special movie which didn't seem to get as much attention as it deserved from the public. I like stop motion animation, and no one does it better than Laika Studio.

It is a feast for the senses, and IMHO, surpasses anything that CGI has to offer thus far.

Enjoy!

 

[Tomorrow]

I remember many years ago when Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within came out, it was the first photorealistic animated feature film, and its effects were heralded as groundbreaking. I rented it (because in those days Blockbuster was still a thing) to see what the fuss was all about and, sure enough, the animation was unlike anything I had ever seen.

Unfortunately, the movie itself was awful. I had paid so much attention to the hype over the visuals that I completely ignored the importance of a story in a film.

That being said, is there anything about this movie other than stop motion animation that makes it worth watching?

 

[D.T.]

It's pretty terrific, beautifully filmed, great story backed by really solid voice actors.

I'd also HIGHLY recommend Coraline, also from Laika, based on the "kids" book by the brilliant Neil Gaiman (quotes, because it's pretty intense). Interestly, it was directed by Henry Selick, who previously worked on The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, that also used stop-motion.

Paranorman is kind of fun, especially around halloween, Boxtrolls just did _not_ click with us.

 

[hawkeye_a]

That being said, is there anything about this movie other than stop motion animation that makes it worth watching?

@Tomorrow I might have overemphasized the audio-visual impact of the film over the "key elements" of story, character, pacing, direction, etc..... I found the plot quite compelling, if not a little difficult to understand at times (there's a fair bit of symbolism). There's quite an emotional punch to it as well. Check out the trailer to determine if its something you would like. Have a look at the making-of and behind the scenes videos on YouTube as well.

@D.T. Paranorman(despite the silly title) is a really great movie. There were some pacing and minor issues, but for a first time director(i think), it was well done. I too had a generally negative impression of Boxtrolls, but I watched it again recently and actually liked it. There's a lot of subtle stuff I missed the first time around. (Coraline freaked me out as well... the button-eyes!)

Regarding Laika, it is my opinion that the studio(for now), primarily exists to tell stories using this medium. Craftsmanship, storytellers and artistry come to mind when I watch Laika movies, as opposed to marketers, merchandisers and shareholders when I see other contemporary animated movies.

Cheers

 

[rhett7660]

Both myself and the wife loved this movie. We rented it from iTunes when it first came up for rental. Really dug it. The story, the characters, the pace, and the overall feel of the movie is really good!

 

[maflynn]

I saw this hit the theaters last year and wanted to see it, but never got a chance. Perhaps on iTunes or some other streaming service.

 

[Teodora Saylor]

My friends are raving about this movie and asking me check this one out.

 

[smallcoffee]

Very good movie. I also recommend Blame! that recently came out on Netflix.