Kubo And The Two StringsEdit
Kubo and the Two Strings is a 2016 stop-motion animated film from Laika that blends myth, family drama, and spectacular visuals. Set in a mythic version of ancient Japan, the story follows a young boy named Kubo as he seeks to assemble a suit of armor and uncover the truth about his ailing memory, his late father, and the responsibilities that come with power. The film blends intimate character moments with large-scale action, and it earned praise for its craftsmanship, storytelling, and emotional resonance. While it sits squarely within the tradition of Western animated features, its artisans drew heavily on East Asian folklore, folklore-inspired imagery, and classical motifs of heroism and lineage. For discussions of its craft and influences, see also Laika (company), stop-motion animation, and Japanese folklore.
In many respects, Kubo and the Two Strings embodies enduring virtues: courage in the face of danger, fidelity to family, and the belief that stories—properly told—can guide a community through grief and loss. Its narrative structure channels the classic hero’s journey and foregrounds the power of storytelling as a means to preserve memory and teach younger generations. The film also engages with universal questions about duty, memory, and the burdens of legacy, all while presenting a visually lush world that straddles the line between myth and adventure. The work continues Laika’s reputation for ambitious, craft-centered cinema and sits alongside other notable projects in their catalog, such as Coraline and ParaNorman. See Kubo and the Two Strings for the core title, Travis Knight for the director, and Dario Marianelli for the score.
Overview and narrative arc
Kubo, a skilled storyteller who wields a magical shamisen, travels with the power to conjure vivid memories and shapes from his music. His quest begins with a simple purpose—tell his ailing mother’s story and protect his family—yet it expands into a broader journey of self-discovery and piety toward one’s elders. The road is perilous: a vengeful Moon King and his two immortal sisters pursue Kubo, seeking to reclaim the boy’s hidden past and the power of his mother’s former life. Along the way, Kubo is aided by a talking monkey and a beetle-like warrior ally as he confronts the consequences of family secrets and the responsibilities that come with great storytelling power. The film’s visual language—paper-cut silhouettes, origami-inspired creatures, and a world that feels both ancient and alive—helps convey its themes of memory, mercy, and moral responsibility. For a broader sense of its influences, see samurai cinema and Studio Ghibli, as well as the broader Japanese folklore tradition Kubo and the Two Strings draws upon.
The character dynamics are centered on fidelity, forgiveness, and the limits of vengeance. The Monkey figure embodies protective love and insistence on truth, while the Moon King represents the destructive pull of unresolved grievances and the temptation to use power to rewrite the past. The film’s resolution underscores a conservative moral: courage and filial duty can repair broken memory and heal a community scarred by tragedy. The film’s score and sound design contribute to a ceremonial, almost folkloric atmosphere, reinforcing the sense that this is a story handed down through generations. See also memory and filial piety for related themes of inheritance and obligation.
Production and stylistic notes
Directed by Travis Knight and produced within the distinctive Laika studio approach, the film showcases a blend of traditional stop-motion craftsmanship with modern lighting and digital enhancement to achieve fluid action and expressive character performances. The script, written by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler, weaves a compact but ambitious mythic arc suitable for both younger audiences and adults drawn to family-centered drama. The music, composed by Dario Marianelli, helps elevate Kubo’s world into a ceremony of storytelling, with motifs that recur as memories and revelations unfold. For context on the studio’s method and its place in contemporary animation, see Laika (company) and stop-motion techniques.
Visually, the film leans into origami-like paper crafts, lacquered textures, and a palette that shifts between bright, ceremonial colors and the muted tones of the burial-ground landscapes of legend. The design language nods to Japanese folklore and samurai cinema while maintaining a distinctly Western storytelling cadence. The project sits in a lineage with other mid- to late-2010s animated features that aim for both artistry and emotional depth, including Coraline and ParaNorman within Laika’s broader body of work. See origami for a related element of the film’s visual vocabulary.
Themes and cultural conversation
A central through-line is the belief that a community’s identity is carried in its stories and in the people who remember them. Kubo learns that memory isn’t only personal—it’s communal, something that can bind a family together across generations. The emphasis on memory as a moral resource aligns with traditional narratives about honoring ancestors and preserving the moral order through stories that teach restraint, courage, and mercy. See memory and filial piety for related ideas.
Cultural representation became a topic of discussion around the film, as it does with several cross-cultural works. Critics and observers debated questions such as how East Asian aesthetics and folklore are depicted in a Western-produced animation and whether casting and design choices align with cultural authenticity. Proponents of the film emphasized that it operates as a mythic retelling rather than a literal history, arguing that it honors Japanese mythic motifs while delivering universal themes about family and duty. Critics who raise questions about representation often point to issues of casting and the degree to which a Western studio can authentically inhabit non-Western cultures; defenders respond that the narrative’s moral core—courage, loyalty, and respect for elders—transcends national boundaries and can be shared across cultures when done with care. For related debates, see cultural appropriation and Studio Ghibli discussions.
From a traditionalist vantage, the film’s celebration of personal responsibility and the rejection of vengeance as a driving force align with enduring virtues. The emphasis on creative mastery, craftsmanship, and the importance of a stable family lineage—core to many classic myths—resonates with audiences seeking stories that affirm resilience and community rather than nihilistic or merely sensational entertainment. The film’s reception reflects a broader tension in modern animation between artistic ambition and concerns about cultural representation, a tension that is often debated in the pages dedicated to cultural representation in media and animation.
Reception and place in contemporary cinema
Kubo and the Two Strings earned widespread critical praise for its artistry, storytelling, and emotional depth. It was recognized with nominations and awards within the animation community and received attention for its technical achievement in stop-motion, as well as its ability to render a mythic world with tangible emotional stakes. It stands as one of Laika’s most ambitious projects, often cited alongside other landmark features for demonstrating how stop-motion can carry ambitious narratives and sophisticated themes to mainstream audiences. For further context on its recognition, see Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The film’s legacy includes ongoing discussions about how animation can address mature themes while maintaining accessibility for younger viewers. It remains a reference point in debates about cross-cultural storytelling, the balance between tradition and innovation in animation, and the ways in which modern studios adapt mythic material for contemporary audiences. See also Coraline and ParaNorman for related entries in Laika’s catalog and Studio Ghibli for broader conversations about cross-cultural influences in animated cinema.