Majorthebys
Charming and brutal
Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Sameer Callahan
It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Freeman
This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
jackgdemoss
Kubo was the first fully Claymation film I have scene, and it was fantastic to see. I am a huge fan of the art style and want so much more of it. The story was charming, and even exceptionally enthralling for the first half of the film, but slows to a halt during Act III, crippling its momentum. The art style alone makes this movie worth watching, and I will see anything that took this much work and artistic talent on the big screen in coming years.
gabrielpappel
I have always been a fan of the stories Studio Laika chooses to tell, but I have often found they fall just a little short of actually hitting all the right emotional responses in dramatic scenes. In Kubo and the Two Strings there was so much emotion I almost forgot to breath. A boy that loves to tell stories must go on to make it through his own, though the cruel dangers he faces spares no one. Absolutely beautiful (but so incredibly sad) story about family.
Clifton Johnson
Every month seems to bring another big budget animated film. I just wish all of them were this beautiful and original. Yes, Kubo finds adventure and laughter, but - more importantly - his journey surprises at every turn. From the moment you first see origami dancing, you know that this movie will be unique. And the happiness you find along the way is richer because it's tinged with a grief that rings true.
Michael Ledo
The story is a cosmic myth. Kubo and his mother escape and hide from her sisters and father who took his eye. They live in a cave and do not go out at night. Kubo is a street performer who utilizes magic and origami to tell long tales. With an ailing mother, Kubo wonders out and the epic story begins as a quest for a sword, shield, and helmet. His companions are a monkey and a beetle. I found the story to be delightful and funny. Charlize Theron as Monkey and Matthew McConaughey as Beetle did great character voices with well written lines.