A Storyteller's Ode: Kubo and the Two Strings

There weren't a lot of movies for me to get excited about this summer. However, when I saw the trailer for Kubo and The Two Strings, I knew that my summer movie going would end on a high note.

On a side note, I was able to enjoy the Laika experience here at Universal Studios Hollywood before the movie came out so I was super excited to see how all of the advances in 3D printing and other technology have pushed stop motion animation even further than Coraline and The Box Trolls. I'm really glad I got the chance to go and see this mastery is used to make these amazing movies. 

(see some exhibits pictures below taken by me with permission)

As I watched the film, the first thing that really stuck me was how perfectly matched the story was to the art form. The type of magic that Kubo and his mother were able to wield with the help of a few pieces of origami paper just came to life through the animation beautifully. The style was fluid, graceful and mesmerizing. For animation, as with other art forms or special effects, the details are where the success lies. For Kubo and the Two Strings, from the characters' facial lines to the threads of the strings for Kubo's shamisen, there is no visual detail that is lacking. 

What really draws me to this movie, however, is the story. I feel it is a really a story about the power of stories as memories, and inspiration. Stories help us hold onto our past, remember where we came from and why we are who we are. They also inspire us to reach beyond the past to a something more. To go further then we imagine to achieve feats that, although they may seem impossible, are just more challenging. Kubo's strength as a storyteller not only fuels his own new path to the future; it inspires those around him to reach for more in their own lives. This is the power of a story.

I'm really glad I was able to see both the exhibit and the movie. I hope you venture out to listen to Kubo's tale and "Pay careful attention to everything you see and hear. No matter how unusual it may seem."