⊗⊗⊗⊗= Great Film
First let me say I am a huge animation fan, but very picky when it comes to stop motion. So, when I read all the articles on the merging of not only CG but 3D printing I thought no way could this be as good as the original method. After all part of the allure of the stop motion film for me is the human dedication and attention to detail. There was no way in my mind that those aspects could still be there while inserting the new technology and I was wrong (horribly wrong in fact). This movie has so much heart that the attention to detail was even more highlighted. With all that said the thing that truly drove this film was it’s heart – the story. So often when the focus of a film becomes its technical or visual artistry it overshadows the story or at the very least drags your attention away from the world the words of the scriptwriter lays out before you.
The story and script were masterfully crafted to tackle some very serious topics with not only humor but tenderness. [Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t yet seen this film and want to have that new film experience read no further.] Kubo is a film that deals with not only death but also loss. Yes these are different categories in this film. Kubo deals with the death of both parents, but there is a great deal of loss as well. The mothers loss of mind, the fathers loss of memory and identity, his grandfathers loss of control and Kubo’s loss of innocence. This film tackles all with expertly written dialogue and subtle use of environment to re-enforce the severity of the situation. With all that said the writer was clever enough to lighten up the heavy subjects with humor and there were several chuckle moments in this film for me. The choice of voice actors was perfect and the actors (Art Parkinson as Kubo, Charlize Theron as the mother, Matthew McConaughey as beetle/(spoiler alert)father and Ralph Fiennes as Moon King) played their parts masterfully lending a little something special to their respective parts.
Now for the technical portion of this film. Wow! Is there anything else to say other than that. The use of both the 3D printed pieces and the CG created a whole new revolutionary experience. One that lured you deeper into the story through environment and the seamless (except one shot which I will talk about next) integration of technology. Now, there was one scene that I felt could have been more seamless. and that’s when the Moon King confronts Kubo at the end and they are face to face. This scene to me was obvious that the puppet of Kubo was standing in front of a green screen with the Moon Kings dragon face digitally added. It was a scene that appeared pulled apart which in turn pulled me out of the world just a hair, but besides this one little thing the rest of the movie is a masterpiece. (Side-note: The fact that the film lost out at the Oscars to Zootopia [which was a great movie] seemed to me a little like highway robbery, just my opinion.)
In the end, if you are looking for a great film with a ton of heart then this film is for you. There will be tears, there will be laughter and most of all there will be fun had by all. I know the subject that this film tackles might not lead you to think of a feel good time but check it out I promise you won’t be disappointed. I guess though that is just my opinion, stream it or buy it and make your own decision.
Kim
A Fellow Film Enthusiast
Kimberly Miller 