The unremarkable non-adventures of a Shinto boy and a monkey voiced by Charlize Theron will not appeal to kids. Except, perhaps, teachers pets
I went to quite a progressive school and, as such, spent time as a kid learning about other cultures and beliefs. Whenever we finished a new unit wed get an extracurricular treat. After learning about north Africa, someone served me my first bowl of couscous. If we were really lucky, wed get to watch a movie. But it was always the same: first, the thrill of dimming lights and a hush over the room; then, the inevitable realisation that while this was better than classwork, the enrichment film was still a little lame.
I hadnt thought about any of this in decades, but it came whooshing back during Kubo and the Two Strings. Somewhere in an alternate universe, a mini version of myself, after learning about Japanese culture and Shinto beliefs, ends up seeing this animated feature as a reward and is only mildly happy about it.
The story is as by-the-numbers as they come. Kubo, a young boy with a gift for origami and playing the shamisen, is a chosen one. He is the grandson of the jealous Moon King, but his mother left the immortal realm when she fell in love with a samurai. Her evil sisters are out to get Kubo, hoping to steal his second eye (hes already lost his first one), and when things get rough one night, Kubos mother uses the last of her magic to send her young son on a quest. Joined by a talking, nannyish monkey (voiced by Charlize Theron), he must find three totems a sword, a helmet and a breastplate that will help him, er, help him do something. I cant remember, because this movie really is incredibly boring.
Along the way, Kubo and the monkey meet Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), an insect warrior reminiscent of Kristoff from Frozen, in that hes a lovable dope. The three overcome some odds and eventually win the day, in a remarkably slow and uneventful manner. This affords them plenty of opportunity to talk about death, which is what every kid looks for in a summer cartoon film. Some of the scenes that show Shinto (or Shinto-inspired) rituals concerning deceased elders and the acceptance of mortality are, admittedly, interesting, but Im not inclined to give a pass to a family film that indoctrinates an irrational belief system just because its novel. Its one thing to say this is what some people believe, but another to say, as this film does, this is the way.
Shockingly, Kubo and the Two Strings doesnt even have much going for it on a visual level. Laika studios first feature, the marvellous 2009 picture Coraline, was remarkable in its tactile, handmade approach. But in the intervening years following the quite good ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls a problem has arisen. Laikas animation technique has become, counter-intuitively, too good. If you came to this with no previous knowledge of the studios mission statement, youd likely think this was a typical 3D computer-animated project, and not the result of a time-consuming, homespun process involving small puppets and stop-motion photography. I had to check YouTube for some behind-the-scenes marketing materials to confirm the studio hadnt made the leap to CG images. Perhaps were nearing a singularity, where the digital renderings of mega-processors have knocked the wonder out of us, and real animation now only looks impressive when it is demonstrably less than perfect, as in something like Coraline or Ji Bartas marvellous 2009 film Toys in the Attic.
I dont enjoy being a stick-in-the-mud about Kubo and the Two Strings, but I am being realistic. Little kids will be bored, as there are only a few scenes with any action, and of those, only one, featuring an enormous skeleton with swords sticking out of its skull, has any oomph. The creature design isnt that spectacular either, save for a quick look at a Forgotten Realms-ish beholder. Older kids, except for a few teachers pets, will soon realise that this is hardly a fun action-adventure cartoon at all, but a plate of vegetables. That isnt to say the animation market should live on Minions alone, but for its intended audience, its unlikely these two strings will resonate.
- Kubo and the Two Strings is released in the US on 19 August and in the UK on 9 September
