By Matt Allen.

In a sea of bubble-gum graphics and computerised cartoons, there is one studio that stands out from the animated herd. Laika, famed for their stop-motion approach to filmmaking, have already made waves in the past with the likes of The Boxtrolls, which garnered nominations from both the Academy as well as BAFTA back in 2015. Now, with awards season in full swing and the 2017 Oscars only weeks away, their latest outing, Kubo And The Two Strings is looking like a strong contender to take home the studio’s first major award.

Kubo is a folksy tale, told in the Japanese tradition, of a young boy (Art Parkinson) who holds within him a tremendous power. It’s this power that makes him of special interest to his grandfather, the malevolent Moon King (Ralph Fiennes). As he tries to evade the clutches of his grandfather and his demonic aunts, he meets a talking monkey (Charlize Theron) and a cursed samurai (Matthew McConaughey) who help him in his quest to track down three pieces of enchanted armour and follow in his heroic father’s footstep.

While you might be forgiven for assuming Kubo is adapted from an ancient story, handed down through the generations, it’s actually a purely original script. The storybook style telling whisks us away on a familiar quest as the hero travels to dungeons in search of hidden treasure, crosses treacherous oceans concealing gargantuan monsters, and unravels enigmatic puzzles. Meanwhile, the films own particular eccentricities let it stand above other generic fairy-tale fodder and breathe fresh life into tried and tested tropes.

As with many of the ancient folk tales that Kubo draws inspiration from, this cautionary children’s story is not afraid to get dark. Anyone that has seen the masterpiece that is Coraline, the studio’s first (and, to this day, best) feature film, knows that Laika are more than happy to go to that dark place, and Kubo is no exception. The stop-motion animation lends itself so willingly to horror, as is evident in films such as The Ring that use its fractured movement to great effect. Some of Kubo’s most arresting sequences are those that play on the unsettling beauty that the medium is capable of producing. But be warned, the haunting imagery may be too intense for some youngsters and parents may want to vet the film before introducing it to very young kids. Having said that, do not be deterred, as Kubo effortlessly balances its more severe moments with generous helpings of pure joy and whimsy.

The voice cast all do a solid job of bringing their characters to life. Art Parkinson (best known as Rickon Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones) provides the vocals for Kubo himself, while Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey bounce nicely of one another as a talking baboon and a half-beetle-half-man creature respectively. However, if there is one criticism to be had of Kubo it’s that it is lacking that one stand-out character to steal the show. Frozen has Olaf, Moana has Heihei the deranged chicken, Nemo had Dory. Kubo has no such star, but perhaps it doesn’t need a gimmick, instead relying on its many other strengths to capture the minds of its audiences.

All in all, another stand out hit for the stop-motion studio that can, after four tremendous feature films, boast a clean sheet. Stunning animation and enchanting storytelling, all wrapped up in an admirable message, makes this one a very hot ticket this coming awards season.

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