Trailer Trashin’: Stop-Motion Magic in the New Kubo and the Two Strings Trailer
Long time, no see, dear readers. But I’m back, and just in time for the release of the new Ghostbusters. This week’s Trailer Trashin’ column takes a look at the new trailer for Laika’s upcoming animated film Kubo and the Two Strings.
Premise: Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voice of Art Parkinson) ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (voice of Charlize Theron) and Beetle (voice of Matthew McConaughey) and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his late father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon aing (voice of Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (voice of Rooney Mara), to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family, and fulfill his heroic destiny.
My take: This has been a big year for animated films, with Zootopia, Finding Dory, and Kung Fu Panda 3 all among the ten highest-grossing films of 2016 so far. But the animated film I’m most looking forward to this year is still forthcoming: the stop-motion fantasy action-adventure Kubo and the Two Strings. A new trailer for the film has arrived, and it’s made me even more excited.
Unlike the first teaser trailer, there’s actual dialogue here, and we get to hear some of the voice cast. I’m only familiar with Art Parkinson from Game of Thrones, but he sounds like a good fit for the kid hero type. Having just re-watched Mad Max: Fury Road recently, I was quite amused hearing Charlize Theron’s voice coming out of Monkey, but the character does seem like a cool take on the usual stern mentor figure. Matthew McConaughey as Beetle looks like he’s going to be a lot of fun. Other notable names in the cast include Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, and George Takei.
Like I mentioned in my column about the teaser, my main takeaway here is that the film looks absolutely gorgeous. Every shot looks like you could frame it and hang it on your wall. Kubo using his shamisen to control his magic is great, especially the moment of him being lifted off the ground by the “wings” made of little paper birds. The nighttime swordfight between Monkey and the Sisters looks so cool. And then there’s Kubo wearing the samurai armor and fighting the giant, glowing snake-thing, which I presume is the climax of the film; everything about that scene looks awesome.
So yeah, I’m really excited for this one. We don’t get many stop-motion films, so I’m always interested when one comes down the pike. I will definitely be seeing Kubo and the Two Strings when it opens in theaters this August.
ANTICIPATION: This looks like a quest I want to be part of.
Starring the voices of: Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, George Takei, Matthew McConaughey, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Brenda Vaccaro
Director: Travis Knight
Writers: Marc Haimes, Chris Butler, and Shannon Tindle
Timothy Monforton
