Kubo and The Two Strings
Q&A with Ant Elworthy, Animator
Kubo and the Two Strings is the feature debut of LAIKA CEO Travis Knight, a seasoned animator and producer. Working alongside Travis on Kubo was New Zealand’s very own Ant Elworthy, animator extraordinaire, who we’re jazzed to host as our special guest at this screening.
Dazzling, lyrical, and unforgettable, Kubo and the Two Strings combines layered philosophical themes with a stop-motion visual style that is completely immersive.
The stop-motion masters at LAIKA Studios have been crafting films their own unique and daring since Coraline was released in 2009. Featuring an absorbing, and at times bravely melancholy narrative, this staggeringly beautiful film unpacks the power and importance of story-telling, while exploring powerful themes, such as parental love, mortality and loss.
Set in the fantasy realms of an Ancient Japan infused with enchantment, Kubo, inspired by his missing samurai father, entertains his townsfolk using his magical shamisen, which possesses the ability to manipulate paper into shapes of his choosing. By sundown however, Kubo, just like his missing left eye, must stay hidden, laying low in the mountains with his unwell mother and a monkey charm he lays by his pillow. When Kubo accidentally summons an evil spirit seeking vengeance, his adventure is kicked into high gear, and he’s pulled towards a perilous quest to solve the mystery of his dad, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny.
Friday, 7 October
3:00pm-4:45pm
Feature, 102 minutes, USA, 2016
Directed by Travis Knight
Rating: PG
(Violence & scary scenes)
Recommended for: Ages 9+
“Arrives as cherishable proof that it is still possible, amid heightened commercial imperatives, for digimators to push for reflective, affecting art.”