One of cinema’s first great visionaries was George Méliès, a French magician who, where others saw a passing fad, realized the movie camera’s potential to whisk viewers away to an almost infinite range of wondrous places, from Earth’s uncharted jungles all the way to the moon. George Méliès would have loved “Kubo and the Two Strings.”
Set in a fantastical ancient Japan and directed by Travis Knight, “Kubo” follows the titular young boy (voiced by Art Parkinson) on a quest to procure the enchanted armor that is his only protection against the evil Moon King (Ralph Fiennes). It’s a story as old as the hills, loosely based on Japanese folklore, and rather than trick it out with newfangled plot twists, screenwriters Chris Butler (“ParaNorman”) and Marc Haimes, working from a story by Haimes and Shannon Tindle, delve headfirst into the realms of myth.
It’s a story that sails on the winds of all the stories that have come before it, one whose characters sense that they have time-honored parts to play, and are a little too fond of talking about it.
But as with any well-worn myth, what matters is not the tale but the telling, and it’s there that “Kubo” outshines virtually everything that the major studios have put into multiplexes this year. “If you must blink, do it now,” a young Kubo instructs at the movie’s outset, and it’s good advice. Every frame of Laika’s animation is realized with utmost care, seamlessly blending stop-motion and digital. Computer animation has made enormous strides, but just as last year’s “Max Max: Fury Road” proved there’s no substitute for the thrill of practical stunts, so “Kubo” reminds us of the unique magic of tactile animation.
As Kubo, who’s able to use his three-stringed samisen to manipulate objects, coaxes autumn leaves to fly into the air and take the shape of a boat, you gaze at the screen wide-eyed like a child trying to suss out the secret of a conjurer’s trick — so close to having it all figured out, but never knowing for sure. (A time-lapse video shown during the credits gives away a few of their secrets.) So many movies order us to be amazed, substituting scale for imagination, but “Kubo” has wondrous ideas to go with its technical wizardry.
Unfortunately, the movie’s characters are never as detailed as the world they inhabit. From “Coraline” through “ParaNorman” and “The Boxtrolls,” Laika has always tilted towards horror, and there’s a compelling creepiness to the movie’s early scenes, where Kubo is raised by a widowed, half-mad mother whose scarred faced resembles a mismatched jigsaw puzzle. With their long, straight black hair, the Moon King’s masked twin daughters, both voiced by Rooney Mara, evoke the ravenous spectres of “Kwaidan” and “The Ring”; they may scare grown-ups familiar with those movies more than they do their children.
But once Kubo embarks on his journey proper, he’s joined by a short-tempered monkey (Charlize Theron) and a giant samurai beetle (Matthew McConaughey), both thinly conceived characters who do little more than distract from the story’s dark underpinnings. The issue of Hollywood whitewashing grows more complicated in the realm of animation, but neither Theron or McConaughey brings anything distinctive enough to their part to justify giving all the leading roles in a story set in Japan to white actors. George Takei and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa do have small roles, but their casting only makes it seem as if Laika knew they had a problem but lacked the resolve to deal with it properly.
“Kubo and the Two Strings” is dinged by lackluster characterizations and bogged down by incessant references to the storytelling process, which, as is often the case, proves far less of a profound or resonant metaphor than people who tell stories for a living think it is. The characters talk about it so much it’s like the word “story” paid for product placement. But the impetus to tune out the movie’s words only makes it easier to feast your eyes on its breathtaking images, which after a summer of underlit glop feel like a tall glass of cool water (or, if you’re a grown-up, maybe an iced coffee or a nice rosé).
It’s not a flawless movie, but there’s real magic in it, and that’s more important, and no less rare, than perfection.
30 Highest Grossing Animated Movies of All Time Worldwide
A look at top animated moneymakers as of May 2020, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
30. "The Incredibles" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $633,019,734
In 2004, Brad Bird's first Pixar outing wowed audiences with complicated animated action scenes, cross-generational comedy and superhero mayhem.
Pixar Animation Studios
29. "Sing" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $634,151,679
Illumination's animal-karaoke musical crooned its way onto the list.
28. "Moana" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $643,331,111
Disney's Hawaii-set movie scored two Oscar nominations, for Best Animated Feature and Lin-Manuel Miranda's song "How Far I'll Go."
Disney
27. "Big Hero 6" (2014)
Worldwide Gross: $657,818,612
Disney's 2014 robot tale combined anime aesthetics, superhero action and Pixar's heart.
Disney Animation Studios
26. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006)
Worldwide Gross: $660,940,780
Fox's 2006 prehistoric romp proved the success of the first was no fluke.
Twentieth Century Fox
25. "Kung Fu Panda 2" (2011)
Worldwide Gross: $665,692,281
With the franchise's skills proven, DreamWorks Animation gave the world another hit of comedy with this animated martial arts sequel in 2011.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
24. "Up" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $735,099,082
The 2009 fan favorite demonstrated that original ideas with big emotions could make big money.
Pixar Animation Studios
23. "Monsters University" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $744,229,437
Ten years after the release of "Monsters Inc," Pixar sent fans back to school in a 2013 prequel.
Pixar Animation Studios
22. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" (2012)
Worldwide Gross: $746,921,274
DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar" series kept the studio afloat with a string of breezy successes, including 2012's third installment.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
21. "Shrek Forever After" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $752,600,867
The big green ogre's final chapter dropped in 2010.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
20. "Shrek the Third" (2007)
Worldwide Gross: $798,958,162
Made in 2007, this sequel proved there was still some gas left in this fantasy mash-up comedy franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
19. "Coco" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $807,082,196
Directed by Lee Unkrich, this animated film captured everyone's hearts and even won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2018.
Disney/Pixar
18. "Inside Out" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $857,611,174
Disney Pixar hit the home run again with this animated feature film about the emotions inside your head, starring Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader.
Disney/Pixar
17. "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016)
Worldwide Gross:$875,457,937
Universal/Illumination's story of dogs seeking out adventure while their owners are away charmed its way onto the list.
Profits abound for this 2012 fourth installment in the chilly prehistoric franchise, followed just behind it's predecessor.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
15."Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009)
Worldwide Gross: $888,805,671
While other films have made bigger waves in the States, international sales have always returned big money for Fox's "Ice Age" franchise, proven again by the 2009 entry.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
14. "Shrek 2" (2004)
Worldwide Gross: $919,838,758
DreamWorks Animation proved to be worthy Pixar competition with its successful "Shrek" franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
13. "Finding Nemo" (2003)
Worldwide Gross: $940,335,536
"Finding Nemo" was something of a second-wind for Pixar, solidifying the company's place as the titans of modern animation.
Pixar Studios
12. "The Lion King" (1994)
Worldwide Gross: $968,483,777
Can you feel the love tonight for this Disney animated classic?
Disney Animation Studios
11. "Despicable Me 2" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $970,761,885
Illumination's sequel managed to make more money than its predecessor and put the upcoming "Minions" spin-off into motion.
Illumination Studios
10. "Zootopia" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,023,784,195
Disney charmed audiences in 2016 with its cop thriller pairing a rookie rabbit cop and a wily fox informant.
Disney
9. "Finding Dory" (2016)
Worldwide Gross: $1,028,570,889
The sequel to "Finding Nemo" swam right back into audience's hearts.
Pixar
8. "Despicable Me 3" (2017)
Worldwide Gross: $1,034,799,409
Illumination's follow-up -- featuring Gru's blond-haired brother -- became the franchise's biggest grosser.
7. "Toy Story 3" (2010)
Worldwide Gross: $1,066,969,703
Built on Pixar's critical and commercial goodwill, the third installment in the mega-franchise brought in big profits.
Pixar Studios
6. "Toy Story 4" (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,073,394,593
Nearly two decades after the last film, Woody and Buzz and the gang returned for the top-grossing film in the series (not adjusted for inflation, that is).
Disney
5. "Minions" (2015)
Worldwide Gross: $1,159,398,397
The little yellow helpers crossed the $1 billion mark at the end of August, raking in more money then "Despicable Me" and "Despicable Me 2" for Universal Pictures.
Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment
4. "Incredibles 2" (2018)
Worldwide Gross: $1,242,805,359
The superpowered family sprung back into action a full 14 years after the original -- but far surpassed the original film's box office haul.
Disney/Pixar
3. "Frozen" (2013)
Worldwide Gross: $1,276,480,335
Disney's 2013 smash-hit takes the box office top spot. And then there was merchandising, video on demand and home video that audiences just couldn't let go...
Disney Animation Studios
2. "Frozen II" (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,450,026,933
Though it failed to garner an Oscar nom for Best Animated Feature, this sequel still managed to outgross its predecessor.
1. The Lion King (2019)
Worldwide Gross: $1,631,724,000
Whether the film is animated or live-action has been up for debate, the new "Lion King" was computer animated, so we're putting it on the list.
Disney
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Cartoon characters that cleaned up at the global box office, from ”The Lion King“ to ”Incredibles 2“
A look at top animated moneymakers as of May 2020, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.