Did anyone see Kubo and the Two Strings Animated Movie?

I loved that movie! Remarkable animation and storytelling technique.
As I recall, it was loneliness that caused his grandfather to turn evil, and socializing brought him back.
Too bad they didn’t have Fluther.

i saw it and wondered similar things. “Wait! What the ? Is the whole town faking it?”

I just figured someone dropped a little acid in their water.

I LOVED the movie – think it is one of the most beautiful animated films I ever saw. On a phone on a train so can’t write much. Would have to watch again to remember the ending but I think when Kubo slew the dragon his grandfather was retroactively transformed. Bears rewatching soon.

Agree with @janbb and @filmfann. My take away was about kindness and community taking away the pain that can cause us to manifest our nasty dragons.

If you can watch the YouTube on the making of it. The detail for the stop motion work is amazimg!

Loved the movie, it’s amazing to think about all the work that went into it.

His grandpa didn’t steal his eye so he would have to return, he stole it because he also intended to steal the other, leaving Kubo blind (like the grandfather was) and able to “join him in the skies”. His mother explained that his grandfather didn’t want him to be able to see the good in humanity as she once had.

The aunts are wearing masks the whole movie, so it’s not clear whether they have eyes or not, but that’s why their mouths don’t seem to move. If I had to guess, I’d say after the mother’s “betrayal” the grandfather took their eyes as well, and the masks are their cover, but it’s never addressed.

The grandpa was truly the evil Moon King. He was the monster, but when he was defeated, rather than being destroyed he was simply turned into an old man without a memory. His hate for humans and the world was gone. He’s alive at the end.

The villagers around Kubo in the graveyard, that stood with him, seized the moment and turned an evil man with no memory into a town hero, giving him a second chance. He was forgiven and accepted as family. His redemption was fabricated by their kindness.

This is all just my take after watching it several times, I may be off on the intent somewhere and haven’t researched it.

Yes, just watched it a few weeks ago on Netflix. Loved it too, but yes, it was a bit confusing. I agree with @funkdaddy ‘s great analogy.

I understood it exactly as funkdaddy explained it…

I also loved the ending for that reason, for the way the town—as funkdaddy described it “fabricated” the grandfather/Moon King’s “redemption.” I thought it was a beautiful way to speak both to the movie’s recurring idea that memories are some of the most powerful magic, and its demonstration of how Kubo’s power came most from his ability to tell stories… The way Kubo captivated the village with his stories of his father, and the way he was able to defeat the Moon King at the end…. which was not with the armor he’d spent the movie seeking—that the stories we tell shape our perception of the world.

@funkdaddy‘s interpretation makes sense with what I remember of the ending. A truly magical film!

@funkdaddy I like your explanation It ties things together nicely for me. I’ll watch it again and will, no doubt, get more out of it.
Thanks!

One more (probably stupid) question. Why did they refer to 2 strings, when that shamisen, or whichever instrument that was, had 3 strings? Indon’t recall anyone even mentioning the instrument or the strings, Kubo just played it and things happened.

Sorry to be such a dunce.

Not a dunce at all!

I think the two strings were his mother’s hair and his father’s bowstring, that he used at the end to re-string the shamisen (plus a strand of his own hair).

Oh OK! Jeez! I am a dunce!

I guess I need to re-watch this movie, since I seem to have missed most of it. Loved the animation though.

It’s good a second time! I watched it twice because after I saw it I wanted to force others to watch it, haha :)

Also, the wikipedia page has some interesting information about the inspiration and technology behind the animation that I think makes it even better:

“The art took inspiration from such Japanese mediums as ink wash painting and origami among others. A particular influence came from the ukiyo-e wood block style, with Laika intending to make the entire film “to look and feel as if it’s a moving woodblock print”[5] Assistance came from 3D printing firm Stratasys who allowed Laika to use their newest technogies in exchange for feedback on them.[5]”

“For the Skeleton monster the team created a giant 16 foot, 400 pound puppet, which Laika claims is the record holder for largest stop motion puppet.[6] The idea to make such a massive puppet was born out of a fear that individual smaller parts (meant to represent the larger monster) would not work well on screen interacting with the other puppets.[6] The resulting puppet was built in two parts which were then attached together by magnets. For movement Laika had to design a robot to easily manipulate it. The team at one point purchased an industrial robot off of eBay but found that it would not work with their setup.[6]”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubo_and_the_Two_Strings

@Soubresaut Very cool. I saw some nifty illustrations on some website last night.

@Soubresaut and all. Watch this video about the making of the film and the figures and you’ll be even more amazed. The work that went into it is astounding. I need to rewatch Kubo now!

Wow! I had a chance to sit down and watch it… That is incredible!

Isn’t it? The work that went into making that film!