Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings is a stop-motion picture made by the company LAIKA, who is known for creating the movies The Boxtrolls and Coraline. They use small figurines with modifiable faces and limbs for main characters.

Animation Analysis

The style of animation is unique—one I've never seen anywhere other than LAIKA's movies. Many of the characters' movements and their clothing is fluid and accurately simulate reality, but sometimes, because it's stop motion animation, the movements seem a little choppy. True, Kubo's animation is a lot smoother than Coraline's. This is a result of time and experience on the animators' side. I believe the material used for clothes and hair was chosen discerningly, because they seem to flow perfectly with character movements, and the characters' facial expressions coincide with the situation they are in or the emotion they are feeling.

Conclusion

I enjoyed the movie a lot. There was a nice mix of action and story telling, character development and interactions. The quality of stop-motion animation was extremely high, made by a group of animators who have mastered their art. I support all of the work LAIKA does, and I'm excited to see what they will produce in the future.