Kubo and the Two Strings



Kubo and the Two Strings is a 2016 Stop Motion fantasy film directed and co-produced by Travis Knight, starring the voices of Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, George Takei, and Matthew McConaughey. It is Laika's fourth feature film. Kubo and the Two Strings first premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival and later on was released to the United States on August 19, 2016.

The story revolves on Kubo, who wields a shamisen and must deal with his grandfather, the Moon King. Accompanying the young hero are Beetle and Monkey on this dangerous journey.

Not to be confused for Tite Kubo or Mitsuro Kubo.

"Apparently, yes!"
 * Action Mom: Sariatus to a "T."
 * Advertised Extra:
 * An Aesop: Memories are so powerful that one can never be separated from those that we love and care about.
 * Adult Fear: Imagine being on the run from your in-laws and with your only child, because you married a guy they didn't like. Plus, they're hunting you down and want to gain custody of your child, even knowing full well that the in-laws will abuse and do bodily harm your child.
 * All-Star Cast: To start, there's Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei, Rooney Mara, just to name a few.
 * All There in the Manual: The extra stuff and some of the important details about Kubo and the Two Strings are shown in the scripts and commentary, like the names of the villagers.
 * All There in the Script: Some of the important characters names, like the Moon King, Kubo's Mom and Aunts, are this, since the movie doesn't mention them by their real names.
 * Anachronism Stew: Various different historical elements, influences, and ideas are moosh together in this film, like Edo, Heian, and whatever Kiyoshi Saito puts in his printmaking, also Saito was influenced by Western painters and thinkers, which he fuses into his craft. The evidence can be seen in the village for example.
 * And Starring: Ralph Fiennes.
 * Animal Motifs: Beetles and cranes.
 * Annoying Arrows: During when the trio are battling the Skeleton Demon, the latter picks up Monkey, and Beetle reacts by firing his arrows. Almost hitting her and she yells "Enough with the arrows."
 * Arc Words: "Story."
 * "You are my quest."
 * "If you must blink..."
 * The Archer: Beetle is this out of the trio.
 * Armor Is Useless:
 * Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence:
 * Attack of the 50 Foot Whatever:
 * Audible Sharpness: The "Sword Unbreakable" made a sound of awesomeness when Kubo pulled it out of the Skeleton Demon.
 * Badass Family: This trope is Kubo, Hanzo, and Sariatu's last name.
 * Baleful Polymorph:
 * Bittersweet Ending:
 * Blank Slate: Karasu and Washi's facial expressions are this for the majority of the film. Even their creepy smile.
 * Monkey attempts to do this as she was telling Kubo that she was his lucky charm come to life.
 * Blue and Orange Morality: The Moon society is basically this.
 * Body Motifs: Eyes. Eyes are symbolizes and played straight here.
 * Bon Festival
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall:
 * Brick Joke:
 * Brought Down to Normal: What happens to.
 * Cave Mouth: Hooboy, the entrance to where the "Sword Unbreakable" is hidden at is this.
 * Character Name and the Noun Phrase: Kubo and the Two Strings
 * Chekhov's Gun:
 * Clucking Funny:
 * Close Knit Community: The villagers are this.
 * Combined Energy Attack:
 * Comically Missing the Point: Beetle forgotten that he was searching for the Breastplate Impenetrable and instead went after the fish Kubo shot earlier.
 * Cool Sword: The Sword Unbreakable.
 * Creative Closing Credits: 2D animated, cameos of previous works, and.
 * Curse: Beetle explains that he was cursed in this form and force to wander the Far Lands.
 * Cut Short:
 * Daddy's Little Villains: Karasu and Washi.
 * Defeat Means Love:
 * Dem Bones: The Skeleton Demon, who was based on Gashadokuro.
 * Diagonal Cut:
 * Didn't Think This Through: This happens when Beetle was teaching Kubo how to hunt using a bow and arrow while at Long Lake.
 * Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?:
 * Died Happily Ever After:
 * Divine Parentage: Because of Sariatu, Kubo is a demi-god.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?
 * A Dog Named "Dog": Beetle is just "Beetle" and "Monkey" is named "Monkey."
 * Beetle questions this trope though, asking why isn't Kubo called "Boy"?
 * Don't Explain the Joke: Monkey just doesn't answer Beetle's question above.
 * Doomed Hometown: The village after when Karasu and Washi attacked.
 * Dramatic Slip: While in battle, Kubo trips over a large bone.
 * Dynamic Difficulty:
 * The End:
 * Enemy Rising Behind:
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones: The villainous Moon King cares about his daughters and extended family...Even though it's twisted and complicated.
 * Everything's Better with Monkeys: Anything concerning Kubo's good luck charm.
 * Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The title explains all there is to know about this movie, without revealing the spoilers.
 * Eye Cam: Done a few times, like when Kubo wakes up to find Monkey calling his name.
 * Eye Scream: How Kubo lost his right eye in his backstory.
 * Failed a Spot Check: Beetle can't help it, because he's curse and has Short Term Memory Lost.
 * Family-Unfriendly Death:
 * Flipping Helpless: Whenever Beetle gets knock over.
 * Foreshadowing: All of the stories about Hanzo and the god killing weapons that Kubo tells to the village at the beginning of the film.
 * Freudian Trio: Beetle (Ego), Monkey (Superego), Kubo (Id)
 * Full-Moon Silhouette:
 * Giant Eyes of Doom: The Garden of Eyes.
 * Giant Wall of Watery Doom: At the prologue there is a wave.
 * Glowing Eyelights of Un Death: The Skeleton Demon's eyes need I say more.
 * Gory Discretion Shot:
 * Handicapped Badass: Kubo, since he's missing his eye.
 * Sariatu, who is sick, depending on her son to take care of her, and doesn't remember much.
 * Heaven Above:
 * Heel Face Brainwashing:
 * Hell of a Heaven: How Sariatu see the Moon Society as, especially when she fell in love with Hanzo, after seeing how warm his gaze and humanity was. Plus, the Moon Society looks down on mortals.
 * The Hero's Journey: Kubo's quest to find the armor is this.
 * Hidden in Plain Sight:
 * Homage: To Studio Ghibli and various Japanese mediums, like Akira Kurosawa, ink wash paintings, and origami...To name a few.
 * The Beatles band as well, considering the end credits song.
 * The Hypnotoad: The Garden of Eyes monsters are this in spades.
 * Hungry Menace: Karasu and Washi are describe as being this.
 * Hypnotic Eyes: The many eyes in the aptly named "Garden of Eyes," revealing many secrets to its victims.
 * I'll Kill You!:
 * Insistent Terminology:
 * In the Back:
 * In the End You Are on Your Own:
 * Interspecies Friendship: What Kubo, Monkey, and Beetle are at the beginning of the film. Until the reveals happen.
 * Justified Title: More evident near the end
 * Karma Houdini:
 * Lampshade Hanging:
 * Laser Guided Amnesia:
 * Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
 * Lighter and Softer:
 * Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
 * Lightning Reveal:
 * Love At First Sight:
 * Luke, I Am Your Father:
 * Lured into a Trap:
 * Lying to Protect Your Feelings:
 * Mama Bear: Sariatus, Kubo's Mom.
 * MacGuffin: The magical sword and armor.
 * Magical Guide: Monkey is primarily this.
 * Magic Compass:
 * Magic Music: What Kubo does when he plays his shamisen.
 * Martial Arts and Crafts: This is combine with The Power of Rock to Kubo's arsenal.
 * Meaningful Echo: "If you must blink, do it now."
 * Metaphorically True: Beetle unknowingly does this, while he was explaining why he's cursed.
 * Metaphor Is My Middle Name: Beetle states "Stealth" is this.
 * A Minor Kidroduction: In the prologue, Kubo was just a baby. Then fast forward 12 years later.
 * Mundane Utility: Kubo just uses his divine demi-god powers, just to put on shows in the village as a The Storyteller. Before the start of his huge quest.
 * Mysterious Watcher: Beetle was doing this when Kubo and Monkey first arrived in the Far Lands.
 * Mythology Gag:
 * Needle in A Needle Stack: The Sword Unbreakable is pin on the Skeleton Demon's head. But there's other swords also pinned on the monster's head, this gave Kubo, Monkey, and Beetle a mad scramble and fight to find the correct one.
 * Nice Day, Deadly Night: The village is very lively, especially when the Bon Festival going on. But night is very ominous, even dangerous.
 * Nightmare Fuel: Where to start, there's:
 * Kubo's aunts, Karasu and Washi.
 * The whole Garden of Eyes underwater scene.
 * No Name Given:
 * No Ontological Inertia: While at Long Lake, Monkey states this when Beetle says that he can survive underwater.
 * Not Using the Z Word: There are gods and divide beings, though they're not called "Gods" in the movie.
 * One Size Fits All: The "Breastplate Impentratable" manages to shrink, just to be the right size for Kubo.
 * Overly Long Gag:
 * Peek A Bangs: Kubo, himself.
 * Plucky Comic Relief: Beetle is this to a "T".
 * Power Incontinence: When Kubo's magical powers grow, the more it paints him as a target.
 * Precision F-Strike: "Oh, FOOT!"
 * Quest for Identity: Beetle's arc is this, only remembering that he used to fight with Hanzo.
 * Reality Ensues:
 * Remembered I Could Fly: This happens when the Skeleton Demon was about to stomp on both Kubo and Beetle. Beetle picks up Kubo and hovers. Kubo exclaims "You can fly?!"
 * Quest for Identity: Beetle's arc is this, only remembering that he used to fight with Hanzo.
 * Reality Ensues:
 * Remembered I Could Fly: This happens when the Skeleton Demon was about to stomp on both Kubo and Beetle. Beetle picks up Kubo and hovers. Kubo exclaims "You can fly?!"
 * The Reason You Suck Speech:
 * Rousseau Was Right: When Hanzo provided Sariatu love, warmth, and his humanity.
 * Rule of Cool:
 * Rule of Symbolism:
 * Rule of Three: Team Kubo: Kubo, Monkey, and Beetle.
 * The Moon King and his two daughters.
 * Quirky Town: The whole village located bellow the mountains has a strong sense of community, even caring about each other and Kubo.
 * Samurai: Everything pertaining to Hanzo.
 * Samus Is a Girl: Kubo has been carrying around his lucky charm for a very long time, bestowing it the name Mr.Monkey, until it became alive.
 * Scary Shadow Fakeout:
 * Scenery Porn: All the scenery and backgrounds!
 * Secretly Dying:
 * Sheathe Your Sword:
 * Shout Out: Kubo's themes featuring eyes being stolen and replace, like one of Laika's earlier film, Coraline.
 * At the closing credits, a cat came through the door.
 * followed by Norman's head and a zombie's hand.
 * a few boxtrolls.
 * Shut UP Hannibal:
 * Significant Double Casting: Rooney Mara voices both Washi and Karasu.
 * Single-Stroke Battle:
 * Sliding Scale of Living Toys:"Little Hanzo" (Level 4), since the little origami figure is shown to move independently on his own, i.e. pointing Kubo to the right directions, fighting, and etc.
 * Splitting the Arrow: Beetle demonstrates his first time learning archery skill and does this.
 * Stealth Pun: Beetle quips "I got a bone to pick with you." To the Skeleton Demon, why? Because it's made of bones.
 * The Stinger: It's been shown that
 * This Is My Story:
 * Stop Motion: What the whole movie basically is.
 * The Storyteller: Kubo's main job, whenever he's at the village, he tells of the adventures of Hanzo.
 * Surprisingly Sudden Death:
 * Sword of Plot Advancement: The three weapons: "Sword Unbreakable," "Helmet Invulnerable", and "Breastplate Impenetrable."
 * Symbolic Blood: When Kubo trips, his origami paper spills all over the cave floor doing this.
 * Take a Third Option:
 * Talking in Your Dreams: Kubo sometimes hears his mother talking in her sleep.
 * Monkey also finds Kubo does this and calling out for his Disappeared Dad.
 * Talking to the Dead: In the Bon Festive, Kubo attempts to do this with no such luck.
 * Tell Me About My Father: Kubo asks Beetle this, when the latter mentions that Hanzo was his master.
 * That Was Not a Dream: When
 * This Is Gonna Suck:
 * This Is Reality: What shock Kubo early was that all the Fairy Tales of the mighty samurai warrior Hanzo, his battles with the Moon King and other adventures ARE...All...Real.
 * Thwarted Coup De Grace: Sariatu kills most of Hanzo's men when she went into the fortress and was about to off Hanzo as well. When during their fight, he told her "You are my quest." She changed her mind about following through her father's wishes.
 * Together in Death:
 * Trailers Always Spoil: The trailers show parts of the ending.
 * Unreliable Narrator:
 * Unusually Uninteresting Sight: When Monkey and Beetle are arguing about how they're going to cross the Long Lake, Kubo uses his shamisen to conjure up a small ship out of leaves.
 * Villain Beating Artifact: The "Helmet Invulnerable", "Sword Unbreakable", and "Breastplate Impenetrable."
 * Walk and Talk:
 * We Can Rule Together: The Moon King states this, even offering that Kubo can go beyond stories...He can be immortal.
 * Wham Line:
 * Wham Shot:
 * Where It All Began: The movies starts in the village with the Bon Festival
 * Windows of the Soul: Since eyes are the theme, so is this.
 * Youkai: All the creatures and monsters that are featured and reference in the movie.
 * The fire-breathing chicken is a "Basam".
 * You Shall Not Pass: Sariatu does this, using her final magic, to face off her sisters and send Kubo to safety.
 * You Killed My Father:
 * You Killed My Father: