When Kubo realizes who he is and why his identity must stay hidden, he journeys with a snow monkey and beetle in a bid to locate a magical suit of armor which will enable him fight against evil.
Kubo offers visceral thrills and visual splendor, but it also champions the importance of kindness, forgiveness, and embracing humanity's many imperfections.
Laika Studios' independence is rare in feature-length animation today -- rather than topping a franchise, they seek emphasis on character, background, and the sharp wounding edge of a story.
The story, too convoluted for its own good perhaps, rescues itself from its arguably clumsy plot and off-voices with intermittent movie magic and interesting characters.
Filmgoers who've suffered through a summer of superheroes, supervillains and sequels/snarky reboots, we now have something that genuinely casts a spell on viewers.
