Kubo and the Two Strings (PG)
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This came out in 2016, but I didn't see it until 2022, and it feels like I've been waiting a lot longer than that, because of how eager I was to see it. (I'm always a fan of Laika films; I feel like they're the Pixar or Studio Ghibli of stop-motion animation.) And I ended up liking- no, loving it- more than than expected. I guess it's my favorite Laika film so far, which is saying a lot. The animation, story, and characters are all great, though it is a shame that all the main roles are played by white actors. (George Takei and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa have very small roles. Though I did like that Takei got in an "oh my" at one point.)

It's about a boy named Kubo, and I want to say first that the internet says he's 12, but I don't think that's right, because I'm pretty sure at one point another character mentioned his parents meeting 11 years ago. Unless I misunderstood. Anyway, he lives in a feudal Japanese village with his mother (who isn't named in the movie; voiced by Charlize Theron). Kubo takes care of his mother, who seems to drift in and out of lucidity. The movie actually starts when Kubo is just a baby, and his mother escapes with him from some unknown danger, which we learn about later. The two of them had been attacked by Kubo's grandfather, the Moon King (Ralph Finenes), as well as his two aunts (both voiced by Rooney Mara). The Moon King had taken Kubo's left eye, and now wants the other one. So Kubo's mother insists he always return home before nightfall. (It doesn't seem as if she ever leaves their cave, herself.) By day, Kubo goes into the village to tell stories, with origami figures as props that he controls magically with his shamisen. (That's a three-stringed instrument, and I assumed the two strings of the title would probably have something to do with it. I turned out to be right, but I don't want to spoil the exact nature of the strings in question. I'll just say they're improvised after he loses the original three strings.)

One day, Kubo stays out late for a Bon festival, wanting to communicate with his late father, Hanzo, as the villagers all say they can communicate with their lost loved ones on that night. He fails to make contact with his father, and ends up being discovered by his aunts, who chase him. But he's saved by his mother, who shows up to magically fight them off. And she sends Kubo flying away with wings that emerge from his robe, though he can't control where he goes. He wakes up the next day to find a talking snow monkey (also voiced by Theron) waiting for him. He had always kept a small monkey-shaped charm, which his mother had apparently brought to life to protect him (and now it's a full-sized animal, big enough for Kubo to ride on). Kubo's mother's last words were for him to find three pieces of armor which his father had once searched for. (It's unclear to me whether or not Hanzo ever found them, but I doubt it, even though the internet refers to it as his armor. I think that's a mistake, but I could be wrong.) The armor includes the Sword Unbreakable, the Breastplate Impenetrable, and the Helmet Invulnerable. He makes an origami figure of Hanzo, which doesn't talk but guides Kubo and Monkey toward the separate pieces of armor. But before they find any of it, they meet a human-sized Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), who has lost his memory but believes he knew Hanzo, so he joins the two of them in their quest. He claims he was a samurai who was cursed to become a beetle, for some reason.

Well, there are battles against Kubo's aunts, and later his grandfather. I don't want to say exactly how all that goes, but of course Kubo wins in the end, though it's a bittersweet ending. Anyway, I really enjoyed the whole adventure, and some surprises along the way. And I really can't say enough about how amazing the animation is. There's also plenty of drama, humor, action, and emotions. I wish I could think of more to say about what makes the movie so special, but I guess you'll just have to trust me.