Lightbox: ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ director Travis Knight
In the latest episode of our video series Lightbox we welcome back LAIKA President and CEO Travis Knight, who this year has made his directorial debut with the studio’s fourth stop-motion feature film Kubo and the Two Strings.
The film, their most visually adventurous yet, expands on animation processes established with their previous entries Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls. Set in a fantastical ancient Japan, Kubo and the Two Strings pays tribute to such pioneers of the cinema epic genre as Kurosawa, Miyazaki, David Lean and Ray Harryhausen while embracing an original story by Shannon Tindle and script by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler in which young Kubo must collect the scattered pieces of his father’s armour in order evade and conquer his evil pursuers.
An epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato (George Takei), Akihiro (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), and Kameyo (Academy Award nominee Brenda Vaccaro). But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey and Beetle , and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara), to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family, and fulfill his heroic destiny.
Interview conducted by Ben Mitchell
Presented and edited by Ben Mitchell
Footage courtesy of Way To Blue
Kubo and the Two Strings opens in UK cinemas today. For more info visit kubothemovie.com