Kubo and the Two Strings had a bit of a muted release in August 2016, but its beautiful stop-motion animation and interesting feudal Japanese setting were enough for us to bring it to the Couch this week to discuss. Broadly this movie suffers a bit from "spectacle-itis" as Michael dubs it, as it's got wondrous professional stop-motion animation, gorgeous frames and fight scenes (the Sisters are actually sick) but suffers for a lacking story, unmemorable main characters, and weird pacing and narrative progression. It's watchable for the animation alone, but unfortunately doesn't elevate itself to something beyond. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.
