Laika Entertainment, the stop-motion animation company that brought us Coraline, Paranorman, and The Box Trolls, released the teaser trailer for their newest endeavor, Kubo and the Two Strings.
The film tells the story of Kubo, a young boy living in ancient Japan caring for his mother. When a spirit from the past returns with vengeance on its mind, it ignites chaos among various gods and monsters who are now on the hunt for Kubo. To protect himself as well as his mother, Kubo must journey with his friends Monkey and Beetle to find a suit of armor once worn by his father, and ancient samurai warrior.
While only a teaser, the trailer does show off what Laika does best, and that’s to make stop-motion animation look as smooth and beautiful as possible. The scenery is stunning, and the small glimpses of the fight scenes look like something out of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
The film has an all-star cast which includes Art Parkinson (Game of Thrones) as Kubo. It also stars Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, George Takei, and Matthew McConaughey.
Kubo and the Two Strings, written by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler, and directed by Travis Knight, opens in theaters August 16, 2016.
So what do you think? Are you excited to see Kubo and the Two Strings? Should he have grabbed a backup third string, just to be safe? Let me know on Twitter or pull out your sword and ready for battle in the comments below.
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IMAGE: Laika