8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Kubo lives a quiet, normal life in a small shoreside village until a spirit from the past turns his life upside down by re-igniting an age-old vendetta. This causes all sorts of havoc as gods and monsters chase Kubo who, in order to survive, must locate a magical suit of armor once worn by his late father, a legendary Samurai warrior.
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Ralph FiennesAnimation | 100% |
Fantasy | 82% |
Adventure | 76% |
Supernatural | 10% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Kubo and the Two Strings marks the directorial debut of Travis Knight, who previously worked with Laika Entertainment on Coraline, Pranorman, and The Boxtrolls. The film is a technical success to be sure but more than that a dramatic wonder and a film packed with relevant thematic purpose and depth. Its surface sees a meshing of complexity and fluidity and a blend of creativity and detail usually reserved for the best animated pictures. A Pixar-quality film in all but the label above the title, Kubo and the Two Strings is a wondrous experience that blends dazzling animation with incredible depth of story, resulting in one of the more unforgettable films of its kind to come along in some years.
Kubo and the Two Strings arrives on Blu-ray with a real looker of a 1080p transfer. The stop-motion elements shine and the care and attention to detail that the filmmakers have put on every piece -- characters but also garments and environments -- are beautifully reproduced on Blu-ray. Fabric details are the unequivocal highlight. Fine material textures, small edge frays, wear and light grime, every bit of every piece is a treasure trove of high definition goodness. Beetle's weathered and porous armor is another fine example of the transfer's readily evident clarity and the filmmakers' keen attention to detail. Broader character models and environments are stunning, too, in both complexity and consistency. Colors are terrific. The movie travels through many different environments and lighting conditions, but the palette is steadfast in its ability to perfectly recreate and accentuate finer nuanced shades as well as more broad-stoke, monochromatic elements. Whether light or dark, inside or out, abundantly colorful or more reserved, the palette always appears spot-on. Black levels are handsomely deep. Minor noise intrudes in a few shots, but this is, overall, a gorgeous presentation that does the material proud.
Kubo and the Two Strings features a rich, precise, big, and nuanced DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. In the era of added channels, Kubo demonstrates the power of 5+1 in creating an engaging and seamlessly enveloping listen. The track proves its worth right out of the gate in a scene featuring heavy crashing ocean waves, booming thunder, driving rain, a magical burst that parts the waters, essentially a symphony of sonic aggression that surrounds the viewer and spills into the stage with precision clarity and depth along the entire range. Big bass and aggressive action scenes are commonplace; the track is certainly not shy about letting loose and creating a plethora of highlight reel action moments that make perfectly balanced use of every speaker in the configuration and, again even lacking the added channels of the highest end tracks, shows no gaps in coverage. Movement is very fluid in more aggressive and calmer scenes alike. The track is expert at maneuvering sounds to match the action, again whether heavy action or lighter background ambience. Dialogue is clear and focused with consistent prioritization and clarity.
Kubo and the Two Strings contains a six-part making-of, two featurettes, and an audio commentary track. A DVD copy of the film and a
voucher for a UV/iTunes
digital copy are included with purchase.
Kubo and the Two Strings walks that very fine line between accessible children's entertainment and deep, dark adult drama extraordinarily well. Extremely well made, thoughtful, entertaining, well paced, and nicely vocally performed, it's practically a Pixar quality film in every way but the name in front of it. Universal's Blu-ray release boasts terrific video and audio to go along with several good supplements, highlighted by a must-listen commentary track. Highly recommended.
2016
2016
2016
2016
2016
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2019
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2016
2010
2009
2019
2014
2015
1977
2009
Special Edition
1996
1980
Original Animated Classic
1978
2011
Collector's Edition
2022
The Signature Collection
1940
Collector's Edition
2012
1989
2012
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2010
Peter Pan 2 | Special Edition
2002