New behind-the-scenes videos from LAIKA's forthcoming stop-motion/CG-animated hybrid feature includes commentary from director Travis Knight and voice talent Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey.
Focus Features has unveiled two new featurettes for Portland-based animation studio LAIKA’s forthcoming feature, Kubo and the Two Strings.
Marking the directorial debut of animator and LAIKA chief Travis Knight, the stop-motion/CG-animated hybrid film -- inspired by Japanese folklore and mythology -- is based on a story by Google Spotlight Stories animator Shannon Tindle, with the screenplay written by Marc Haimes and ParaNorman writer and co-director Chris Butler.
Discover the myth of Kubo in this new featurette, which includes commentary from director Travis Knight and voice talent Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey:
And lean about the lineage of the movie’s villains as they are brought to life for the film:
Here’s the official synopsis:
“Kubo and the Two Strings” is an epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of “Game of Thrones”) 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 (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey), 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.
Focus Features -- which has released all of LAIKA’s previous features -- Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls -- will release LAIKA’s Kubo and the Two Strings nationwide on August 19, 2016. Universal Pictures International will distribute the film abroad.
Source: Focus Features
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
