Social media campaign for LAIKA’s most ambitious film to date includes an innovative mix of Instagram grids, story-based video loops, and an annotated and interactive map of Kubo’s journey.
Focus Features has unveiled a new interactive map for Kubo and the Two Strings, the forthcoming stop-motion/CG-animated hybrid feature from Portland-based animation studio LAIKA.
Marking the directorial debut of animator and LAIKA chief Travis Knight, Kubo and the Two Strings -- 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.
A stop-motion samurai action film with an unprecedented scope, Kubo and the Two Strings is LAIKA’s most ambitious film to date, promoted by a social media campaign that engages users by showcasing the epic scale of the movie and stir fervor on even the smallest of screens. The studio has been rolling out an innovative mix of Instagram grids, story-based video loops, and an annotated and interactive map of Kubo’s journey created by fellow Portland company North to help amplify the film’s larger-than-life themes of magic, mythology, and heroism, giving social media users an emotional investment into Kubo’s quest before walking into the theater.
Kubo’s quest stretches far and wide through the mystical realm of the Vastlands. With his protectors Monkey and Beetle by his side, Kubo unlocks more of his powers at every challenge, racing toward an epic clash with the dark side of his magical family.
From your desktop (sorry, folks -- it won’t work on mobile), visit kubomap.com to explore Kubo’s realm and dive into each location of his epic quest through this new interactive map experience:
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.
