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WATCH: New Trailer Arrives for LAIKA’s ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’

First full trailer for stop-motion/CG-animated hybrid action-adventure set in mythic Japan sees Kubo join forces with friendly faces like Monkey and Beetle as he battles with threats such as the Moon King and the twin Sisters.

Focus Features has unveiled the first full trailer and new character posters for LAIKA Animation Studio’s Kubo and the Two Strings.

Kubo marks the directorial debut of animator and LAIKA CEO Travis Knight. The script, based on a concept originally brought to the studio by Google Spotlight Stories animator Shannon Tindle, is written by Marc Haimes and ParaNorman writer and co-director Chris Butler. Art Parkinson, Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Brenda Vaccaro lend their voices for the film.

Set to a cover of The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” the new trailer for the stop-motion/CG-animated hybrid feature sees Kubo (voiced by Parkinson) join forces with friendly faces like Monkey (Theron) and Beetle (McConaughey) as he battles with threats ranging from the Moon King (Fiennes) to the twin Sisters (Mara):

Here’s the updated synopsis:

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.

Fans wanting to learn more about Kubo's epic quest, the friends joining him on his journey, and the monsters that stand in his way, can get sneak peeks through his Instagram account at @Kubothemovie.

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

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

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.