Animation
The Art of Kubo And The Two Strings
Creating A Mythic World
The Art of Kubo And The Two Strings
Writer: Emily Haynes
Chronicle Books
Having seen the film itself just over a week ago, it was perfect synchronicity that we received this Art Of book at Tripwire Towers this week. Kubo and The Two Strings is an animated film that uses one of the best-conceived environments since Disney’s Zootropolis/ Zootopia. Real care and attention has gone into creating Kubo and considering Laika’s CV, this doesn’t come as a surprise. The team who brought Kubo’s world to life obviously possess a deep love and affection for all of the influences that came to bear on this animated feature.
Apart from an extended foreword by its director Travis Knight, The Art of Kubo and The Two Strings is a mostly visual affair. But when you think about the visual virtuosity and complexity on display in the film, then as a reader, you are grateful that its focus is mostly pictorial. Just like Zootropolis/ Zootopia and the rest of animation house Laika’s output, there is a definite overriding intelligence and a particular sense of style that the filmmakers intended to achieve with Kubo.
The fact that we get to see a mix of physical models and CGI illustrations offers a real insight to how the film was made and you could stare for hours at some of the images contained here. The elegant beauty of the film was achieved through these hybrid techniques and The Art of Kubo and The Two Strings is a beautiful resource for those viewers of the film who wanted to peek behind the curtain and find out more about how it was created. It will also make you want to head back to the screen to watch it again, having read about their genesis in the book. This volume is a must-buy for animation and illustrations aficonados.
JOEL MEADOWS
The Art of Kubo and The Two Strings is out now from Chronicle Books
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