Kubo and the Two Strings

Peerless stop-motion puppetry and creative CGI create a dazzling fable woven around rich metaphors for love, loneliness and loss, in this Bafta-winning marvel from Laika, the studio behind Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls. Director Travis Knight places his engaging characters in a fantastical ancient Japan where artistically gifted orphan Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) embarks on a quest for a magical suit of samurai armour, his only protection against supernaturally twisted relatives and the evil Moon King (Ralph Fiennes). Aided by a snow monkey (Charlize Theron) and a warrior beetle (Matthew McConaughey), Kubo battles gods and monsters drawn from the realms of Oriental myth and Japanese folklore. Introducing disability and parental health issues into its exquisite mix of origami and traditional woodblock design, this gorgeously detailed animated masterpiece is enchanting from the first frame.