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KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS

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(Stop-motion fantasy)

If you are a fan of innovative filmmaking, you will enjoy this stop-motion fantasy set in Japan.

"If you need to blink," the storyteller tells the audience before the credits, "do it now."

It is good advice, because the hour and 40-minute movie is nonstop adventure, filled with fantasy and some esoteric philosophies on life and death.

It is difficult to identify the specific audience for "Kubo.” There are moments that will both frighten and confuse the young ones, and other moments, such as endless battles, that may bore the adults.

Kubo is a one-eyed young man who cares for his mother in an isolated cave near the local village. She has memory problems (almost seems to be suffering from Alzheimer’s) and warns him never to be away from her after dark.

Kubo tells fantastic stories, using origami that comes alive, while playing his three-string lute. The title doesn't make sense until the final scene.

The adventure is filled with mysticism, as Kubo's grandfather tries to lure him and take away his other eye, but his Monkey (voice of Charlize Theron) and a come-to-life origami soldier and giant insect protect him.

And then there are his two evil aunties who will surely scare the young ones.

The movie has many dark overtones and messages about eternal life, the importance of memories, and upsetting the order of the universe. Again, there may be a limited audience for this heavy-handed, but beautifully drawn film.

Rated PG, with some scary moments.

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