'Kubo and the Two Strings' Review: Don't Blink

It's been out for a while in the United States, but that's the chaotic worldwide release schedule for you: Kubo and the Two Strings is only being released in some European countries now, and as a result our review is pretty late, and everything (or close) has already been said on the film. Still, because we think Kubo is a terrific film we'll consider it's not too late, shall we? If you must blink, do it now; then consider reading our spoiler-free review below.

Watch: There is a Third Trailer for 'Kubo and the Two Strings' and it Looks Phenomenal (Big Surprise!)

LAIKA's newest film Kubo and the Two Strings is the gift that keeps on giving. All the trailers so far have been wonderful, funny, epic; this new one is no exception and we can't wait to experience the whole thing in a theater, as stop motion filmmaking has never looked better. Watch the third trailer for Kubo ad the Two Strings below.

Watch: The Latest 'Kubo and the Two Strings' Trailer is Fantastic

Universal Picture UK released a new trailer for the new LAIKA stop-motion film, Kubo and the Two Strings. In this video, you will find some gorgeous sets and character animation, epic action scenes, humour, and you'll hear Charlize Theron's Monkey, as well as Matthew MacConaughey's Beetle. Watch the fantastic trailer below.

Watch: A Mesmerizing Trailer for 'Kubo and the Two Strings'

"If you must blink, do it now" says the latest trailer for LAIKA's Kubo and the Two Strings. We believe that's a good advice, as this new promotional video looks so beautiful it would be a shame to miss one frame of it. Watch it below.

Watch an Epic Teaser for Laika's 'Kubo and the Two Strings'

LAIKA is currently the best stop-motion studio in the world - from a purely technical point of view; but it's also a place where the story and characters matter. Which makes it awesome. After Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls, here's a first look at the next movie from the Oregon-based company: Kubo and the Two Strings.

Watch: New Handmade Teaser for The BoxTrolls

Laika are making a name for themselves as a really brave, boundary-pushing, outside-the-norm animation studio. With two acclaimed films - Coraline and ParaNorman - under their belt, and a desire to tell personal, spooky stories, in an animation medium that has proven less than popular at the box-office. Yet that's exactly what they're pushing in the new teaser for their next film, The BoxTrolls.

Laika's Next Film Is The Boxtrolls, Due 2014

Fresh off the critically acclaimed ParaNorman, Laika are looking to the future, and have just announced that their next film will arrive in October of 2014 and will be The Boxtrolls.

The Boxtrolls, per Laika's official press release, is "a 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid animated feature based on Alan Snow’s bestselling fantasy adventure novel Here Be Monsters." In our interview with Pete Oswald, a visual development artist who worked on ParaNorman, a few months ago, he mentioned that Laika's next film would be Here Be Monsters (which is now obviously going by The Boxtrolls), saying "While I was working on ParaNorman I saw some development art. It's fantastic." Check out one such instance of that development art down below.

ParaNorman Review - A Tale of the Dead, Full of Life

*This review is largely spoiler free, but read cautiously if you haven’t seen the film yet*

ParaNorman is the latest from Laika, the swiftly-rising stop-motion house who arrived on the scene with 2009's Coraline. Coraline was fantastic, a dark, refreshingly tensely paced, nuanced and stylish film that not only cemented its director Henry Selick's reputation as a fine-filmmaker, but that of Laika as an artistically inventive and narratively bold studio. ParaNorman continues that success, as it is an inspiringly original and thoughtfully ghoulish film, that's also surprising fun!

The Art and Making of ParaNorman Review - A Spookily Different 'Art of' Book

Confession: I only watched Coraline fully a few days ago. I'm not often a fan of spooky films, but I am a fan of Henry Selick, and adored The Nightmare Before Christmas, so I wanted to see Coraline, I just never got round to it. A couple of days ago, though, I decided to finally do it, and am very glad I did. Coraline is a fantastic, nuanced and refreshingly original film, with stylish direction and gorgeous animation; I only wish I could've seen it on the big screen. I watched it in anticipation of the latest film from Laika, the studio behind it, ParaNorman.

Coraline's animation was amazing, but ParaNorman's is apparently even better. Factor in that I've heard nary a bad review about it, and you end up with a film I'm pretty damn excited for (it's not out over here until 14th September). So, I was very excited to check out the accompanying 'Art of' book, The Art and Making of ParaNorman, which Chronicle Books were kind enough to send me a review copy of.