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    Movie Review

    It's hard to find flaws in the magically animated Kubo & the Two Strings

    Alex Bentley
    Aug 18, 2016 | 4:30 pm
    It's hard to find flaws in the magically animated Kubo & the Two Strings
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    As a film critic, it can be easy to write a positive review praising a movie or a negative one picking it apart. But what to do when you fail to connect with a movie that for all intents and purposes should receive a glowing review?

    That’s the conundrum I find myself in after seeing Kubo & the Two Strings, an absolutely gorgeous new animated film with a mystical story that should be affecting, but which left me cold.

    Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson) is a boy who has experienced too much tragedy at a young age. He's lost his father and is now having to take care of his shell-shocked mother. When a vengeful spirit from the past comes after him and his mother, he must track down his father’s suit of armor to defeat the spirit. Luckily, he has a magical three-stringed instrument (no, not two strings — more on that later) that can conjure all sorts of origami items during his quest.

    Along the way, he meets up with a monkey (Charlize Theron) and an armored beetle (Matthew McConaughey), creatures with familiar features of humans Kubo knows, who do their best to guide and protect him. That’s not an easy job, though, with Kubo’s mother’s evil sisters (both played by Rooney Mara) on his trail.

    Made by Laika Entertainment, the same stop-motion animation studio behind films like Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls, the animation is as fluid and breathtaking as you could hope for. Using a combination of stop-motion and CGI, director Travis Knight and his team have created a fully realized world that amazes at every turn.

    Many, especially those with a predilection toward Japanese anime movies, will find much to like about Kubo’s story. But there’s much that must be inferred with the plot, instead of having things explicitly laid out for you, a method that will work for some moviegoers, but not all.

    This is never more evident than with the “Two Strings” of the title. For most of the movie, Kubo’s instrument remains solidly with all three strings. A critical event in the film’s final act finally has some reference to the strings, but again, its meaning must be inferred, as no character, not even Kubo, actually talks about it.

    There’s also the standard issue of casting big names in key roles, an idea that serves neither the children, who probably have no clue who the actors are, nor the adults, whose enjoyment is not enhanced in the slightest by their presence. That casting also seems a bit haphazard, as actual Japanese actors fill the majority of the supporting roles; why cast white actors in the main roles in the first place?

    There is no doubting the bona fides of Kubo & the Two Strings, as Laika obviously puts in the time and effort toward making a quality product. But whether you get the full enjoyment out of the film will depend on what you expect out of your storytelling.

    Kubo in Kubo & the Two Strings.

    Kubo & the Two Strings
      
    Photo courtesy of Laika Studios/Focus Features
    Kubo in Kubo & the Two Strings.
    movies
    news/entertainment

    Venue News

    McKinney breaks ground on new Sunset Amphitheater live music venue

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jun 20, 2025 | 3:44 pm
    Sunset Amphitheater McKinney
    venu.live
    xx

    The ground was at last broken on a new live music view opening in 2026: Sunset Amphitheater powered by Eight Elite Light Beer, a 20,000-seat facility located at the northeast corner of US 75 and SH 121 in McKinney, slated to open in 2026.

    The $300 million venue is being developed as part of a public-private partnership between Venu, the City of McKinney, the McKinney Economic Development Corporation, and the McKinney Community Development Corporation.

    Venu is a Colorado-based hospitality and live music venue developer formerly known as Notes Live, with multiple concepts in the works (many seeking funding) including Sunset Amphitheater, which they're opening in Oklahoma and El Paso, as well as McKinney.

    The Sunset Amphitheater at McKinney powered by Eight Elite Light Beer may be a mouthful of a name but it also reveals that it has already landed a sponor in the beer company launched by ex-Dallas Cowboys Troy Aikman.

    The venue will feature a flexible multi-season configuration for year-round programming, with suites, members-only club, canopied roof, and wind walls, to provide protection from inclement weather and comfortable atmosphere in the winter.

    There will also be food and beverage through a partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment, a massive enterprise that provides food services to NBA and NHL arenas, baseball fields, zoos, college facillities, and more.

    The members-only club is called The Aikman Club, in collaboration with Troy Aikman, and will be nestled at the center of the amphitheater: a one-of-a-kind space with "world-class cuisine," unmatched views, premium seating, and high-end amenities for its elite members.

    “We’re so excited to be here,” said Venu founder and CEO J.W. Roth in a statement. “We’re gonna build the most luxurious, fully seated, multi configuration, multi seasonal venue in history right here in McKinney. The organizations here in McKinney have been nothing short of incredible. This groundbreaking wouldn't be possible without that unwavering passion of the folks of McKinney.”

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    news/entertainment
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