"Kubo and the Two Strings" is brilliantly animated neo-pagan poison


by Nick Olszyk at The Dispatch at Catholic World Report


Along with recent films ParaNorman and Boxtrolls, the Laika studio has a notable track record of promoting New Age progressive spiritual values—and Kubo reaches a new low point.


MPAA Rating: PG
USCCB Rating:A-II
Reel Rating: (1 out of 5 reels)


In The Usual Suspects, Roger Kint stated that “the greatest trick the Devil ever played was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” That may have been true in the 20th century, when fascism and communism terrorized the world, but now the Devil has shifted his strategy. In the 21st century, his trick is getting people to believe that Jesus Christ promotes his agenda. Kubo and the Two Strings, the new and widely praised film from the Laika animation studio, is such a trap. Keep kids far, far away.


Snatching a trope from Disney, the story starts as the baby Kubo (Art Parkinson) is rescued by his goddess Mother (Charlize Theron), but not before his grandfather, the Moon King, kills his human father and rips out his left eye. They spend the next twelve years in a cave hiding, with Kubo earning money on the streets of rural Japan by telling stories with his shamisen. “Never go out after sunset,” Mother tells him, “or my sisters will find you and take your other eye.” Kubo is not only a great storyteller but also the possessor of special powers because of divine blood. As he plays the shamisen, origami figures come to life and dramatize his stories. While he has the admiration of the townspeople, his life is still a mystery. Injured in the rescue, his mother suffers from an unknown mental disorder, and it’s hard to discern whether her tales are true. As he learns more about his past the tables are upset again and again, culminating in a hero’s quest to find his father’s armor and confront his grandfather.

The spirituality starts out simple as well but becomes more complex before revealing its sinister nature in the third act.


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Published on August 26, 2016 12:34
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