'Kubo and the Two Magic Strings' elevates the stop-motion technique to a level unthinkable until now

The Laika team developed more than a hundred puppets, including a giant skeleton measuring almost five meters or the Kubo character with more than 48 million facial expressions.

In an industry dominated by computer animation, the production company Laika has surprised this summer with what is, without a doubt, one of the best animation productions of recent years. After his experience in the stop-motion technique with films such as The worlds of Coraline, The amazing world of Norman o Los Boxtrolls, Laika has taken the technique to a level unimaginable until now.

Kubo and the Two Strings, which marked the directorial debut of Travis Knight, CEO of Laika, has managed to create a masterpiece of “puppet” filming with a budget of 60 million dollars.

Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey or Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara are some of the actors who voice the characters in this story set in medieval Japan that contains all the classic elements of traditional tales: family, friends, the journey of initiation, the fight between good and evil and magic.

Kubo and the two magic strings recreates the story of Kubo, an orphan boy who only has one eye and who survives by telling stories to the inhabitants of a small fishing village, using his gift to give life to origami figures, the ancient Japanese art of origami. His existence will change with the appearance of a ghost from the past, King Luna, who wants to take away his other eye, so Kubo will have to flee in search of armor and a magic sword, which are the only thing that can defeat the evil villain. On his way, Kubo will have the help of a primate, a beetle and a small paper samurai.

Crafts and technique

To get an idea of ​​the technical and human effort that this production has involved, note that the character of Kubo alone had more than 48 million facial expressions (reproduced in his 23 dolls). For the film, the Laika team had to develop more than a hundred puppets, including a giant skeleton measuring almost five meters and weighing 180 kilos, articulated from a motion control table (Hexapod). It is the largest puppet ever created for a stop-motion film.

All of these characters (manufactured both manually and with the help of 3D printers) moved on a careful set of 80 sets where they were filmed at a rate of about 15 frames per day on average or what is the same: three seconds of film per week.

As for the visual effects team, headed by Steve Emerson, they had to face challenges such as recreating water in stop-motion, with scenes like the one on the sailboat that took nineteen months of filming.

Without a doubt, a work that combines art and technology, the work of a young producer with barely ten years of activity. Seeing is believing…

El making of

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhFRjaWYe_0[/youtube]

Trailer

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2PN5XfnhpI[/youtube]