The stop-motion animation studio LAIKA made a name for itself with features like Coraline, ParaNorman, and The Boxtrolls. Its latest entry, Kubo and the Two Strings, announced its all-star cast and first-look image late last year, and now we have our first teaser poster of the story that features a mix of the studio’s 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid techniques.
Featuring the voices of Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, and Rooney Mara, the film takes place in mythical, ancient Japan where a young storyteller named Kubo accidentally summons a spirit from the past and forces the boy to go on the run from gods and monsters. The key to his survival is the magical armor once worn by his now fallen father, who was a great samurai. Kubo — equipped with his magical instrument, the shamisen — thrusts a sword in the air while standing on top a boat in the middle of wave-crested waters in the new teaser art.
Kubo and the Two Strings is directed by Travis Knight and features an original screenplay from ParaNorman’s Marc Haimes and Chris Butler. Art Parkinson, the kid who plays the young Rickon Stark on Game of Thrones, voices the role of Kubo, while Ralph Fiennes, George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Brenda Vaccaro are also featured.
The film is scheduled for release on August 19, 2016. Here’s the official synopsis.
An epic action-adventure from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of “Game of Thrones”) ekes out a humble living, telling fantastical stories to the people of his seaside town. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a mythical spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara), to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and his heroic destiny.