Movie Info
Starring: Art Parkinson, Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, Brenda Vaccaro, George Takei
Story: 3D stop motion epic fantasy animation directed by Travis Knight. Set in ancient Japan, Kubo and the Two Strings (2016) follows a young boy named Kubo (Art Parkinson), who’s tranquil life is disrupted when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past. Joining forces with Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) to save his family, and armed with his enchanted shamisen, he faces gods, monsters, and the vengeful Moon King (Ralph Fiennes) to uncover his legacy and embrace his destiny.
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Top Kubo and the Two Strings Quotes
Kubo: If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see and hear, no matter how unusual it may seem. And please be warned, if you fidget, if you look away, if you forget any part of what I tell you, even for an instant, then our hero will surely perish.
Kubo: His name is Kubo. His grandfather stole something from him. And that really is the least of it.
Sariatu: They are monsters. Grandfather and my sisters stole your eye, Kubo. They must never find you again. Never! You must always stay hidden from the night sky, or they will find you and they’ll take you away from me.
The Sisters: We are your family, Kubo. Your mother’s sisters. And we’ve been looking for you for so long. It’s so lovely to meet you, Kubo. Face-to-face. Come, Kubo. Come to your aunties. No reason to be afraid, Kubo. We just need your other eye. Your grandfather admires it so.
Monkey: Can you hear me, Kubo? I said your mother is gone. Your village is destroyed. Burned to the ground. We landed here in the Far Lands. Your enemies aren’t far behind. We must search for shelter before your grandfather comes. We need to go now. Come on, get up, let’s go. Once we’re inside, you might be tempted to complain about the odor. Keep in mind my sense of smell is ten times stronger than yours.
Monkey: You have questions, I can tell.
Kubo: Who…
Monkey: You get three.
Kubo: I think I have more.
Monkey: Three, but first you’re going to eat.
Kubo: Why only three?
Monkey: Okay, that was your first question.
Monkey: You don’t recognize me? All these years, you had to keep me in your pack. Well, now you know why.
Kubo: But you were a wooden charm. You were this big. I called that charm “Mr. Monkey”.
Monkey: And if I were alive at that point, I might have found that insulting.
Kubo: You’re a mean monkey, aren’t you?
Monkey: Yes. Yes, I am. And that’s three. You’re out of questions now, so just listen. I’m here to protect you, Kubo. And that means you have to do as I say.
Monkey: Okay, you better start taking this seriously, Kubo. This is real. This is not a story. Those things, your aunts, they never get hungry. They never sleep. They will find you! And if we’re not prepared, they’ll kill me and take your other eye.
Kubo: What are we going to do?
Monkey: We’re going to find the armor. It’s the only thing that can protect you.
Kubo: So it’s real. Really real.
Monkey: Your mother was very powerful. She blessed your robes so that when the need was most, they would fly you away. She used the last of that power to bring me to life. This bracelet, her hair, it’s a memory. And memories are powerful things, Kubo. Never lose it.
Monkey: We grow stronger, the world grows more dangerous. Life has a funny way of keeping things balanced.
Kubo: Monkey, do you ever say anything encouraging?
Monkey: I encourage you not to die.
Kubo: [mockingly] I encourage you not to die.
Monkey: Paper runs out, as does patience.
Kubo: I didn’t ask them to do that.
Monkey: Magic is not meant to be easy. You need to learn control. Concentrate on what you’re doing, and always remember, don’t mess with the monkey. Tread carefully, Kubo. This isn’t one of your stories.
Kubo: How do you know? Maybe it is. And I’m the valiant hero and you’re the mean monkey.
Monkey: Heroes come and go. Any moment, something terrible could come out of nowhere.
Beetle: I’m either a samurai or a really bad hoarder. Either way, inside my thorax beats the heart of a warrior.
Monkey: If you have no memory, how can you be certain of anything?
Beetle: Because I get flashes. They come about from objects I find on my travels. Sometimes it’s a sound. Or a smell.
Monkey: [takes a quick sniff] You must get a lot of flashes.
Beetle: The memories, they fade, and all I’m left with is the sense that I was once part of something much greater.
Beetle: Look, kid, I mean, I know how these quests go. People die all the time. They drop like flies. That doesn’t matter, because I have a feeling this is my destiny.
Monkey: No, it isn’t! We can’t trust anything you say, because you can’t trust anything you say. We don’t know anything about you!
Kubo: Monkey, you said it yourself. Our quest is a difficult one. A samurai, even a cursed one with no memory, that looks like a bug, could be helpful.
Beetle: Yes, I am certain I could be helpful. Indispensable.
Beetle: Just tell me of your quest, and I will quickly demonstrate my numerous indispensabilities.
Kubo: Well, that’s kind of a long story.
Beetle: You’ve got my attention. I promise I won’t even blink. I actually don’t think I even can blink. Do I have eyelids?
Monkey: [he opens his eyes wide] Fine. Walk and talk.
Beetle: Stealth is my middle name.
Monkey: You don’t even have a first name.
Monkey: Concentrate on what is directly in front of you. Let everything else fall away.
Beetle: What’s the matter, Kubo? You act like you’ve never had a meal sitting between a monkey and a beetle before.
Kubo: I’ve never had a meal sitting between anyone before.
Kubo: I looked after my mother mostly. And I told stories about mighty warriors seeking revenge with battles, and monsters, and magic. I was pretty good at telling them, not so good at ending them. Sometimes I would tell my mother stories about little things. Like skimming rocks across the river or catching fireflies in the mulberry fields And when I told those stories, I could see her eyes were mostly clear. I could tell she saw me. Really saw me. I could see her, too. Her real self. Her spirit trying to fight its way out. It was beautiful.
Beetle: You know something, Kubo? Back when you just told stories, before you went on this great adventure, you were still very much a hero.
Beetle: Let me guess. You have questions.
Kubo: Why…
Beetle: I’ll start. First question. If I’m Beetle and you’re Monkey, why isn’t he called “Boy”?
Kubo: Why does Grandfather hate me?
Monkey: Oh, Kubo. He doesn’t hate you. He wants to make you just like him. Blind to humanity, as I once was. Only then can you take your place beside him as part of his family. Cold and hard, and perfect.
Kubo: I’m not leaving. For every horrible thing down here, there’s something far more beautiful. My mother saw it. So did my father. I see it. Even with just one eye.
Moon King: Then I’ll just have to rip it out of your head again, won’t I?
Kubo: If you must blink, do it now.
Moon King: Everything you loved is gone! Everything you knew has been taken from you!
Kubo: No. It’s in my memories. The most powerful kind of magic there is. It makes us stronger than you’ll ever be. These are the memories of those we have loved and lost. And if we hold their stories deep in our hearts, then you will never take them away from us. And that really is the least of it.
The end of one story is merely the beginning of another.
Kubo: Hello, Mother. Father. I know my stories can tend to get a little long, so I’ll keep this brief. I’m very grateful I’ve had the chance to meet you both, hear your wisdom, feel your kindness, even eat a meal sitting between you. This was a happy story, but it could still be a whole lot happier. I don’t know exactly what the rules are or how this works, but if there were any way to… You know, I still need you. So I can say this has been a happy story, or I could feel it. We could all feel it. Then we could end this story. Together.
Kubo: [as he sets his parents lanterns afloat across the lake] The end.