00:00.
00:02We want to make films that are bold,
00:04that are distinctive, that are enduring.
00:06We want to make movies that matter.
00:07And to do so in a way that really pushes animation forward
00:10in a way it hasn't been before.
00:12And so when we were...
00:13We started developing Kubo, and
00:15you know, at the time I was looking for something that was
00:17big and expansive and epic
00:19in nature, but was also
00:22evocative of a deep truth.
00:24Something that was similar to the kind of
00:25beloved classics I loved
00:27growing up as a child. Things like Tolkien
00:30or Star Wars,
00:32or some big David Lean
00:34film, something like that, which is incredibly
00:35challenging to do in the medium,
00:38but it was something that I thought if we could pull
00:39off it would be something very special.
00:43The style
00:43of dress, the culture, the architecture,
00:46the food, the comic
00:48books, the movies, the TV shows,
00:50the music, it was all something
00:51completely different. I'd never seen it before.
00:53I'd never experienced it before.
00:55And it was really
00:57eye-opening for me, and that
00:59began my
01:02affection, my affinity,
01:03and my admiration for the great
01:05art of this beautiful culture.
01:07And right around that same time, I was
01:09starting to get interested in animation.
01:12And so it's
01:13odd that the first film that I
01:15direct is kind of a convergence of
01:17these things, these two things that I've loved from about
01:19the same age for the last 30 years, which is
01:21this incredible art of this beautiful culture
01:23and this extraordinary art of
01:25animation merging together.
01:27At the core of it, these things have always
01:29got to be a personal story. I think it is
01:30something of a paradox that
01:33the more intimate, the more personal you make something,
01:35the more universal it becomes.
01:37And that's certainly the case with
01:39our films and with this film here.
01:41I put more of myself in this film
01:43than anything else I've ever done.
01:44and on the one hand, as an artist,
01:47it's fairly terrifying
01:48to do something like that because
01:50you know, it exposes you, it makes
01:52you vulnerable, and you
01:54create these things and then you
01:56lay it out for the entire world in their
01:58unsparing judgement, but that is what we have to do.
02:00If we want to tell stories of meaning,
02:02of significance that have a real heart to them,
02:04you have to put as much of yourself
02:06in there and to be
02:08bold and fearless when it comes to creating
02:10these stories, and that's what we did here.
02:13If you're trying to make something feel like it's rooted in a real place
02:16and it's outside of your own experiences,
02:17you have to do the research, you have to do the legwork,
02:19you have to figure out, you know, how would this,
02:21if we were to depict this accurately, what would it be like?
02:24What would this world look like?
02:25And so you end up diving into research,
02:27you know, you work with cultural consultants,
02:30you actually do research on your own,
02:31you go to museums, you study,
02:34you know, things like hairstyles
02:36or fabrics or metallurgy,
02:39you know, architecture.
02:40Those are all things that you want to explore richly and deeply
02:44so that when you leave that behind,
02:46that's still there as a foundation,
02:48a real place, real experiences
02:50are part of the foundation of the film.
02:52And then it becomes something more because,
02:54you know, at Laika we have
02:56a multicultural crew.
02:57We have people from around the world,
02:59all bringing their own experiences,
03:01their own sense of tradition,
03:02their own mythologies and folk tales.
03:04and, you know, we started a place
03:06and in the end it becomes something much more.
03:08It's the collection
03:10of everyone's loves and obsessions
03:12and spirit and talent that get poured into this vessel
03:15and it becomes something else
03:17over the course of the making of it.
03:20Working as a director was unusual for me.
03:22It was a different kind of experience.
03:25You know, we start the day where we
03:27kind of plot what the whole day is going to be.
03:29we sit down with the production team
03:30and figure out what we're going to do for the day.
03:32The director will spend a lot of time in editorial
03:35which is, you know, the edit bay
03:37where you're going over the shots to come.
03:39You're looking at lighting wedges from the stages.
03:41You're looking at first looks from a set.
03:43You're looking at blocks and rehearsals from animators.
03:46And then you're sitting down
03:47with your camera and lighting teams
03:48or your set dressers or your animators
03:50launching them on the specific shots
03:51with, you know, ultimately what it has to be like.
03:53You're reviewing stuff with your visual effects department
03:56trying to define what the look
03:57of the visual effects are for the film.
03:59So there's so many different aspects of what we do.
04:01There's really no typical day here at Like It.
04:06I had a clear idea of what this film was in my head.
04:09But it evolves.
04:10Once you have a new person to collaborate with,
04:13they have another idea.
04:14And sometimes that idea is way better than your own idea.
04:17So it's a really exciting thing to be a part of.
04:20It's really, you know, the energy, the atmosphere
04:22just really crackles with that creativity
04:24where you're all influencing and inspiring each other.
04:28And that is one of the most rewarding
04:30and exciting parts of the process.
04:33Kubo and the Two Strings is a rollicking, rip-roaring thrill ride.
04:38It's a classic hero's journey set in a mythical version of ancient Japan.
04:42It centers on this boy, Kubo,
04:44who grows up in this sleepy shore-side village with his mom.
04:47And he's a street performer. He's a busker.
04:50He spends his days going down into town
04:52and performing shows for the townsfolk.
04:56But he's got a gift. He's got a very special gift.
04:58He's got some magic coursing through his veins.
05:00So when he plays his instrument, the shamisen,
05:03which is sort of like a Japanese version of a banjo,
05:07a three-stringed instrument.
05:08When he plays it, he can actually create these origami figures
05:11that he brings to life and puts on a show for the townsfolk.
05:14And that's how he earns his living, takes care of his mom.
05:17But Kubo has something of a mysterious past,
05:20we find out as we get into the story.
05:22And one day, he accidentally causes this malevolent force to come down
05:28and come after him.
05:29We find out what has happened in his past.
05:32And he has to go on the run to save himself and his family.
05:36And so he goes on this epic odyssey, this big journey,
05:39to fulfill his heroic destiny and to save his family.
05:41And along the way, he meets a couple of strange compatriots.
05:46One of them is Monkey, a savage, sword-wielding snow monkey.
05:49And the other is Beetle, a brawny, oversized man-bug.
05:54And together, the three of them go on this journey
05:56and try to help Kubo fulfill his quest.
05:59And it's coming back, the third of my dreams.
06:03To be continued...
06:04To be continued...
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