Kubo and Two Strings

[Nick]

Kubo is the front runner for the Oscar if history is based on trends.

Kubo won best animated feature by the National Board of Review which has a history of picking the Academy Award Winner for the past five years as well as second most nominated film at the Annie's behind Zootopia.

To play devil's advocate, Disney has won 4 straight years and the one year of the 5 it didn't win, they weren't nominated. The Academy typically goes with what they know. The people voting aren't the type of people i'd think would watch Kubo, but most probably saw at least one of Disney's films, and they know the name, so they just blindly check the box. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if Kubo doesn't win.

 

[LiamRowbotham]

Just saw this last night for the first time. It's fantastic! The 3D/Stop Motion is incredible, and boy does this film have heart.

 

[Tobias]

Kubo is the front runner for the Oscar if history is based on trends.

Kubo won best animated feature by the National Board of Review which has a history of picking the Academy Award Winner for the past five years

I don't exactly want to rain on anyones parade, but one look at the history of the past five years says otherwise.

2015 - NBR picked Inside Out, Academy Award winner was Inside Out.
2014 - NBR picked How to Train Your Dragon 2, Academy awarded Big Hero 6.
2013 - NBR picked The Wind Rises, Academy awarded Frozen.
2012 - NBR picked Wreck it Ralph, Academy awarded Brave.
2011 - NBR picked Rango, Academy awarded Rango.

2 out of 5, not the best track record for the recent years. Add in the general incompetence of most Award shows (especially reguarding animated films), I personally wouldn't be putting Kubo as the front runner.

 

[Andysol]

I don't exactly want to rain on anyones parade, but one look at the history of the past five years says otherwise.

2015 - NBR picked Inside Out, Academy Award winner was Inside Out.
2014 - NBR picked How to Train Your Dragon 2, Academy awarded Big Hero 6.
2013 - NBR picked The Wind Rises, Academy awarded Frozen.
2012 - NBR picked Wreck it Ralph, Academy awarded Brave.
2011 - NBR picked Rango, Academy awarded Rango.

2 out of 5, not the best track record for the recent years. Add in the general incompetence of most Award shows (especially reguarding animated films), I personally wouldn't be putting Kubo as the front runner.

Id pick Wreck It Ralph and HTTYD 2 over BH6 and Brave for sure. No clue what The Wind Rises is. I'm really pulling for Kubo though. It really would be such a boost to Laika- Disney simply doesn't need it.

 

[quinnmac000]

I don't exactly want to rain on anyones parade, but one look at the history of the past five years says otherwise.

2015 - NBR picked Inside Out, Academy Award winner was Inside Out.
2014 - NBR picked How to Train Your Dragon 2, Academy awarded Big Hero 6.
2013 - NBR picked The Wind Rises, Academy awarded Frozen.
2012 - NBR picked Wreck it Ralph, Academy awarded Brave.
2011 - NBR picked Rango, Academy awarded Rango.

2 out of 5, not the best track record for the recent years. Add in the general incompetence of most Award shows (especially reguarding animated films), I personally wouldn't be putting Kubo as the front runner.

Well deadline needs to change their article :bang: Thats how I got that information from saying that it was the front runner.

 

[quinnmac000]

Id pick Wreck It Ralph and HTTYD 2 over BH6 and Brave for sure. No clue what The Wind Rises is. I'm really pulling for Kubo though. It really would be such a boost to Laika- Disney simply doesn't need it.

The Wind Rises was Hayao Mizaki's last film (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving castle)

 

[quinnmac000]

Kubo Nominated for Golden Globe for best animated feature.

 

[quinnmac000]

Nominated for Best Animated Picture and Best Visual Effects which is a first for an animated film since Nightmare Before Christmas

 

[Tobias]

Kubo probably has it's best chance in the Visual Effects catagory since that's the films strongest aspect. (Even when I take into consideration how muddled the voters/process is, if Laika makes a strong push/smooze for that catagory it could happen.)

 

[quinnmac000]

I loved Zootopia but I really hope Kubo wins so Laika has one major award instead of just consistently being nominated.

 

[Tobias]

The Annie Awards were presented tonight (For those that don't know, that's pretty much the main animation awards ceramony out there.), and Kubo did make buzz in the nominations as it earned 10 of them. Pretty much every catagory they could be eligable for with the exception of best music.

Tonight Kubo won three of them, for Character Animation, Production Design & Editorial. (As for the catagories they were nominated for and didn't win. Animated Effects went to Moana. Storyboarding, Character Design, Writing, Directing & Best Picture went to Zootopia. Finally, Voice Acting ended up as a TIE between Auli'i Cravalho for Moana & Jason Bateman for Zootopia.)

 

[quinnmac000]

Kubo just won the british oscars (BAFTA) for best animated film. Finally they got some major award love.

 

[Frogki]

Recently watched this for the first time and have shown it to my boyfriend and my mother because I loved it so much. Some of the overarching themes reminded me of Potter (funnily enough, considering Ralph Fiennes plays a villain with similar motives in both). Definitely a beautiful story and absolutely stunning animation, and an impressive score for sure. Potentially my favorite animated film now.

 

[awhen]

Recently watched this for the first time and have shown it to my boyfriend and my mother because I loved it so much. Some of the overarching themes reminded me of Potter (funnily enough, considering Ralph Fiennes plays a villain with similar motives in both). Definitely a beautiful story and absolutely stunning animation, and an impressive score for sure. Potentially my favorite animated film now.

See it in 3d if you can. Actually that goes for all the Laika films.

 

[DragonSlayer]

Had a spare couple of hours and finally got around to watching this just now, after hearing so much buzz around it. So blown away by the concept, story, and execution that I simply had to add to the voices praising it.

Although the art style, story, music and technical achievement of production were as exceptional as many have already noted, I was amazed by the subtextual allusions which ran through this and gave it so much of its depth. Elements of myth from both East and West, a distinctly Chaucerian vibe with some of the quest elements (it's no surprise people have drawn parallels with Harry Potter and particularly the three brothers' tale, given it too is based on the Pardoner's Tale), and some classically-inspired moments (the serpent bursting from the body of the statuesque Grandfather seems too close not to be a direct lift from Tacitus' Annals). When combined with the more up-to-date cultural parallels such as with the Ghibli movies, it made for an incredibly moving and intellectually satisfying film. It deserves its glowing reviews.