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The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings
From LAIKA, the Academy Award®-nominated studio behind Coraline , ParaNorman , and The Boxtrolls , comes a new adventure set in a mythical ancient Japan. In Kubo and the Two Strings , scruffy, kind-hearted Kubo cares devotedly for his mother while eking out a humble living in their sleepy shoreside village. But when a spirit from the past appears, Kubo suddenly finds himself entwined in a violent struggle against gods and monsters. This fully illustrated book offers a behind-the-scenes view of the amazingly detailed artwork and unique stop-motion animation style involved in the film's creation.
160 pages, Hardcover
Published July 19, 2016
12 people are currently reading
286 people want to read
About the author
Emily Haynes
7 books4 followersEmily Haynes is an editor by day, specializing in entertainment and humor titles, and a children's writer by night. In her spare time she can often be found up to her elbows in clay, making functional ceramics.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 27, 2018
I enjoy Art of books, and because I love Kubo so much, this one made me happy. It is full of mostly digital concept artwork that seems to be from the pre-production stage. Where this book differs from others I've read--any of the Art of Star Wars books, for example--is that there is such a small team working on the design. There are just a few names who seem to be responsible for the look of Kubo, and it's interesting to trace the work through the book and get a sense of each person's style. There was a lot of beautiful art created in the process of making this film.
Where this book falls short is simply that there's not enough artwork presented, not enough variety, and not enough words to explain the works and the process. With a stop-motion film, essentially everything except the score and the voice acting is "The Art of," so why is this book limited to only digital concept scenes? Why not photos of the constructed sets, the stop-motion characters themselves, the post-production color grading, and on and on? I assume there is a lot of visual content from this movie that would be fascinating, but this book feels restricted. Even the artwork that is on display here is accompanied by almost no verbal commentary. Aside from quotes from some of the artists on each page, there is little else that explains the process of making this astounding film.
What's here is beautiful and enjoyable; what's missing is disappointing. The bottom line? It makes me want to watch the movie again. :)
Where this book falls short is simply that there's not enough artwork presented, not enough variety, and not enough words to explain the works and the process. With a stop-motion film, essentially everything except the score and the voice acting is "The Art of," so why is this book limited to only digital concept scenes? Why not photos of the constructed sets, the stop-motion characters themselves, the post-production color grading, and on and on? I assume there is a lot of visual content from this movie that would be fascinating, but this book feels restricted. Even the artwork that is on display here is accompanied by almost no verbal commentary. Aside from quotes from some of the artists on each page, there is little else that explains the process of making this astounding film.
What's here is beautiful and enjoyable; what's missing is disappointing. The bottom line? It makes me want to watch the movie again. :)
August 23, 2016
I have all of the LAIKA art books, and this one is by far the worst. There's hardly any emphasis on the actual work that goes on in their studios -- almost everything in this book is a concept painting for an environment... and as interesting as the 2d drawn-aspect of the work is, the more fascinating part of LAIKA's work is how they manage to translate those things into three dimensions. Compared to the Boxtrolls book, there's almost no writing in this one. It's almost all lighting plots or environmental concept paintings -- all digital btw -- which are fun and all, but definitely lead to this book feeling way more thrown together than the previous ones. Where are the photos of the set constructions? The building of character puppets? The extensive versions of character designs and the changes that they went through? Even the small peeks into LAIKA's studio that were in the other books are absent here. And that is not to say the actual art in the book is bad -- on the contrary, it's beautiful. However, the curation choices are just baffling; it's hard to believe that he same company that published the Paranorman and Boxtrolls books also put this one out, as the other two appear far more considered than this one. And having said all of that, it really is a shame, because Kubo just might be LAIKA's most beautiful film to date... and we get this nothing of a book to explore that with. I can only hope that the extras on the home release fill in the gaps left by this bland art book.
January 7, 2023
I was hoping for more of the actual production, model and set making from this book since it's about the creation of a stop motion film. The concept art is beautiful, but there is so little of anything else it makes this book a little disappointing.
February 3, 2017
Fácil de leer y con mucho detalle qué apreciar. Una maravilla visual de película merecía un libro que le hiciera honor.
April 11, 2023
"The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings" is an absolute delight for fans of animation, art, and storytelling. This book is a stunning collection of behind-the-scenes artwork and insights that shed light on the incredible creative process that went into making this cinematic masterpiece.
The book is divided into six sections, each detailing a different aspect of the film's production, from the concept art to the character designs to the set pieces. Each section is packed with gorgeous, high-quality illustrations that showcase the incredible detail and craftsmanship that went into creating the world of Kubo.
The accompanying text is informative and insightful, providing an in-depth look at the design and creative choices made by the team behind the film. It's clear that a lot of thought and care went into every aspect of the film's creation, from the characters to the locations to the music.
What I appreciated most about this book is how it highlights the collaborative nature of filmmaking. It's clear that every member of the team, from the animators to the writers to the musicians, played an essential role in bringing this story to life. This book is a testament to the power of collaboration and creativity.
Overall, "The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings" is a must-have for fans of animation and storytelling. It's a stunning collection of artwork and insights that offers a glimpse into the creative process behind one of the most visually stunning and emotionally resonant films of our time. 5 stars, highly recommended!
The book is divided into six sections, each detailing a different aspect of the film's production, from the concept art to the character designs to the set pieces. Each section is packed with gorgeous, high-quality illustrations that showcase the incredible detail and craftsmanship that went into creating the world of Kubo.
The accompanying text is informative and insightful, providing an in-depth look at the design and creative choices made by the team behind the film. It's clear that a lot of thought and care went into every aspect of the film's creation, from the characters to the locations to the music.
What I appreciated most about this book is how it highlights the collaborative nature of filmmaking. It's clear that every member of the team, from the animators to the writers to the musicians, played an essential role in bringing this story to life. This book is a testament to the power of collaboration and creativity.
Overall, "The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings" is a must-have for fans of animation and storytelling. It's a stunning collection of artwork and insights that offers a glimpse into the creative process behind one of the most visually stunning and emotionally resonant films of our time. 5 stars, highly recommended!
April 4, 2018
The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings is more of a collection of 2-d art from the process of the film (all of which is beautiful) than about the filmmaking itself, which is a shame since the process behind stop motion films is so interesting, especially films from Laika. I really enjoyed learning about all the research that was put into this film to make sure it was a respectful and accurate depiction of Japanese culture. The book has a beautiful layout, however, I did see the same few drawings on different pages throughout the book.
In my opinion, there should have been more variety in the content that was shown. A lot of the art depcited was digital paintings (which I think would have been serviceable for a 2-d or 3-d animated film), and to really make this book more appealing and interesting to me would be to incorperate some more of the sets and "3-d" aspects since this film was stop motion (and a very grandiose and interacate one at that).
I realize that this review has a bit of a negative tone, but I really did enjoy The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings and I still pick it up and flip through it time and time again. Overall, the content given was great with lovely layout, it was just lacking in some parts and came off a bit lazy in some aspects. This book really had the chance to stand out, and even though it is a good book, it is very monotonus in terms of media shown.
In my opinion, there should have been more variety in the content that was shown. A lot of the art depcited was digital paintings (which I think would have been serviceable for a 2-d or 3-d animated film), and to really make this book more appealing and interesting to me would be to incorperate some more of the sets and "3-d" aspects since this film was stop motion (and a very grandiose and interacate one at that).
I realize that this review has a bit of a negative tone, but I really did enjoy The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings and I still pick it up and flip through it time and time again. Overall, the content given was great with lovely layout, it was just lacking in some parts and came off a bit lazy in some aspects. This book really had the chance to stand out, and even though it is a good book, it is very monotonus in terms of media shown.
October 2, 2017
The art in movie is gorgeous and the book gives a decent look at part of what went into making it, but this is perhaps the poorest of the "Art Of Laika" books.
You get little snippets of what the thought process was for certain elements or how they chose certain themes, but the actual art on display felt a bit light. Lots of double page spreads or full page images of film stills, but almost no development sketches.
Past books were chock-full of all the things that went on before/during/after development. This one feels like they were in a hurry to release something and didn't really take the time to gather as much material.
It's still a good book if you're a fan of the studio or the movie, but there are better Laika books.
You get little snippets of what the thought process was for certain elements or how they chose certain themes, but the actual art on display felt a bit light. Lots of double page spreads or full page images of film stills, but almost no development sketches.
Past books were chock-full of all the things that went on before/during/after development. This one feels like they were in a hurry to release something and didn't really take the time to gather as much material.
It's still a good book if you're a fan of the studio or the movie, but there are better Laika books.
May 10, 2017
This book had some great images and interesting behind the scenes information. I thought it was a little light on material compared with some other art books, but if you loved this movie you will probably like this book. It is well designed and put together and offers insight into the thought process behind the movie. With a stop-motion movie like this, I would also definitely recommend looking up some of the time-lapse footage from the animation process, which shows a lot more of the process than still images can.
February 20, 2020
A beautiful overview of the film accompanied by plenty of concept illustrations and character designs, but short on text. There were a few fascinating tidbits scattered throughout, but I was hoping for a more in-depth look at how the film came to life. Stop-motion is such a complex art, that it would have been nice to see more photos of the maquettes, rigged characters, props and costumes.
February 27, 2023
Not terrible, certainly worth picking up if you're a fan of Kubo.
To me, the strength of this book was in its explanation for the artistic styling of the film. I appreciated the information about how the choices made linked back to Japanese culture. However, I think they skimmed the surface in these texts and could've at least elaborated a little more on the rich history and art they were referencing (and sometimes deliberately broke away from).
If you're picking this up as a fan of claymation, do note that it is lacking in its physical exhibitions, i.e we don't see or read about the physical sets, puppet rigging or making, etc much or at all. We are mostly given digital and conceptual art.
To me, the strength of this book was in its explanation for the artistic styling of the film. I appreciated the information about how the choices made linked back to Japanese culture. However, I think they skimmed the surface in these texts and could've at least elaborated a little more on the rich history and art they were referencing (and sometimes deliberately broke away from).
If you're picking this up as a fan of claymation, do note that it is lacking in its physical exhibitions, i.e we don't see or read about the physical sets, puppet rigging or making, etc much or at all. We are mostly given digital and conceptual art.
February 27, 2019
While the art contained in this book is nice, it is very disappointing that very little of it is from the film or of the figures made for the film. Considering the work done with stop motion, it was a let down that the book barely shows that.
September 26, 2021
The book was such an eye candy. It contains so many beautiful visuals from the movie , the story of building these and purpose of the movie.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone trying to understand more about the making of this movie.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone trying to understand more about the making of this movie.
January 9, 2023
Great showcase of concept art, though would’ve loved to see more of the physical puppet/set/prop construction from the film. Could’ve also used a bit more text and behind the scenes details from the artists.
January 16, 2023
Tons of lovely Japanese-inspired art with a thoughtful forward essay by Travis Knight but there's minimal explanation of the actual process making the movie. Overuses the film stills, too. I'll watch the movie for that, art books should exclusively be about the behind-the-scenes content.
December 11, 2017
Kinda a disappointment, it was interesting and cool. But there wasn't much to it.
January 19, 2018
Gorgeous art. just wish there were more of the character design sketches. I love seeing the preliminary work.
March 7, 2019
Perfect tool for the artist to gain inspiration, some of the quotes are absolutely perfect and are so inspiring
March 18, 2019
Honestly, I wish it had been longer, but still a beautiful book with a fascinating look at stop motion animation!
April 3, 2019
Quizá me hubiera gustado algo más de texto narrando el proceso y más imágenes de la construcción y animación de sets y personsjes, pero el apartado visual es tan llamativo que lo compensa.
September 9, 2024
absolutely gorgeous work, definitely one if not the best artbook i’ve ever read. such a great balance of finished pieces and work in progress showcase!
January 31, 2022
Love the film and could have done with 2x or 3x as many pages in this book. THANK YOU, LAIKA!
September 8, 2016
Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf
What is it with me and art books linked to films? Am a complete sucker for them. I have no shame in admitting that.
So, when I received a copy of The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings from the lovely people at Abrams and Chronicle, I was very surprised. They know I enjoy these types of books, but to receive this without me talking about the movie or asking was a nice surprise. I mean, I only discovered a trailer for this movie about three or so months ago. Am very new to discovering this.
Kubo looks after his mother in a cave by a fishing village. But when someone from her past appears, his mother sends Kubo to safety using magic Kubo never knew she had. Because of this, he must search for his fallen father's armour to face his family's dark secret to set himself and his mother free...
This is an arty book. No story in here. But what I love about these type of books is the level of detail and research that goes into these story. This story is set in Japan so the research and the detail that the production company went into - looking at pictures from The British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum, learning about culture and history, understanding and learning origami, costume design and textile research - I found very interesting. And seeing the illustrations of the movie - concept art, statues, photos, origami/paper statues, etc - it was a lovely insight to how this movie was made.
I would say, like all of these The Art of [Insert Movie Title Here] books, buy or read this after you've seen the movie. There are a few spoilers about how the movie will end and a few things that would be considered spoilery. And we don't want to spoil you if you are going to watch the movie now, do we?
What is it with me and art books linked to films? Am a complete sucker for them. I have no shame in admitting that.
So, when I received a copy of The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings from the lovely people at Abrams and Chronicle, I was very surprised. They know I enjoy these types of books, but to receive this without me talking about the movie or asking was a nice surprise. I mean, I only discovered a trailer for this movie about three or so months ago. Am very new to discovering this.
Kubo looks after his mother in a cave by a fishing village. But when someone from her past appears, his mother sends Kubo to safety using magic Kubo never knew she had. Because of this, he must search for his fallen father's armour to face his family's dark secret to set himself and his mother free...
This is an arty book. No story in here. But what I love about these type of books is the level of detail and research that goes into these story. This story is set in Japan so the research and the detail that the production company went into - looking at pictures from The British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum, learning about culture and history, understanding and learning origami, costume design and textile research - I found very interesting. And seeing the illustrations of the movie - concept art, statues, photos, origami/paper statues, etc - it was a lovely insight to how this movie was made.
I would say, like all of these The Art of [Insert Movie Title Here] books, buy or read this after you've seen the movie. There are a few spoilers about how the movie will end and a few things that would be considered spoilery. And we don't want to spoil you if you are going to watch the movie now, do we?
December 1, 2016
Beautiful work. Sadly, not many shots of the incredible physical maquettes and sets. Guess you have to pause the film?
January 26, 2017
It offers reminders of what takes place in the film and a few fun facts and inspiration without the words overwhelming the art.
Want to read
April 29, 2017tbh i just want to read this bc a) it's kubo and that film was amazing, b) it was an absolute visual spectacle and c) LAIKA. ¯\_( :/ )_/¯
artbooks
December 26, 2018Review coming soon!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews