10 Under-The-Radar Films You Have To See In 2016

By KJ Lewis /

5. Kubo And The Two Strings

Kubo And The Two Strings is the latest offering from Laika Entertainment, the animation studio that never fails to produce stunning stop-motion efforts; Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls. Laika very often swoop in under the radar, riding the jetstreams of more popular Pixar and Disney efforts and thus often losing at the box office, although not necessarily with the critics. The story here is typically intriguing; Kubo, the young child of a late and great samurai warrior lives a quiet village life until an old family vendetta is re-ignited by an ancient spirit. This sends Kubo on a dangerous journey to find his father's magical suit of armour in order to fight off the violent curse. At teaser-trailer stage, it's clear to see that if nothing else, Kubo looks beautiful and the fact that it brings voice performances by Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey and Ralph Fiennes should be enough to pique your interest. Kubo will grace screens in the US on August 19th and in the UK on Septemember 9th.