Ranking All 22 Major Summer 2016 Blockbusters From Worst To Best
2. Kubo & The Two Strings
If there was any justice in the world, Kubo & The Two Strings would make a billion dollars, Hollywood would proclaim it open season on stop motion features and Laika would be heralded in the same terms as Pixar.
What they have achieved in their Japanese adventure epic is nothing short of incredible. Inevitably, the animation is beautiful - in fact, there's not really a superlative that captures just how beautiful it is - with gorgeous landscapes, breathtaking effects and an imagination that is just intoxicating. But as with Boxtrolls and Paranorman (and indeed Coraline to a slightly lesser effect), Kubo's success is about the substance that balances the gloss.
The story is fantastical and grand in scale, but it boils down to a simple yearning for belonging and the devastating trauma of loss. It masters death in the same genius way The Book Of Life did and it has a morality message that mirrors the folklore story convention it borrows from. In short, see it. Love it. Share it.
Any other summer, this would probably have won this ranking. I'm not even entirely sure it hasn't.