A movie I hated but ended up loving
The first time I watched Kubo and the Two Strings, I missed a good chunk of it. When the big fight happened between Kubo and his grandfather, I didn’t have enough information to understand and felt that battle was very inhumane. I told my mother, who had watched the film in full, how I hated it. I thought she would agree with me, but to my surprise, she suggested I should watch it again from the beginning. She said jumping in the middle of the film caused me a skewed impression of it, and I shouldn’t judge it without full context like that.
I felt a little embarrassed for being scolded out of the blue, but it intrigued me. Usually, my father, my brother, and I – or at least my father and I – would be the ones enthusiastically praising good films and criticizing bad ones, while my mother would listen, sometimes asking questions. But now, the role was reversed. I was no longer the valid voice but a narrow-minded brat who jumped to conclusions too quickly without considering the whole issue. As a natural response, my feelings toward the film worsened; what started as a simple dislike had now become a personal detest.
But perhaps I was destined to change my mind, because I’d had the chance to watch Kubo and the Two Strings in full. In that rewatch, I could feel very clearly the journey my attitude had taken, from hatred to shame for my mistake, and finally to admiration. The film didn’t glorify cruelty as I had imagined, but rather a touching and inspiring story about a boy overcoming hardship and loss. It gave me goosebumps several times because I did not expect such mature theme and messages in an animation with a kid as a protagonist. Kubo’s journey was so turbulent, but at the same time, there was something very steadfast in the way he and his parental figures carried themselves. Rarely had I seen such a spiritual film, let alone animated film, for kids! What an experience! My mom was right!
After that, I stopped viewing animation as just children’s entertainment. My eyes were opened. What this medium could do was truly amazing!