The Oregon based studio – Laika – behind the movies Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls, has recently announced the production of its fourth collaboration with Focus Features called Kubo And The Two Strings, according to a report by Deadline.
The new film is described as a “sweeping, swashbuckling adventure set in a mythical ancient Japan” and will be filmed in the company’s signature 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid technique.
Kubo is the first of a new three-picture deal for Laika and Focus announced in October; under the deal Focus will again handle domestic distribution while Universal Pictures International handles international release.
Laika’s president and CEO Travis Knight is making his directorial debut on the film, from an original screenplay by Marc Haimes and Chris Butler (ParaNorman). Knight is producing with Arianne Sutner and the starry voice cast includes Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes and Brenda Vaccaro as well as Game Of Thrones star Art Parkinson, who is providing the voice of Kubo. The film is set for domestic release on 19 August 19, 2016.
The script is taken from Japanese folktales and mythology and centers on young Kubo, who lives a quiet, normal life in a small shoreside village until a spirit from the past turns his life upside down by re-igniting an age-old vendetta. This causes all sorts of havoc as gods and monsters chase Kubo who, in order to survive, must locate a magical suit of armor once worn by his late father, a legendary Samurai warrior.
Laika’s Boxtrolls is also creating the right noise in the awards circuit this year, with nominations at the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Movie Awards as Best Animated Feature and is leading the Annie Awards with a whopping 13 nominations. Knight and Laika are obviously not resting on their laurels.
This film also marks the continuation and reaffirmation of Laika’s distribution partnership with Focus, which is expanding its horizons under new CEO Schlessel. But those horizons clearly include Laika, which went into business with the company nearly 10 years ago, when it was led by James Schamus, with Coraline.