Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
If you must blink, do it now!
Kubo mesmerizes the people in his village with his magical gift for spinning wild tales with origami. When he accidentally summons an evil spirit seeking vengeance, Kubo is forced to go on a quest to solve the mystery of his fallen samurai father and his mystical weaponry, as well as discover his own magical powers.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 18 August 2016 |
| Genre | Animation, Adventure, Family |
| Director | Travis Knight |
| Starring | Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey |
| Runtime | 102 min |
| Rated | PG |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 8.4/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 97% · Metacritic 84/100 · TMDB users 7.7/10 |
| Budget | $60 million |
| Box office | $76 million worldwide |
Where to watch Kubo and the Two Strings
Kubo and the Two Strings is streaming on Hulu ($21.49 a month) in the US. It is also on Max ($18.49 a month) and Peacock ($16.99 a month). If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Peacock is $16.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 28 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent Kubo and the Two Strings on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and Spectrum On Demand. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Kubo and the Two Strings in 2 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Ecuador | Clarovideo |
| Peru | Clarovideo |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Travis Knight directed this 102-minute adventure, and the texture is the point. Every frame feels hand-built, from the paper shapeshifters to the clay-like faces of the cast. Kubo’s magic is tactile, folding reality into new shapes with a whisper of paper. It is not a quiet film. The energy is relentless, driven by a boy who can outrun his own mistakes. The stakes feel personal rather than epic, anchored by a father-son mystery that unfolds through action. You will not see a digital cel here. You will see glue, wire, and intent. It demands your full attention because the craft is visible in every cut.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes sits at 97% as of November 2024, based on 230 reviews. Metacritic lands on 84, which it labels universal acclaim. The agreement is rare enough to note. Critics praised the craftsmanship. Jesse Hassenger of The A.V. Club called the animation "truly dazzling." Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post gave it four stars, noting its complexity. Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian disagreed, rating it 2 out of 5. He saw vegetables where others saw art.
How it did with audiences
The budget was $60 million. The domestic take came in at $48 million, and the worldwide total landed at $77.5 million. That is a net gain, though not a landslide. On TMDB, users give it a 7.7 score. It opened alongside War Dogs and Suicide Squad, finishing fourth that weekend. For a film about a boy with one eye, the financial eye was surprisingly good.
What came next for the cast
Brenda Vaccaro had been in films since 1969, a span that swallows most careers whole. She returned to work in 2019 and 2025. The timeline is long enough to make that distinction meaningless.
Matthew McConaughey moved from Interstellar in 2014 to a string of live-action roles, including The Gentlemen in 2020. Charlize Theron followed Mad Max: Fury Road with blockbusters like F9 in 2021. Art Parkinson left Game of Thrones behind for I Kill Giants in 2017. The credits list what happened next. They do not say this film did it.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Kubo and the Two Strings.
Sources
- Kubo and the Two Strings on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q18786471 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Kubo and the Two Strings” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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