Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

This has got to be one of my favourite films! I loved how the backstory was revealed very slowly throughout the film so everything was a surprise and there was nothing you knew that the character didn't. The basic story is about a boy who lives in Japan and whose father died. His mother is still crippled from this loss and stays in a cave (which is their house), only to come out in the day and make origami with her son. Later on, Kubo (the son) then goes down to the village and brings this origami to life in a fantastic show which provides money so he and his mother can buy food. However, he must always be back before sunset or, as his mother tells him, something terrible will happen. Kubo has always stuck to this rule until one day when he is entranced by the villagers putting out lanterns for the dead. From out of the darkness comes his bloodthirsty aunts, intent on taking his eye which they failed to do at their last encounter. From there on the story unravels and Kubo finds out why going out after sundown has always been forbidden. He sets out on an epic (and slightly odd) journey to find his father's magical armour and sword and vanquish his evil grandfather. There were plenty of examples of pathetic fallacy where the weather displays the mood of the story, which makes dark moments seem even more ominous, and the music helped that too. The ideas for the plot were brilliant, if a bit wacky, which made this an overall fantastic film.