“Kubo and the Two Strings”, on a positive note, deals with a boy’s love for his mother and his longing for his deceased father. He defends his mother when her two sisters, both evil, attack her with swords. There is a reason they are so evil which is explained in the movie. The animation is well done and the movie takes Kubo on several adventures, including on the sea and below it.
Regrettably, there are a lot of fights, sword fights, wounds from the swords and scary images of ferocious monsters. There is also the the belief in contacting the dead and in reincarnation, including the dead returning. So, despite the “spirit of the samurai” which is promoted in the film, we are unable to award the movie our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal.