By G.P. Avants

There are two reasons why I thought Kubo of the Two Strings was a movie worth watching. One reason was the visual animation used to tell a very unique style. Since it was from the creators of Coraline, they already peaked my interest. So this is for storytellers and wordsmiths who know the power of words.

“Hey, paper boy, ” announces an older lady, “are you ever going to finish one of your amazing stories?”

Kubo smiles. His life is a story, that like the origami he creates, folds and unfolds upon itself. Visually, Kubo created living stories that came alive before his audiences’ eyes. His life is one big mystery that constantly ravels and unravels. Kubo’s real life and stories blur and reality becomes his fantasy and visa versa. He loses everything to finally understand what family is meant to be.  Life really does begin when we see the truth behind some of the ugly and unfair things that come upon him. However, when we, as the audience pays attention to even the smallest detail, like the zig zag scar on Kubo’s mother’s face; we begin to see the real story hidden just underneath. As Kubo reminds us,  “Do not blink for if you do the hero will surely perish.”

Isn’t so true that life is a complicated and simply beautiful thing at the same time? We never see the whole picture that God is painting in one sitting. However, if we sit and look, listen, and pay attention we will see how He crafts every wonderful detail of our lives. The Lord paints with sad dark ash, watery blue tears, and sunshine-yellow hope on a simple flesh-colored canvas. If we the do not faint, but stay awake the final picture is breathtaking and so much better than life.