Interview: Travis Knight, Director of Kubo and the Two Strings

We’ve come a long way since the simplistic and almost outdated visual style we once thought to be stop-motion animation. Growing up, I was never a fan of it because it seemed very poorly executed, delivery rigid and unnatural movements. Then, like a swift sword strike, emerges an animation studio that slices through any competitors with ease. LAIKA has singlehandedly created a stop-motion renaissance that started with Coraline and has evolved past anything we thought was possible for the film genre. Their latest project, Kubo and the Two Strings is a feat of wonder that redefines the genre and sets a new standard for stop-motion films everywhere. I sit down and chat with director, animator and LAIKA CEO Travis Knight about his process, the Hollywood casting problem with Asian actors and potential sequels.