Thefilm,withCindyLinfromInfotainmentChinaMediaasitsChinesedistributor,hitChina’sbigscreensonJanuary13,andisexpectedtorununtilMarch12.A3Dstop-motionfantasyaction-adventurefilmproducedbyLAIKAEntertainment,anAmericanstop-motionanimationstudio,KuboandtheTwoStringsmarksthedirectorialdebutofTravisKnight.PreviouslybetterknownasLAIKA’sleadanimator,Knighthasshownhisabilitytocontroltheoverallpaceofaproductioninthisfilm.
Knightwasbornin1973inHillsboro,Oregon,U.S.A.Whilemanypeoplehavesuggestedthathewasbornwithasilverspooninhismouth,asthesonofPhilKnight,founderandchairmanofNike,Inc.,hewantedtotakeadifferentroad.In1993,hereleasedhisrapalbumGetoffMineasChillyTee,aswellasasingleofthesamename.Soon,however,Knightrealizedthatinsteadofbecomingasuccessfulrapper,hewasmoreinterestedinstop-motionanimation,ananimationtechniquethatphysicallymanipulatesanobjectsothatitappearstomoveonitsown.KnightwentbacktouniversitybeforejoiningLAIKAinthelate1990s,wherehequicklydevotedhimselftothetrade.Helaterwentontoserveasthecompany’sleadanimator,president,andCEO.WhatdoesKnighthavetosayaboutKuboandtheTwoStrings?HowdoeshegenerallyviewLAIKA’swork?WhatarethespecialfeaturesofLAIKA?Withthesequestionsinmind,ChinaPictorialsatdownwithKnighttofindoutmore.
ChinaPictorial(CP):WhatwastheinspirationforKuboandtheTwoStrings?
TravisKnight(Knight):IhadbeenwantingtodoabigepicmovieatLAIKAforsometime,andthisjustreallycontainedallthoseelements.Mymotherhadinstilledinmealoveofbigfantasystories,thingslikeTheLordoftheRingsandotherfantasyworks.AndthenwhenIwasabouteightyearsold,myfatherletmetagalongononeofhisbusinesstripsandwetrav-eledthroughoutAsia,includingBeijingandShanghai,ignitingalifelongadmirationforEasternculture.Soyoumightsaythatmyinspirationcamefromfamily,andwemadeamoviethat,atitscore,isaboutfamily.AndthenourcharacterdesignerbroughtusanoriginalideathatbecamethebasisforKuboandtheTwoStrings.
Ihadbeenlookingforsomethingbig,expansiveandepicinnature.Tomakeasmall-scalemovieshotonagussied-upslabofwoodinawarehouselookandfeellikealarge-scaleepiclensedonanendlessmajesticvistaisanigh-onimpossibletask.It’sridiculous.Nobodywoulddothat,whichisexactlywhyIwasexcitedtodoitwithKuboandtheTwoStrings.Fundamentally,it’sthesameprocessthatWillisO’BrienusedinKingKongin1933,butwe’vecreatedtechnologyandtechniquesthathavecompletelytransformedthemedium.
StillsfromKuboandtheTwoStrings.
Havingworkedinanimationfortwodecades,duringwhichtimehesloggedthroughthemireofartisticcreationanddevelopmentaswellasproductionandmanagement,Knightsaysthathehasdevotedhimselftothesimplestofgoals:makingmoviesthatmatter.
StillsfromKuboandtheTwoStrings.
KnightandtheaudienceattheChinesepremiereofKuboandtheTwoStrings.Asadirector,Knightcombinesthingshehasloveddeeplyaboutthemovieseversincehewasachild:epicfantasy,animation,heroicstories,andthetranscendentartandphilosophyofAsia.CP:Intermsoftheplot,KuboandtheTwoStringsisquiteatypicalAmericanstory,althoughthemoviehasincorporatedplentyofelementsfromtheEast.WhatmadeyouwanttogiveanAmericanstoryan“Easternoutfit”?
Knight:Wehavefoundthatthemoreintimateyoumakeastory,themoreuniversalitbecomes.Theideaofayoungboytryingtoreconnectwithhisfamilyisauniversaltheme,sothatmakesforastorythatcancastawideemotionalnet.OurcrewspentmuchtimeresearchingEasternculture.AsIsaid,ItookmyfirsttriptoAsiaincludingBeijingandShanghaiwhenIwasaroundeightyearsold.GrowingupinAmerica’sPacificNorthwest,inmanywaysAsiafeltlikehome,butinother,verystrikingwaysitwasunlikeanythingIhadeverexperienced.Itwasbeautifulandbreathtaking.Mychildhoodintroductionwasthebeginningofalife-longloveaffairwithEasternculture.It’snocoincidencethatmyfirstfilmasadirectorcombinesallthesethingsI’veloveddeeplysinceIwasachild:epicfantasy,animation,heroicstoriesonagrandscale,andthebeautiful,transcendentartandphilosophyofAsia.
CP:Previously,youmainlyworkedastheleadanimatoratLAIKA.HowdoyoufeelaboutyourdirectorialdebutinKuboandtheTwoStrings?
Knight:Directingthefilmhasbeenthemostcreativelysatisfyingexperienceofmylife.Andthere’smoreofmeinKuboandtheTwoStringsthaninanythingI’veeverdone.Thatcanbeaslightlyterrifyingprospect:revealingapartofyourselfthatyoutypicallykeepshroudedandprotected.Butit’swhatweneedtodoifwewanttotellstoriesthathavemeaning,resonanceandrealheart.
Beingadirectortookadvantageofeverysingleoneofmyearlierexperiences.Thisfilmwastechnicallydemanding,butemotionallymoreso.Lifeisfuelforart,andmyexperienceswithmyfamilycombinedwithalifeworkinginanimationgavemeconfidencethatIcoulddothisstoryjustice.Whenyou’rethedirector,you’rethenexusofeverything.Everysingledecisionultimatelypilesuponthedirector’sshoulders.Itcanbeexhausting.Butit’salsoexhilarating.You’resurroundedbysomanybrilliantandpassionateartists.Youtrytoinspirethem,butultimatelythey’retheonesinspiringyou.It’sabeautifulcollaboration.
CP:Chinesemillennialsandkidstodayarequitefamiliarwithinternationalanimations,suchasthosefromDreamWorksorDisney.WhatmakesLAIKAanditsworksdifferentfromtheirs?
Knight:Fromthebeginning,ourcommunityatLAIKAhaswholeheartedlypursuedthesimplestofgoals:tomakemoviesthatmatter.Ofcourse,thatunadornedstatementbeliestheenormous,back-breakingandmindnumbingcomplexityofcraftingananimatedfilmfromscratchandslowly,painstakinglycoaxingittolifeaframeatatimeoverthecourseofmanyyears.But,puttingallthataside,strippingeverythingelseaway,we’rejustsimplestorytellers.Wetellstoriesthatmoveusandthatwehoperesonateinthesamewaywithaudiencesofallages,andfamiliesinparticular,allovertheworld.
KuboandtheTwoStringsisapublicpronouncementofLAIKA’scommitmenttotellstoriesthatmatter.Longafterthethingitselfisgone,ourstoryofitcanendure,thrive,andgrowinpowerandmeaning.Theabidingpowerofstoriesremindsmethatartcantranscendanygiventime,place,andculture.Andthatartcandrawustogetheroversharedthoughts,emotions,andexperi-encesandspeaktothatwhichmakesuswhoweare.MygreathopeisthatKuboandtheTwoStringsisthatkindofstory.
CP:LAIKAhasonlyproducedfourfilms—Coraline,ParaNorman,TheBoxtrollsandKuboandtheTwoStrings—inthepast10years.Isthereaparticularreasonforthat?Knight:Wewanttomakemoviesthatmatter,andtodosoinawaythattrulypushesthemediumofanimationforward.Thattakestime.ForKuboandtheTwoStrings,thetimefromtheverystartofdevelopmenttothetimewecametotheaterswasaboutfiveyears.Anyoneanimatoronanygivenweekmightproducethreetofoursecondsoffootage,sowe’rehavingagoodweekiftheentireanimationteamhasproducedaminuteortwooffootage.It’saslowprocess,butwethinkit’sworthit.Wecontinuetotakethismediumofstopmotionanimationtoplacesithasneverbeenandtoexpanditsstorytellingpossibilities.Forthismovie,wetooktechniquesfromthetheater,fromthestage,fromwoodworkersandmachinists,fromtraditionalartistsandcraftspeople,andfuturistsandtechnophiles…andmaybeevensometechnophobes.
LAIKAre-imaginedtheprocesstorevolutionizefacialreplacementinstopmotionanimation:fordecades,thepuppet’sentireheadwasswappedouttochangethefacialexpression,butwiththebreakthroughRapidPrototyping3Dprinterswecouldcreateupperandlowerportionsoffaces.Thisinnovationyieldstraysandtraysoffacialhalvesallowingour‘hero’puppetstohavemillionsofpotentialfacialexpressions.Besides,peoplewhoworkatLAIKAhaveaninnateartisticrestlessness,quietedonlywhenastorychallengeisidentifiedandmet.TravisKnighttakesthepuppetofKubotothePalaceMuseumduringhisBeijingpromotionofthefilmKuboandtheTwoStrings.Inthisfilm,Knightexhibitshisabilitytocontroltheoverallpaceofaproduction.