Kubo and the Two Strings Academy Award Nominations!
Jondee here at the Academy,
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the nominations for the 89th Academy Awards. Kubo and the Two Strings, released last August 19th, was directed by Travis Knight. He is a nominee as director and producer of Kubo and the Two Strings as Best Animated Feature Film. The following statements are from the press releases. Knight’s reaction at the nomination, ”I’m over the moon! An Academy Award nomination is an extraordinary and cherished gift. Two nominations is more than anyone could hope for. Every filmmaker dreams of a moment like this. But the truth is, I already lived my dream by making this film. Movies have always given me great joy. They enriched my life. They inspired me to dream. That’s the kind of film our team at LAIKA sought to make with KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS. A film is a slice of a hundred souls. In this case many more. An incredible, immense community of artists gave ceaselessly and selflessly to breathe life into this story. I’m so thankful for their talents and efforts and so proud of what we’ve done together. I’m profoundly grateful to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who somehow saw fit to include us among the finest storytellers in film. It is a tremendous honor to stand alongside them.”
Kubo and the Two Strings also has nominees for Visual Effects which is an achievement since the only other animated film in that category was The Nightmare Before Christmas (1994). Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff spoke about the nomination, “As much as Kubo and the Two Strings is an homage to Japanese culture and to woodblock artists including Kiyoshi Saito, it is also a tribute to special effects pioneers Ray Harryhausen, Willis O’Brien, Jim Danforth, and the many innovative FX artists who tell stories using in-camera effects, puppets, and human hands. We’re thrilled for the artists at LAIKA who put years into realizing Kubo. For all of us at the studio, being recognized alongside such distinguished and talented members of the VFX community is truly an honor.” The Academy Awards will be held on February 26th at the Dolby Theatre. Cheer on Travis Knights, Laika, and all of the talented artists who crafted Kubo and the Two Strings!
