When they discover a way to bring the dead back to life, their attempts to build their park in the land of the living pulls Kat into a quest to bring her parents back from the dead, the evil prison corporation into a plan to finally decimate the small town and build their ultimate school-to-prison pipeline. Thrown in are demon hunters, school cliques and possession-based super powers; this is not a film to just put on in the background. Hopefully the sheer amount of backstory and complex characters is enough for a sequel or a spin off.

Race and gender are core facets of the story, with the protagonist Kat being a black or African American girl. The prison system and anti-black racism in the US are inseparable, and Jordan Peele's groundbreaking debut as a director was the racism themed horror Get Out. Whilst the demons are Key and Peele and half of the villainous power couple is a black man, Kat being black is integral to the prison criticism theme. Likewise, the school is an all-girls school taught by nuns, and it's all but said that demon possession and the superpowers it comes with is a female-only experience. This centring of women in terms other than sexuality/relationships or stereotypically 'feminine' traits such as being supportive or cute, is still a bold and important decision, especially one for a mainly male writing and production team to have made.

Another powerful choice was made in regards to gender, and one that they could have easily not have included without any effect on the plot: Kat's friend and ally is her fellow pupil Raul. A boy at an all-girls school, there's a quick scene where the clique call him his old name and say its hard to get used to and one where his mother corrects an unheard voice on the phone that she has a son, but aside from that this canonically trans character is completely accepted as a boy called Raul by every single character. It's a lovely inclusive detail and a perfect example of trans characters not being defined by their gender, as he's an artist and one of the few characters not to have shady or conflicted motivations.

Of course, it's hard for an adult without children to judge a children's film. Will kids love it? Will it's important messages be lost on them or too much for them? I can't say, but I do know a lot of children's films are quick buck garbage full of toxic messages or simply advertising, so it's definitely worth trying it. It's a good child-friendly horror and entertaining for adults too. 

On the topic of Hognob, the football plot takes up most of the action and plot, and at no point is it referred to as soccer, nor is any concession made to the fact that people might not be familiar with the sport. Football team name jokes and other British references like the hobnob biscuit are thrown unapologetically and so refreshingly. The plot is a classic underdog story with the unrelated livelihoods of the underdogs on the line. Some smaller subplots pepper the plot with interesting events with a Bronze Age woman who isn't allowed to play because it's a man's sport, an older chief who is at odds with the young and ambitious hunter, and the Bronze Age leader hiding his money-hungry actions from his actual-monarch boss.

Although it is hinted at, there is no romance subplot. There is a thirsty mum, but she's just vaguely after a boyfriend to the never ending embarrassment of her teenage son. There are two main heroes, one male and one female, and they meet and grow to like each other. Making an incredibly welcome change, however, they do not inexplicably fall in love or replace their original, vital happy endings with a romantic one. She gets to play football in front of a cheering crowd, he gets to go home, and no obligatory heterosexual pairing is shoehorned in. They are friends and that is such a relief.

Having seen some behind the scenes videos, the process and sheer scale of a real stop-motion feature film is still hard to comprehend. The small team roots of Aardman is still there at the core, with a surprisingly small team making the huge sets and numerous models of each character. The handmade aesthetic is kept by doing so much by hand, and being sure not to smooth away all the thumbprints. The ridiculous amount of work that goes into an Aardman Animation really shows, and the beauty of the models and items is breathtaking. Take a moment to admire the artistry in any moment, and keep an eye out for the repeated football motif all over the city sets.

As always, Nick Park and co have really nailed the concept of a family film. The characters are simple but believable, the story easy to follow and compelling, and the humour funny to adults without going over children's heads. This diverse appeal means it can thoroughly entertain the children without annoying you, or you could happily watch this by yourself. As per usual, Aardman shows the rest of the children's film business how it should be done.

It's hard to tell the actual accuracy as a Westerner, but the Japanese culture included feels authentic. The festival at the beginning feels realistic and specific rather than a vague amalgamation of different events, and Kubo's origami and instrument seem to be true to life, magical elements aside. A point of note on his instrument; it has three strings, and the two strings of the title will show up later in the plot as a highly symbolic moment. It's touching.

The monsters and enemies are complex, having motivations and goals. There are moments of sympathy for the big bad Moon King, and an adult viewer might wonder for a second if their nefarious actions will actually lead to a positive result... But this is a children's film, so don't worry about any "The hero accidentally ruins everything" downer endings. In fact, we get even more of a good and positive ending, with Kubo and co defeating the villain not only physically but ideologically. Good triumphs over evil in every way possible.

That's not to say the plot is twee and simple. Bad things happen, terrible things in fact, and there are plot reveals that are genuinely surprising. While one character's true identity is hinted at and hinted at, another's is not even questioned until it is revealed! The things that are obviously going to happen are used to disguise other plot details, which is a clever way to do things.

Catch it in the cinema if you still can, and don't even worry about taking a child if you aren't a parent. This is one kids' film no one will be judging you for going to see by yourself.

It's fairly easy to stereotype animal personalities, but the pets and wildlife avoid, play with and subvert these stereotypes. The hamster is stupid and not cutely behaved, the pig is a thug and his appetite doesn't come up, and the Pomeranian dog is brave and her princess-iness is played with. The 'secret life' part comes in nicely with a posh man's poodle, which switches his classical playlist for some metal, and the constant party that the elderly dog's home is. Obviously, there is only one pet cat shown, and her 'secret' behaviour is exactly what a cat does when you're there too: She eats a chicken from the fridge and comes and goes as she pleases. The daily lives and interpersonal relationships of dogs is far easier to play with, after all. The way the dogs see their relationships with their owners is interesting, and the love interest doesn't feel shoe-horned in or too predictable.

This is a children's film, and the danger and violence are on a child-acceptable level. The vague threat of the Animal Pound, being bitten or eaten without gore, and drowning in a crashed car are the threats, and the only violence we see is the bloodless kung-fu style fighting and an over-the-top bloodless slapstick squishing. The humour regularly plays into juvenile interests, with some poop jokes and silly lies.

Luckily for the adults, there are some good jokes aimed at adults, including an obvious Monty Python killer bunny reference and a subtle Some Like It Hot "nobody's perfect" shoutout, and some subtle references to humorous pet behaviours like the cat sitting in a small box and the hawk's trouble with not eating the smaller pets are quite amusing. Compared to many adults reactions to Illumination Entertainment's minions, being amusing to adults is something amazing.

Especially after the recent mess of disability representation in serious adult media, the way the elderly, disabled dog is portrayed is fantastic. His doggie-wheelchair is a minor point, part of his travel decisions, but not a plot point or any sort of character flaw like it can so often be shown as. His vision impairment is used for a couple of jokes, as he has an assistant to lift his baggy brow to help him see, and sees the cat character as very attractive if blurry. Both are most likely age related, and only humour in what they cause him to do, not in themselves.

With all of these coming together to make a really great film , it might be a sign Illumination is going to be a very big player in animation. Either way, this is a great film for all the family.

With Sadness as one of the main characters and a stressful time period as the human characters focus, be prepared for some sad scenes. The film is great for showing what depression really feels like, both in the overload of sadness way and in the dulled, no-emotions way. As well as this, the interaction of the five emotions and the complexity of them all is clever and makes a lot of sense; for example, Disgust is also in charge of Riley's feelings about looking good and while Riley is lead by Joy, her stressed and grumpy dad is led by Anger.

The fact that all the characters explicitly have the same five emotions controlling their mind makes it easy to see all the characters as similarly relatable and complex. The grumpy dad is not just grumpy, as he has Joy, Sadness, Disgust and Fear, just like Riley. A ending scene shows the minds of other characters, including a dog with five dog emotions pressing a simple keyboard and a cat with five cat emotions running amok and wandering over a keyboard as detailed as the humans. It's moments like this that keep what could have been a very upsetting film funny and lets the adventure scenes feel exciting rather than nerve-wrecking.

The mind-as-controlled-by-tiny-people idea is hardly new, but the people being emotions rather than senses or just physically controlling the body seems fresh and inventive. It's easy to picture your own five emotions, try to imagine your own islands and wonder what your own core memories are. Wait, what are islands and core memories? You'll have to watch to find out! Rush to the cinema while it's still there, or wait to grab it on DVD if you think you'll be crying too much in the cinema to see it all.