Laika, the animation company behind Coraline, ParaNorman and The Boxtrolls, has announced a fourth collaboration with Focus Features, with the stop motion specialists currently working on Kubo and the Two Strings.
According to Deadline, the project is described as a “sweeping, swashbuckling adventure set in a mythical ancient Japan [and] centers on young Kubo, who lives a quiet, normal life in a small shoreside village until a spirit from the past turns his life upside down by re-igniting an age-old vendetta. This causes all sorts of havoc as gods and monsters chase Kubo who, in order to survive, must locate a magical suit of armor once worn by his late father, a legendary Samurai warrior.”
SEE ALSO: FM Podcast interview with The Boxtrolls co-directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi
Kubo and the Two Strings will mark the directorial debut of Laika’s president and CEO Travis Knight, with Marc Haimes and Chris Butler (ParaNorman) handling the script. Set to feature in the voice cast are Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, Brenda Vaccaro and Art Parkinson. The film is set for release on August 19th 2016.