History WesternAnimation / KuboAndTheTwoStrings

* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler: So, the Moon King stole Kubo's eye as a baby, had him and his mother separated from his father, stole Hanzo's memories and [[BalefulPolymorph cursed]] him, sent his remaining daughters to assassinate Sariatu, destroyed Kubo's village along the way, and nearly killed his own grandson. So how do Kubo and the villagers react when the Moon King has been stripped of his powers and reduced to a helpless amnesiac old man at their mercy? ...They tell him he's a kind, upstanding person and welcome him as one of their own. Kubo goes as far as to accept his grandfather as family. TropesAreNotBad however, as this moment demonstrates Kubo's newfound maturity and his willingness to put a stop to the violence his family has become embroiled in.]]

* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler: So, the Moon King stole Kubo's eye as a baby, had him and his mother separated from his father, stole Hanzo's memories and [[BalefulPolymorph cursed]] him, sent his remaining daughters to assassinate Sariatu, destroyed Kubo's village along the way, and nearly killed his own grandson. So how do Kubo and the villagers react when the Moon King has been stripped of his powers and reduced to a helpless amnesiac old man at their mercy? ...They tell him he's a kind, upstanding person and welcome him as one of their own. Kubo goes as far as to accept his grandfather as family.]]

** Beetle giggling and playing around with Little Hanzo shows that despite his accidentally kidnapping Kubo, he's actually a warm, friendly individual.

* MeaningfulEcho: [[spoiler: Beetle repeats Hanzo's line "You are my quest" when Monkey is dying, to let her know that despite his curse and amnesia, his feelings for her haven't changed.]]

** Monkey's line when battling the First Sister, "Love has made me stronger!" qualifies as a Wham Line since [[spoiler: this is how Monkey reveals to her sisters (and to the audience) that she is in fact Kubo's mother, taking on Monkey's form to protect her son]].

* MeaningfulEcho: [[spoiler: Beetle repeats Hanzo's line "You are my quest" when Monkey is dying, to her know that despite his curse and amnesia, his feelings for her haven't changed.]]

* MeaningfulEcho: [[spoiler: Beetle repeats Hanzo's line "You are my quest" when Monkey is about to die.]]

** Beetle giggling and playing around with Little Hanzo shows that despite his accidentally kidnapping Kubo, he's actually a friendly individual.

** Kubo tells the villagers the story of Hanzo, leading up to his battle with the Moon King. [[spoiler: It mirrors his entire quest, right down to the detail of his quest ("Hanzo's was filled with rage, his soul tormented with the grief of a family stolen from him.")]]

** Kubo gets angry that his father didn't answer his prayer and crumples up the lantern in rage before he cools down a bit and apologizes to his father. [[spoiler: This not only establishes that Kubo has a bit of a dark side to him, but also sets up how he'll [[PrepareToDie lash out]] at his grandfather before he chooses [[ThePowerOfLove the path of kindness and forgiveness]].]]

** Beetle's facial markings heavily resemble a [[spoiler:moustache, not something that beetles are known for possessing.]]

* ShoutOut: While on the beach, Monkey applies [[WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}} mud]] to Beetle's injured back like an ointment.

** A [[DemBones Gashadokuro]] appears in the film. It is the largest puppet ever built for a stop-motion production, standing around ''18 feet'' tall.

** The character design in the 2D animated CreativeClosingCredits resemble those in ''Disney/{{Mulan}}''.

* TheHypnotoad: The monster in Long Lake has the ability to show its victims things about their past and/or future if it looks into one of its many eyes. However, it also leaves in a trance and leaves you open to being its lunch.

*** Bonus points since. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is playing as Shang Tsung in ''Franchise/{{MortalKombat}}''. which the Logo sports a dragon on it.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Kubo's mother desperately warns him that if stays out after dark, [[spoiler: the Moon King and the Sisters]] will take Kubo away from her. Not only does this resemble a parent exaggerating stranger danger, but also [[spoiler: a single parent trying so hard not to lose custody of their child to their [[AbusiveParents abusive relatives]].]]

->''"If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see no matter how unusual it may seem. But please be warned: if you fidget; if you look away; if you forget ANY part of what I tell you, even for an instant, then our hero will surely perish."''

* WindowsOfTheSoul:
** Kubo confirms Monkey's true identity by looking into her eyes-which confirms it for the audience, too.
** Invoked by the Moon King, who believes eye contact allows for dangerous human connection and empathy, and tries to rob Kubo of his sight to keep him distant.

Along the way, he meets Monkey, a familiar sent by his mother, and Beetle, a cursed samurai who claims to have known his father Meanwhile Kubo must learn to develop and control his own magic, which he can utilize through playing his shamisen.