Coping with a loved one’s passing, being hurt by a friend, and losing money are part of being human. But how do we find true happiness in difficult times? Some people shut out their problems. Others focus on work or worse: turn to vices. Others accept their unfortunate situation and find solutions to crawl out of their hole.
True Happiness is a choice we make everyday, regardless of our circumstances.
Kubo and the Two String is a colorful coming-of-age story of a clever, creative, and joyful boy who is orphaned after accidentally summoning evil spirits who have a vendetta against him. Joining forces with Monkey and Beetle, he goes on a quest retrieve his late father’s armor to defeat the Moon King and the Evil Twin Sisters.
Losing his parents is difficult enough. But finding his happiness again while battling the Moon King and the Evil Twin Sisters is the greater challenge.
SDGchannel‘s movie analysis of Kubo and the Two Strings shares 8 secrets to True Happiness in difficult times.
SPOLIER ALERT. Do not read further until you watch the movie.
1. True happiness is seeing the good in all things.
Oh, Kubo, he doesn’t hate you. He wants to make you just like him. Blind to humanity, as I once was. Only then can you take your place beside him as part of his family. Cold and hard, and perfect.”
– Monkey, Kubo and the Two Strings (Movie Quotes and More)
The Moon King wants to pluck Kubo’s eyes because he wants his grandson to join him in their kingdom. Kubo’s eyes represent seeing the good in humanity. While the Moon King’s blindness sees world’s evils. Kubo chooses to remain on Earth because he craves his family and friends’ love and warmth.
2. Accept your flaws. They make you human.
“I’m not leaving. For every horrible thing down here, there’s something far more beautiful. My mother saw it. So did my father. I see it. Even with just one eye.”
“I know why you want my eye. Because without it, I can’t look into the eyes of another and see their soul. Their love…”
– Kubo, Kubo and the Two Strings (Movie Quotes and More)
The Moon King cares for his grandson in his own way. Kubo must give up his mortal eyes to be a god in his kingdom. His grandfather wants to shield him from suffering, grief, and death. But Kubo confronts his grandfather to remain human. Accepting his human flaws, Kubo chooses love, compassion, and kindness over power, perfection, and immortality.
3. Love makes you stronger but it requires sacrifices.
Kubo’s mother, sacrificed her life to protect her son from her evil Twin Sisters. She reincarnates into Monkey and helps Kubo find Hanzo’s magic armor and sword.
With her weakened magic, she defeats one of her evil Twin Sisters at Long Lake. She used her love for Kubo to win this battle. At Hanzo’s castle, Monkey sacrifices herself again to keep Kubo away from her other evil Twin Sister.
4. Cherish all moments with your family and friends.
“If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see and hear, no matter how unusual it may seem. And 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.”
– Kubo, Kubo and the Two Strings (Movie Quotes and More)
While performing his paper puppet show on Hanzo’s adventures, Kubo asks the villagers to pay close attention to the samurai, or else he fails his quest.
Everyone is the hero of their own life story. As your story intertwines with your loved ones’, cherish each moment with them, whether good or bad. You will never know when or how their story ends. So do not blink or you will miss him or her.
5. Coping with loss makes you stronger.
Kubo lost his parents twice, as humans and as Monkey and Beetle. In memory of his parents, he keeps a lock of his mother’s hair and Beetle’s bow string.
Kubo’s magical shamisen represents his family.
He broke his shamisen’s three strings while on his quest to battle the Moon King.
While battling the Moon King, Kubo uses three new strings to play his shamisen. These strings are his mother’s and his lock of hair, and Beetle’s bow string. His shamisen’s magic grew powerful because using memories is the most powerful kind of magic.
After defeating the Moon King, Kubo accepts his parents’ death at the Obon festival, a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of ancestors. He cherished their memories at the end of the movie, making him stronger than he was at the beginning of his story.
“Hello, Mother. Father… I’m very grateful I’ve had the chance to meet you both, hear your wisdom, feel your kindness, even eat a meal sitting between you. This was a happy story, but it could still be a whole lot happier.”
– Kubo, Kubo and the Two Strings (Movie Quotes and More)
6. Love always trumps violence.
Despite completing his quest to wear his father’s magic armor and sword, Kubo could not defeat the Moon King.
Desperate, he remembers his mother’s advice. Our memories (of loved ones) are the most powerful form of magic. Using his mother’s and his lock of hair, and Beetle’s bow string,
Kubo’s magical shamisen defeats the Moon King and turns him into a mortal.
His mother’s magical shamisen, not Hanzo’s sword, sealed his victory.
7. Forgiving your neighbors sets you free.
During Kubo and the Moon King’s duel, our hero explains why the Moon King’s blindness to humanity will never defeat his love for family and friends.
Everything you loved is gone! Everything you knew has been taken from you!”
– Moon King, Kubo and the Two Strings (Movie Quotes and More)
“No. It’s in my memories. The most powerful kind of magic there is… It makes us stronger than you’ll ever be. These are the memories of those we have loved and lost. And if we hold their stories deep in our hearts, then you will never take them away from us. And that really is the least of it.”
– Kubo, Kubo and the Two Strings (Movie Quotes and More)
Our body will eventually fade in history. But our story will outlive our us if our loved ones cherish their memories of us. Our story will last for centuries if we make lasting positive impacts on enough people. Jesus Christ’s life ended over two thousand years ago but his story and lessons are still told by millions of people every day.
8. Your story outlives you when you help enough people.
During Kubo and the Moon King’s duel, our hero explains why the Moon King’s blindness to humanity will never defeat his love for family and friends.
“Everything you loved is gone! Everything you knew has been taken from you!”
Moon King, Kubo and the Two Strings (Movie Quotes and More)
“No. It’s in my memories. The most powerful kind of magic there is… It makes us stronger than you’ll ever be. These are the memories of those we have loved and lost. And if we hold their stories deep in our hearts, then you will never take them away from us. And that really is the least of it.”
– Kubo, Kubo and the Two Strings (Movie Quotes and More)
Our body will eventually fade in history. But our story will outlive our us if our loved ones cherish their memories of us. Our story will last for centuries if we make lasting positive impacts on enough people. Jesus Christ’s life ended over two thousand years ago but his story and lessons are still told by millions of people every day.
Conclusion
Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic coming-age that has many lessons on how to write your life story. Accepting your flaws and improving on them are the first steps to becoming a better person. Next, cherish every moment with your loved ones – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Last, make a lasting positive impact on your community to ensure your story will outlive you.
How will you write your story and find Real Happiness?
Let’s Share Happiness!
Sources: Tor.com, RogerEbert.com, Wikipedia, Movie Quotes and More.com
Photo Credit: All images and quotes are owned by LAIKA
Featured Image: LAIKA /Into Film
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