Every now and again there is an unexpected advantage in having a cinema membership. This was billed yesterday at our local Cineworld and so, to avoid the biblical torrents outside, I thought - why not? Well I am really glad I did. This is a really enjoyable story about a young, one-eyed, lad "Kubo" who lives with his mother in a cave high above their village where he regularly regales the townsfolk's with his magical stories, augmented by some wizardry with origami characters. His only rule is that he must return to his mother by sundown. She is a curiously detached character, whose dreams provide the substance for the young man's engaging and characterful stories. It is festival time and his elderly friend suggests that he stay a while later and light a lantern so that he may try to chat with his later father. The sun sets and suddenly he is being sought by his two evil, shape-shifting, aunties. His mother manages to stave them off but at considerable sacrifice, and soon young "Kudo" and his friends monkey and beetle must race to find an unbreakable sword and some armour that may offer his some protection from his pursuing grandfather who, it turns out, wants his other eye too! The animation is delicate and charming. From the origami samurai through to the leaf-built boat, this young man uses his powers to stay one step ahead of his nemeses and the whole story is really quite engaging. There are a few combat scenes, but they are short, sharp and sweet. This is really about the relationship between him and his two friends, and as it progresses we soon discover that they are far more than just his travelling companions. Dario Marianelli has provided a good score that mixes the jollity and the menacing and the script delivers some humour to mix well with the adventure. This looks great on a big screen - the animation is vidid and colourful and I was really pleasantly surprised here. Well worth a watch.