Set in ancient Japan, the fantasy film Kubo and the Two Strings (directed by Travis Knight, who was the lead animator for Coraline) doesn’t just open on a note of despair, it lingers there. The early scenes—in which Kubo, the protagonist, takes care of his injured, confused mother, feeding her and putting her to bed—don’t serve as narrative contrast; instead, the melancholy convincingly follows him throughout the movie, and death is its central theme.

While the gloomy, thoughtful premise will certainly appeal to adults searching for realism, kids will also appreciate the film’s frankness and emotional honesty. Even more than that, they will be entranced with Kubo’s brand of magic. When the little boy plucks his two-stringed instrument, pieces of paper come alive like self-assembling origami. Colorful shapes fly through the air, doing Kubo’s bidding or acting out elaborate stories. Like Harold in the story of Harold and the Purple Crayon, the only limit to Kubo’s power is his own imagination.

It’s also fitting that in Kubo, music creates magic, because the soundtrack by Italian composer (and Oscar winner) Dario Marianelli is energetic, absorbing, and beautiful. The music helps drive the film’s story, but the soundtrack’s highlight—which you might have heard while watching the trailer—is Regina Spektor’s ambitious and engaging cover of the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

Finally, the animation, which is a blend of stop-motion and CGI, is splendid. The use of 3-D isn’t flashy or overpowering, and while I’m sure some viewers might miss the charm of early painstaking stop-motion animation, this computer-enhanced version is smooth and satisfying while still conveying the various weights and textures of clay.

Go watch Kubo and the Two Strings now, for its expensive and gorgeous production value, and allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised by its complex emotionality.