AceShowbiz -

The first trailer for animated film "Kubo and the Two Strings" has arrived. The newly-released video shows some dramatic animations as the characters in the movie unleash their magic powers, including the scenes where Kubo can summon fire with his shamisen, two-stringed magical lute, and his mother defeats a giant wave.

The trailer opens with a scene where Kubo's mother drifts on a small boat in the ocean. As the long-haired lady faces a big wave, Kubo can be heard saying, "If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see - no matter how unusual....If you look away, even for an instant, then our hero will surely perish." His mother impressively parts the towering wave with one pick of her lute.

Later on, Kubo leaves his mother for a quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father. When he stops by a village, he shows his skills in using magic with his musical instrument. By playing her lute, he can make origami items in various forms including spider, knight, dragon and birds. His gray chimpanzee friend Monkey tells him, "Your magic is growing stronger, but when we grow stronger, the world grows more dangerous."

The 2-minute video also features the presence of some magical creatures including harpy-like ladies, an old lady spirit, a giant skeleton and a big samurai beetle. Some action scenes appearing in the final part of the video show Kubo in a metallic samurai costume attacking his enemy and a fight between the harpy-like ladies and Monkey.

"Kubo and the Two String" is the directorial debut of Laika CEO Travis Knight, who has always been an animator at the studio. The voice cast of the animated film includes Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, Rooney Mara, George Takei and Matthew McConaughey. It is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on August 19.