The Boxtrolls (2014) User Reviews (165)

A fun film, Roald Dahl like darkness.

[writetodannyhere · 8/10 · 7 September 2014]

We took our 3 year old son to this film, and was not expecting much entertainment for us adults. However, both my wife and I really enjoyed it and my son has been walking around in a bottomless box with holes cut in it,(for his head and arms),for two days.

It has a lot of charm and a slight edge of darkness. I am surprised that it has received such poor reviews from the critics. I have noticed they tend to rate realistic, depressing films; whereas we like happy escapist fun and this film delivers that.

We are from the UK and the voices are perhaps better known here, which may have contributed, a little, to our perception of this film's charm.

Maybe a classic

[MediaPanther · 8/10 · 25 September 2014]

For the potential viewers of this film, don't worry if you didn't read the book Here Be Monsters! first. The Boxtrolls movie stands on its own as an excellent story wrapped in visuals that pay homage to the craft of stop motion animation. It's funny, clever, gross, a bit cheeky, and a bit dark. Everything kids and many adults who accompany them or with others in the age group will enjoy. Whether it will be a classic or not, is hard to say.

The Boxtrolls are, well, basically trolls that have boxes they use as clothes and safety. They are a modest and timid sort. They are also industrious and like all kinds of gadgets. Since the story takes place around the time of the Industrial Revolution, there is no shortage of gears, crankshafts, bolts, wheels, or any manner of metal part they try to put to some other use. They also are good at babysitting. None more so than Fish and Shoe, the two de facto fathers of one young boy that goes by the name of Eggs (it should be noted that their names are the names of the boxes they wear).

Without getting into too much detail about the origins of their young charge, these three along with the other Boxtrolls have been labeled as kidnapping, baby eating, monsters by the fine townfolk of Cheesebridge. Led by the elite White Hats and their leader Lord Portly-Rind (Jared Harris) and the upwardly mobile Red Hat Archie Snatcher (Ben Kingsley), they have vowed to eradicate their hamlet of the Boxtroll vermin. The only thing more important than accomplishing this task is their love of all types of cheese. Some of the funniest and strangest scenes of the film is the discussions and consumption of cheese by the ruling class and the aforementioned Mr. Snatcher.

Besides a wonderful voice acting performance by Sir Kingsley, The Boxtrolls is full of great turns. Two of Mr. Snatch's henchmen Mr. Pickles and Mr. Trout, (Richard Ayoade and Nick Frost, respectively) offer up metaphysical and philosophical commentary musings about life and their career choices. On the other hand, the overzealous Mr. Gristle (Tracy Morgan) is a man of few words, rather letting his actions do the talking. Elle Fanning (Maleficent) and Isaac Hempstead Wright (Game Of Thrones) are a perfect match as Winnie, the daughter of Lord Portly-Rind and Eggs. She teaches him how to act in public, while he indulges her thirst for all things creepy and crawly.

The look of The Boxtrolls can be summed up in one word: amazing. Not in a super saturated color, larger than life way, but in a painstakingly meticulous, attention to detail way. Although the film is in 3d and might lose something when viewed on a smaller screen, the skill, reverence and affection the animation/modeling team poured into the sets and characters, along with top shelf screen writing and acting make this film one of the best animated features to come out in quite a while.

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Thinking Outside the Box

[jadepietro · 8/10 · 1 October 2014]

This film is recommended.

The Boxtrolls, a well-crafted stop motion animation film combined with the latest CGI advances, is an entertaining but somewhat safer and slightly sanitized film from Laika, the same studio that delivered Coraline and ParaNorman, two earlier children's film with a twisted Gothic edge. A pleasant antidote to the cheery Disney fare regularly served to the young set, the film is diverting fun.

There are still twists and turns in the film but it's less of a giddy roller coaster ride than expected. Based on Alan Snow's novel, Here Be Monsters, the darker tone of the book has been substantially altered and lightened up for a more crowd-pleasing effect, although there are some grotesque moments that may frighten the little ones.

Moviegoers are immediately transported to the dingy squalor of brick factories and small shoppes that line the cobblestone streets of Dicken's Ole Victorian London town, or, in this case, renamed Cheesebridge. The upper and lower class live here, both in fear of the Boxtrolls, a lower lower subspecies that dwell underground who are part monster, part cardboard. Living amidst them is Eggs, an abandoned child who was lovingly raised by these creatures that roam the night to recycle the discarded refuse left by people. They avoid human contact as much as possible. Who can blame them! There is the haughty and aristocratic Lord and Lady Portley-Rind, their inquisitive and precocious daughter, Winnie, and especially Archibald Snatcher, a scheming and hateful villain whose main goal is to do away with all Boxtrolls!

As with most animated films nowadays, the visual elements are far superior to the narrative story. The Boxtrolls are not the exception. While the script has some clever dialog, an involving tale, and its charming characters, the plot becomes too formula-driven and conventional. The screenplay by Irena Brignull and Adam Pava relies too heavily on slapstick and chase sequences rather than developing any deep characterizations. The Boxtrolls themselves lack any real distinctive personalities and that British droll humor is in short supply. Everything seems a tad too predictable and ordinary, except for the artistry of the filmmakers and their wonderful details with the elaborate settings, steam-punk gadgetry, and off-beat characters. Special kudos to the remarkable production design by Paul Lasaine.

The voice-over work by the actors (Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Tracy Morgan) is highly accomplished and adds even more joy to the film, especially with Sir Ben Kingley's marvelous line delivery as the nasty baddie who completely steals the film. (In fact, Archibald is more interesting than our hero, Eggs, at least, as viewed in this film adaptation. Kingsley has created one of the best animated villains in years, although part of his great performance pays direct homage to Dame Edna.)

Directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi painstakingly create a unique world of grime and clutter. They also allow the surreal elements to emerge to maximum effect, particularly in the underground sequences. Though the film lacks some cohesiveness in its story-telling, The Boxtrolls, more often than not, does think outside the box. With all its creative energy and technical inventiveness on display, even Roald Dahl would be proud. GRADE: B

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A great movie.

[pete-lindemann · 24 July 2019]

Wonderful stop-motion animation, great story, and acted very well. I don't understand the negative reviews, if you want Disney, go watch Disney. Darker stuff like this is amazing and we definitely don't get enough of it.

Grotesque and yet charming at the same time, this visually singular piece of stop-motion animation is quite the spellbinder

[moviexclusive · 7/10 · 11 September 2014]

If you haven't yet seen 'Coraline' or 'ParaNorman', it may take you a while to get used to the world of 'The Boxtrolls'. The third feature from Oregon-based studio Laika Animation, it is told using the same stop-motion technique (with some CG and hand-drawn work) as their earlier films, but the similarity doesn't quite stop there. Yes, once again, the animators have eschewed the cuteness of Disney or Dreamworks for something much darker than your normal kiddie fare at the Cineplex, and therein, we would argue, is the reason why it proves so uniquely charming.

Adapted from British children's author Alan Snow's fantasy adventure 'Here Be Monsters!', it retains the Steampunk setting of the novel but takes quite a few creative liberties. Instead of an over- industrialised Ratbridge, the city in question is Cheesebridge, so termed because the dairy product is what separates the rich in "White Hats" from the poor in red ones. What unites the humans across their class distinctions is the subterranean Boxtrolls, little blue- skinned fluorescent-eyed creatures who emerge from the sewers at night to swipe anything and everything they can get their hands on.

So named on account of the cupboard boxes they wear their bodies, the Boxtrolls are feared by the humans as much they fear the humans. The fear of the former is stoked by none other than Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Ben Kingsley), a truly detestable rascal who is responsible for spreading nasty rumours about the Boxtrolls in order to justify his eradication for a coveted place with the "White Hats" and a seat with them at the cheese tasting table. As you can probably guess, their leader is no saint either, but rather a self- absorbed aristocrat by the name of Lord Portley-Rind who cares more about his Gouda and Brie than the welfare of his citizenry.

It's a lot of setup, but co-directors Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable deftly lay out the intricacies of their make-believe world while setting the narrative in motion. For reasons only revealed in a crucial flashback sequence later, a boy is taken as a toddler under the care of the Boxtrolls and is named Eggs after the carton he wears over himself. While on the prowl one night, Eggs runs into Lord Portley's precocious daughter Winnifred (Elle Fanning) who is shocked that a human would be associating himself with the dreaded Boxtrolls; but before she can make his acquaintance, Eggs is forced to flee from Archibald and his henchmen.

As such stories go, Eggs sets off on a quest with Winnifred in tow to convince the humans that the Boxtrolls aren't sinister beings who kidnap children. To top it off, Archibald turns out to have a nefarious scheme after all, building a contraption to assert his authority over Lord Portley and demanding that he be given the latter's white hat. But parents need not worry - writers Irena Brignull and Adam Pava don't deny the kids of a happy ending, though not before subjecting them to some grotesque images that may just make them swear off cheese for some time.

Consider this as fair warning - visually, this isn't cast in the same mould as the usual CG animation, and one might even go as far as to say that 'The Boxtrolls' operates in a realm of ugliness. But once you look past the cruder-than-usual designs, you're likely to find the cardboard-wearing critters surprisingly endearing by their guile and naivety. We urge you too to pay attention to the dazzling production design that makes up the world of Cheesebridge and the underground lair in which the boxtrolls call home; there is a whole cornucopia of details that will leave you wowed if you pay attention to them.

Still, compared to their earlier features, this latest lacks the heart and poignancy that made its predecessors memorable. Eggs never comes across as someone whose plight we would sympathise with, nor for that matter is Winnifred a likable enough character. The way the boxtrolls communicate in an Ewok-like language is amusing all right, but they are lacking individually in any defining personality. Because we never quite understand the reason why the humans so fear the boxtrolls, their eventual reconciliation doesn't quite resonate as it should.

It isn't that 'The Boxtrolls' is underwhelming though; against a surfeit of clean-cut CG animation, its stop-motion aesthetics make it a refreshing change of look. Rather, because its earlier two adventures were such singular accomplishments, Laika's latest seems more like a walk in the park. Yet its refusal to be boxed in (pun intended) by conventional animation features is still evident in its design as well as its choice of themes, and if there ever were need to prove that it is possible to be both grotesque and charming at the same time, then 'The Boxtrolls' would be it.

The animation alone makes it worth watching.

[cricketbat · 7/10 · 31 October 2018]

The Boxtrolls is a unique movie. The animation alone makes it worth watching. It's not as humorous as other animated features, but it has a certain cleverness throughout the movie. The voice acting is also well done - the actors must have had a fun time doing it. This is a simple story that kids and parents can enjoy.

More allegorical meaning than you can fit in a box

[gdeangel · 10/10 · 26 September 2014]

The film Boxtrolls is so jam packed with themes that cut to the core of our society that you might expect it to be cobbled together, choppy, overreaching, and pretentious. It is, in fact, none of those things.

A thoroughly entertaining, not too cerebral, romp down one box conveyor after another, the film succeeds at wrapping it's central theme of persecution and prejudice in layers of equally significant ideas: group self-identification, class ambition, dalliant obsessions, self-esteem, and self-destructive addiction. It follows a nicely predictable plot arc that will satisfy your children while you ponder whether the plucky heroine's ostensible obsession with the macabre is likely a reflection of a Freudian complex with roots in her father's indifference. The bad guy with his crooked teeth and greazy hair is unmistakably evil. But at the same time the good guys aren't wearing the white hats. In fact, it's comparing and poking fun at both incompetence and maliciousness.

The animation finds it's grounding in a setting that is reminiscent of Corpse Bride. From the industrial green palate of the box trolls to the stiff and starched characterization of the patrician class, the visual design of the film holds together well.

After the film you'll walk out of the theater with lots of things on your mind, but you won't be walking out with a child who was bored to sleep or fits by another didactic feature of animated hogwash. That is an impressive achievement for any film.

An average film in my eyes

[r96sk · 6/10 · 19 October 2020]

'The Boxtrolls' has parts that I like, but overall I found it slow-moving.

I enjoyed the Boxtrolls themselves, I like how they look and come across. Archibald (Ben Kingsley) and bodyguards, Messrs Trout (Nick Frost) and Pickles (Richard Ayoade), are good, as is the casting of Jared Harris as Lord Charles Portley-Rind.

With that said, I liked them individually rather than as a group. Frost and Ayoade being the key examples, despite being two of the same character I never felt a connection between them. Elsewhere, I rate Isaac Hempstead Wright and Elle Fanning as actors, but I don't feel like their voices suit the respective roles of Eggs and Winnie.

The stop-motion animation is strong, but I just feel the plot is brought to life in a sluggish manner; the ending particularly felt dragged out to me. All in all, it's an average film in my eyes.

Heartfelt Nature

[billygoat1071 · 9/10 · 27 September 2014]

The "animation" genre now has a common trait: it is known for broader gags, bullet speed pacing, and eye candy visuals, but out of many animation studios out there, Laika Entertainment could be the only one that stays loyal to their own direction. Aside of the stop- motion animation and love to the horror movie camp, their storytelling and themes are equally unconventional, though charmingly daring at best. The Boxtrolls is no different from their last two movies, except this one might be gentler, but the strangeness is still there intact. And by those merit, the experience becomes special.

It might get immediately be assumed that the film has the same moral of 2012's ParaNorman. It does have that feeling: strange people being treated as outcasts by everybody and describes their fear to them out of caricatures. But the film tends to explore more messages beneath besides of that, if you can get behind with the whole rescue plan stuff, you may also get to notice that it's really about separating people's common views and expectations from the reality; like the Boxtrolls they're against with aren't actually bad creatures, or some fathers turn out to be not as supportive as they're supposed to be, or even the difference between being good and bad. The sentiment may sound a little familiar, but the delivery here is often steady and bitter to acknowledge its sincerity, and it indeed makes it remarkable.

As for the animation, there's no hiding for the love of the horror movie aesthetics. The world already looks magnificently whimsical as the filmmakers transcend their stop-motion animating abilities by making grander and crazier set pieces and physical comedy, but when it comes to featuring its creature and character designs, the camp just brings lots of it to life, some parent might find it a little creepy for smaller children, but if they don't even bother then there is no denying how beautiful they're designed anyway. In another angle, it offers a larger extent of warmth compared to many family movies today. The nearly wordless montage of the Boxtroll Fish raising young Eggs is one of the sweetest things you would see in recent memory, while the sadder montage at the middle act could surprisingly be affecting. These storytellers just know how to drive emotions. Among the voice actors, Ben Kingsley predictably becomes the best. He brings the main pizazz as both the villain and his hilarious drag disguise. Isaac Hempstead Wright and Elle Fanning are great as well, giving their characters the personalities they need. There are more big names (mentioning the favorites like Simon Pegg and Richard Ayoade) that bring the extra fun of the film.

The Boxtrolls is probably going to be the least attraction for the animation genre this year, mostly because it's nearly apart from the comfort zone of today's entertainment. If you don't care about trends, then this movie is a treat, and as usual from its studio, the overall film is dark, campy, but visually stunning and eventually endearing. They still haven't changed and I hope it always stays that way, especially the monster movie tribute and strong heart and perspective towards things. The Boxtrolls proves that these types of animated films shouldn't be antique yet, there is a huge value to its quality and moviegoers should once again encounter it.

Enjoyably weird

[Animany94 · 7/10 · 2 January 2019]

The Boxtrolls may be Laika's weakest movie, but they deliver visually impressive movies with lots of creative effort put into them every time.

This is the kind of movie you have to see to believe. Yes, the central plot may be predictable, but the world it is set in is so enjoyably weird that you can't help smiling.

Aside from the imaginative world, we get a handful of characters who, honestly, are a mixed bag. Our main character, Eggs, started off promising as an abducted baby raised by the boxtrolls with whom he builds fun gadgets from junk found in the streets above.

But an evil exterminator, Snatcher, has sworn to rid the town of the trolls to get a position among the higher-ups. He is so enjoyably evil and brought to life magnificently by Ben Kingsley who gave his all to secure him a place as the most memorable character in the movie.

I say that, because after we get acqainted with the other main character Winnie, we end up with a fish-out-of-water story in which Eggs must reveal Snatcher's plan to save the his troll family. Not a terrible plot, but seen before. That mixed up with mostly forgettable characters with Snatcher being the exception dragged the movie down a notch.

Again, still worth watching just for the animation and Snatcher!

Could have been much better.

[Shopaholic35 · 5/10 · 9 February 2016]

This film has some brilliantly detailed animation. All the scenes and characters are unique and not generic by any form. The box trolls especially are so ridiculous looking but at the same time absolutely adorable. They have this Gollum vibe yet thankfully they don't seem sociopathic.

It's quite a morbid movie really and not at all what I was expecting. The human characters are ruthless and their behaviours are disgraceful. They're actually quite idiotic which makes the movie hard to enjoy.

In the end I got out of it what I was wanting but the whole thing didn't capture my imagination. All in all it was an okay movie.

Dark and visually perfect, with some lighthearted fun. Brilliant.

[benoit_03 · 8/10 · 16 September 2014]

This mix of stop-motion and CGI brings a fun, charming tale that appeals to all ages.

Set in the town of Cheesebridge (it's motto - a gouda place to live), the 'minion'-like creatures called boxtrolls have for years terrorised the habitants and are hunted by childcatcher-esque exterminator 'Archibald Snatcher', voiced by Sir Ben Kingsley, who has been promised a place in the town council if he's destroys every last one. The story is enjoyable, heartwarming and is really brought alive by the stop motion animation and topped by a plethora of famous British voices.

The themes are a little darker than explored in a lot of younger-aimed films, and there is a sense of adventure and danger that you don't see in the majority of animations. But this doesn't mean that it isn't entertaining. Those who are fond of the Despicable Me's minions, will love the Boxtrolls' actions and personalities, resulting in many lighthearted moments too.

For those that have seen creator Laika's other works - Coraline and Paranorman - you will enjoy this very much. They don't have as much of a fan base as the biggest stop motion Aardman - the visionaries behind Wallace & Gromit, but their quirkier, darker animations can appeal to a larger range of audiences. Here, with their third film, they have made really enjoyable film, entertaining from beginning to end. Be sure to stay at the end for a little credit sting showing how it was made.

Problem, officer?

[petra_ste · 7/10 · 12 March 2015]

This visually impressive stop-motion animated movie plays like a twist on H.G. Wells' classic The Time Machine: its underground-dwelling Morlocks - here a diminutive race called Boxtrolls - are harmless critters with a penchant for steampunk, unjustly feared and discriminated by their smug Eloi - here the class-obsessed citizens of Cheesebridge. A boy adopted by the creatures, with the help of a surface girl, fights against ruthless town exterminator Snatcher, who plans to destroy the Boxtrolls.

The vocal talent assembled here is impressive; as much as I like Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Elle Fanning and Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Game of Thrones' Bran), the standout is an unrecognizable Ben Kingsley in a magnificently loathsome, scene-stealing turn as Snatcher.

Much like the authors' previous work Coraline, this isn't for small children. It's not as creepy as their brilliant Gaiman adaptation, but it features a certain amount of grotesque moments - like a character's face horribly swollen after an allergic reaction - not really suited to toddlers.

7/10

I loved Coraline but this made me uncomfortable...

[swtjen1 · 2/10 · 4 October 2014]

Coraline is one of my favorite movies. It had a sort of dark comedy to it but this is definitely NOT in that category to me. This was just dark, bordering on sadistic.

I took my 7 year old son and thought this would be a good movie but instead several times I found myself questioning whether this was something he needed to be watching.

The evil characters in this movie are a bit too evil - one especially makes you feel like he could star in the cartoon version of Hostel. The cruelty to the trolls and the children was uncomfortable to watch. I think I laughed maybe once. Most times I was wincing or feeling like I was on the verge of tears. Things that were off putting to me: They show the evil villain swinging to kill the boys dad with a large wrench, a troll and later the boy are put in a cage, boy's dad chained upside down for a "decade" who keeps repeating "jelly" because his brain is not right, chasing a child with a bat and swinging to hit them several times, making jokes about killing the boy because he won't be still then aiming and firing the gun, trolls hit and kicked in their boxes, trolls put in a box crusher machine, and holding a child chained over a fire (even if the outcome didn't happen) was just too intense.

I don't want to even get started on the cheese eating episodes. That part could have played out funny but he was made to be so grotesque. Then when he stretches out his tongue across the screen to eat the cheese twice its just disgusting. Throwing leaches on his face to get the blood swelling out was just beyond strange. Plus the "hostel" guy was so thrilled to be get the leeches to throw on him in secret.

So not to be all negative I did like the animation. The box trolls are adorable.

Not cute but clever

[rogerdarlington · 25 September 2014]

There are cute children's films - like "Frozen, the first movie to which I ever took my granddaughter (then just under three) - and then there is the more challenging kind - like "The Boxtrolls" to which I took her nine months later. We haven't read the source material, the novel "Here Be Monsters!" by Alan Snow, but she knows all about trolls from "Frozen" and other stories and these are very cleverly represented through stop- motion capture by the specialist production company Laika. But it's a little bit scary for young ones, so my granddaughter held on to my hand most of the film and sat on my lap for the final third.

For British adults of a certain age, the characters of the town of Cheesebridge look like people from a Gerald Scarfe cartoon and the subterranean habitat of the boxtrolls themselves is like a cross between the worlds of Heath Robinson and Hieronymus Bosch. The voices are very well-done and for me the best of comes from Ben Kingsley as a hard bad guy and Richard Ayoade as a soft bad guy. Stay for the credits when early on there is a little bit of existential angst on display from two of the stop motion characters.

Laika, excellent as always.

[atchycat · 7/10 · 22 September 2014]

The Boxtrolls is the third outing for stop motion studio Laika, and it retains the amazing craftsmanship seen in their previous films.

The animation used in the Boxtrolls technically exceeds any other stop motion film I have seen before, with some extremely captivating shots throughout. The world they have created is extremely grimy and intricate, and like every other aspect of the film, is full of little details that keep your eyes locked to the screen. All of the characters that inhabit this world are equally interesting, each individually quirky and charismatic. The story itself, while fairly simple, is effective, often aided by snappy, humorous dialogue. To top the movie off is clever message strung throughout the film.

The Boxtrolls is a must see for its visual excellence, great dialogue and touching message; what other kids movies have lines like "rivers of blood" and "piles of baby bones".

4/5

The Vidiot Reviews...

[capone666 · 7/10 · 16 January 2015]

The Boxtrolls

Only infants and the homeless can find value in discarded cardboard boxes.

However, according to this animated movie trolls also appreciate consumer packaging.

Cheesebridge is being terrorized by a subterranean species dubbed The Boxtrolls by the terrified residents on account they wear old boxes for clothes.

Rumoured to consume babies, the Lord of Cheesebridge (Jared Harris) employs a psychotic exterminator (Ben Kingsley) and his crew (Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan) to eradicate the Boxtrolls.

Unbeknownst to everyone in the town, except the Lord's daughter (Elle Fanning), a human boy (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) is living amongst the Boxtrolls and fighting to save them from extinction.

Dark, disgusting and slightly demented, this mature stop-motion adaptation of the children's book Here Be Monsters doesn't shy away from the gross, morbid things that kids revel in. While its' eye-catching animation is a visual delight.

Mind you, hungry trolls can be the solution to homelessness.

Green Light

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"Ugly Minions" - UK Film Review

[olson182 · 8/10 · 1 September 2014]

Based on Alan Snow's children novel "Here Be Monsters", The Boxtrolls follows in the eerie and murky footsteps of Coraline and Paranorman for an animated caper with more quirkiness than a Come Dine With Me at Tim Burton's house.

Isaac Hempstead Wight voices "Eggs", a boy who grew up under the streets by a group of box-wearing trolls, who roam the streets at night finding anything they can to make into useful devices. Deemed a menace and a scourge, the city employs The Red Hats, a team of brutal Boxtroll-catching goons led by Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) - a ruthless and ambitious tyrant, who hopes to climb the social hierarchy in order to swap his red hat for a white one.

White Hats are the political strata of society, the decision-makers, who spend more time scoffing cheese in the Tasting Room than providing any worthwhile contribution to the town of Cheesebridge. When a White Hat's daughter, Winnie (Elle Fanning), falls in with The Boxtrolls and Eggs, the town becomes the setting for a rough-and-tumble adventure as the gang attempt to find and free the Boxtrolls who have been taken by the Red Hats.

Fun, funky, and full of creative freedom, The Boxtrolls delivers a meatier and more enjoyable family film than its predecessors, with a spectacular cast of voices, and some of the best animation in years. It is lively, perfectly-timed, and some of the weightier themes will keep even the snobbiest of film-watchers interested. The film delivers commentary on very relevant class issues and green themes, whilst keeping them tucked under a bombastic and explosive film for families.

The Boxtrolls themselves are like ugly Minions, speaking an incomprehensible dialect of baffling gibberish, whilst looking petrified by the harsh realities of human interaction. They are, in fact, more appealing than Minions as they each have subtle differences (like the one with false teeth, or the one with anger issues), and varying boxes - such as Fish or Eggs.

Just as The Boxtrolls roam the streets recycling garbage into new and useful things, the film itself has recycled some of its makers' past imagery (wouldn't quite call it garbage, although Paranorman tested this particular reviewer) and created a late summer film that thinks outside the box.

The Boxtrolls is Laika's weakest animation, but still an enjoyable flick.

[TheMovieDiorama · 7/10 · 9 March 2018]

When I say it's the weakest, it's not a negative remark because Laika have been pumping out consistently good animations that are enjoyable for everyone. This is no different, it's just up against a strong canon. As the title suggests, this is all about Boxtrolls. Mischievous crafty little creatures that hide themselves underground...and dress in boxes...and each are named after their boxed contents such as Fish...Eggs...Shoe...and I think at one point we had Oil? Once again, completely imaginative and that is really where the enjoyment comes from, the creativity was utilised to its maximum potential. A town living in fear of Boxtrolls where a cheese enthusiast employs the assistance of a wannabe cheese enthusiast, who is allergic to cheese, to exterminate them so that he can enjoy cheese in the royal cheese tasting room. Did I mention that cheese was involved? It's bonkers. Our villain is villainous because he wants to wear a white hat. ALL of this, for a white hat. Just...just beautiful. Obviously conveying the point of just being yourself no matter your background or materialistic ambitions. I always appreciate stop motion animation, it's such a time consuming craft that really conveys the creator's inventiveness well. There are moments where computer animation intertwines with the stop motion, and unfortunately is noticeable, but for the most part looks stunning. The voice acting was spot on!! I could not believe that Snatcher was voice by Ben Kingsley, ridiculously good! Jared Harris and Richard Ayoade were also noteworthy and brought life into their characters. Some of these characters are not as fleshed out as I would like, but are certainly memorable. From a miniature henchman who captures Boxtrolls like The Terminator to Snatcher's burlesque alter ego Madame Frou Frou. Plenty of funny moments as well, I thought the script was well rounded and easily appeals to both children and adults. The story is somewhat basic but Laika utilised imagination to the max and it paid off.

Cheese from the Male Lactating Fruit Bat of Borneo

[BabelAlexandria · 8/10 · 20 April 2020]

A good metaphor for the movie itself: if you can stomach it, it's a real delicacy, with plenty of interesting themes. The steam-punk early-modern Dutch city inhabited by well-meaning but persecuted trolls was a disquieting environment with multiple filthy (physically and morally) areas that Laika's unique animation explored in various engaging and surprising ways.

My 6-year-old son Sebastian loved it, mostly, I think, because it was disgusting and had plenty of gross jokes and scenes (like the naked trolls who take city hall at the end), but he also got a little tired of it, declaring : "I thought it's never going to end."

Sienna's Rating: 7 Stars Sebastian's Rating: 10 Stars!

Paul's Rating: 7 Stars.

An Engagingly Imaginative Story for Different Reasons

[elicopperman · 6/10 · 28 September 2022]

Following acclaimed stop-motion studio Laika's success with Coraline and ParaNorman, their next feature film was a loose adaptation of Alan Snow's children's novel, Here Be Monsters! Released in September 2014 as The Boxtrolls, the film was released to moderately positive reviews and decent financial returns, on top of being nominated at the Oscars and Golden Globes for Best Animated Feature. As of today, the film is regarded as one of the studio's weaker efforts compared to their otherwise strong filmography, which can be understood as its narrative needed a better focus than what we got.

Set in the fictional European village of Cheesebridge, the trash-collecting Boxtrolls raise a human boy named Eggs. However, the villainous pest exterminator Archibald Snatcher seeks to kill all Boxtrolls in exchange for royal membership and cheese tasting, so Eggs must protect the creatures at all costs. With the established fantasy world of the Boxtrolls compared to the cheese obsessed town up above, the themes of prejudice towards lowly creatures is well set in stone, especially with how cheese tasting and hat wearing matter more than anything else. Unfortunately, the biggest downside of the feature lies in its story focusing primarily on Eggs as a Tarzan inspired human rather than the titular Boxtrolls themselves. Outside of his origin story and the clever ways the animators and Isaac Hempstead Wright delivered his mannerisms, Eggs is nothing more than a generic fish out of water that moves the story in a predictable fashion. Even with the aid of Cheesebridge's Lord Portley-Rind's fed up daughter by his side, we can already sense how the film will play out.

However, had the film focused more on the aforementioned Archibald Snatcher, then it might have actually worked out better. Although Snatcher's goals of exterminating the Boxtrolls are fairly basic, his genuine determination to sit amongst the Cheesebridge hierarchy stands out with raw passion and sadness. Despite him being fatally allergic to cheese, his entire motivation is built around sitting in a place he will never achieve. Since the people of Cheesebridge are obsessed with cheese to the point of being utterly foolish, including the simple minded Lord Portley-Rind, Snatcher's perception of the otherwise peaceful Boxtrolls make sense in their worlds, outside of Snatcher's questioning henchmen Mr. Pickles and Trout. So much development went into Snatcher as a character, including Ben Kingsley's award winning performance, that one wonders why the battle of good and evil was not centered primarily around him and the Boxtrolls themselves. In other words, had the filmmakers just ditched Eggs all together, then they'd probably have a more engaging story.

Like Snatcher himself, the artists at Laika honed their craft by bringing both Cheesebridge and the Boxtrolls' method of functioning to life. Compared to the 19th century European aesthetic throughout Cheesebridge, the underground burrows where the Boxtrolls reside operates as somewhat of a mechanical world based on their love of inventions. The amount of detail put into the machinery and engineering equipment cannot be understated, as one can see all the blood, sweat and tears composited together from a studio that goes beyond stop-motion's own limitations. As for the characters, next to Mike Smith's appropriately grotesque design work, the animators showcased a lot of fine motion, expressions and acting that already came from the likes of Wright, Kingsley, Elle Fanning, Jared Harris, Dee Bradley Baker, Richard Ayoade and many more. It also helps that a lot of experimental computer generated work and traditional animation were used to plus certain sequences, with many standouts showcasing Snatcher. Not often has a world this gross looked this appealing.

It's easy to see why The Boxtrolls is often regarded as the weaker entry in Laika's roster. While it does offer a lot of highly imaginative world-building and a sympathetically memorable villain, it is otherwise bogged down by a predictably weak story and the wrong lead character focus. Despite its narrative shortcomings, its creativity might appeal to die hard Laika fanatics and curious family audiences, so it wouldn't hurt at least one viewing. After all, with creatures like these who are so deeply misunderstood, there's much to unravel in a world featuring odd specimens like those peculiar trolls.

Animation is impressive, but the film is only intermittently entertaining.

[Troy_Campbell · 5/10 · 1 October 2014]

Coming after their brilliant Coraline and fun filled ParaNorman, the latest Claymation flick from Laika Entertainment doesn't quite reach the heights of its ancestors. As always, the meticulous stop motion animation is wondrous to watch and, for the cineastes in the audience, appreciating the painstaking effort is a pleasure in its own right. Yet there's a spark missing from The Boxtrolls that stops it transitioning from appreciated art to an outright enjoyable movie. The story – the harmless, underground-dwelling creatures of the title are being ruthlessly exterminated, causing the boy they raised from birth to stand up for them – just doesn't have the legs necessary for a 90 minute outing, nor does it offer up enough laughs for what is meant to be a dark comedy. Another problem is that the preposterously stereotypical characters all act the exact way you would expect (Ben Kingsley's sneering, oily scoundrel Archibald Snatcher is particularly uninteresting), leaving no room for surprise or genuine affection. Hence all the heavy lifting is left to the superb stop motion animation, a few choice chase sequences and cheeky visual references; enough to keep you impressed but only intermittently entertained.

An artistic triumph.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 26 November 2014]

I did not expect to love "The Boxtrolls" as much as I did, but I sure did. This is because the film is wholly unique and a gorgeous piece of art from start to finish. While I also enjoyed the weird plot, the look and style is what really caught my fancy.

The film is set in some sort of alternate universe. In this one, boxtrolls are literally cute little trolls who live inside boxes! Despite being shy and harmless creatures, the humans have the idea that they are a danger and have arranged for an evil guy, Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Ben Kingsley) to capture them and get rid of them once and for all. However, a baby that was raised by the boxtrolls named Egg might just be the one to stop this senseless slaughter and prevent Snatcher from realizing his ultimate goal...

This is a film you simply have to see to believe. Like other films by the same production company ("Coraline" and "Paranorman"), this one was made using stop-motion--which is very time consuming. But it's not just the quality of the stop-motion that is great but the wonderful art and design of the characters and town. Plus, the characters are unusual and avoid the usual clichés and is well worth your time.

The Boxtrolls

[phubbs · 6/10 · 10 January 2015]

Yet another children's book adaptation that I have never heard of even though its British apparently. The book in question is called 'Here Be Monsters!' and is actually part of a series, so should we expect a series of films also? This has been attempted a few times in the past since the mighty Harry Potter but many have failed. I must also admit to getting tired of these quick-fire fast food franchises that are whipped up and thrown out willy nilly to try and rake in as much money as possible. Sure its a business but judging by various past failures how about some care and attention huh.

Luckily this isn't another cash grab strewn with CGI but a delightfully dark hand crafted stop motion animated movie. Set in the fictional old English town of Cheesebridge in the year 1805. The town appears to be a large vertical hill protruding from a flat green landscape, the buildings are cobbled tightly together almost one on top of the other to create a towering spire of rickety pre-Victorian structures (not overly sure what period the movie is actually aiming for, if any). Yet the visuals are reasonably realistic historically, 19th century England with a strong French vibe about them. I guess that wouldn't be surprising considering the Napoleonic era was still in full swing. So despite the fictional murky, gloomy, dark, twisted appearance it does seem as though the period has been recreated which is nice although its a fantasy version.

Without trying to sound to cliché myself the movies visuals are very Tim Burton-esque in a way. That traditional olde worlde, gnarly, dark semi-Gothic, dank fairytale look with grotesque over the top characters (especially the villains). This all goes hand in hand with the period set buildings, narrow winding streets, underground boxtroll lair and of course all finished in a limited dark rusty muddy colour palette.

Most of the decent everyday folk in this town and the main goodie characters are normal looking as you would expect, its the small group of bad guys that are the most deformed and twisted...bordering on scary for the kids to be honest. All the characters are pretty much like caricatures of real people, almost political satirisations if you will. Yet the bad guys are by far the most interesting and fun, listening to Ben Kingsley churn out his cockney accent for the quite hideous Mr. Snatcher is the showstopper for sure. A quite horrible fellow who has an allergic reaction to cheese (I think the town makes cheese?) that makes him appear even more horrendous! By his side are a trio of your stereotypical cockney villains...slow, dumb, ugly and easily dominated.

As for the trolls well they're a cute little bunch really, little dark green goblin-like characters of all shapes and sizes that make various growling noises as their language. They also wear cardboard boxes around their torso. The cardboard boxes are (from what I've read about with the book) a newish invention for the time and another product from the town which is heavily industrialised. There are many changes from the book it seems, including other creatures underground, a completely different plot line and lots of name changes such as the town of Cheesebridge, in the book its called Ratbridge. This did make me think as there are so many alterations from the original book I wondered how fans would take it, the movie has done relatively well so I guess no one is too bothered. I can understand this because despite the film not being very accurate to its source material its still a gorgeous work of art that must be commended.

There is a tonne of vivid imagination and detail all throughout the film, in every scene from the steampunk-like contraptions, to the period costumes, to the buildings and to the highly expressive animated faces and boxtroll tomfoolery. I wouldn't even say its particularly a film for kids either, its quite dark and a little disturbing in places. The capturing of the boxtrolls by the evil Mr. Snatcher who wants to kill them all with his crushing machine! there's a touch of murder, intrigue, cross-dressing and even some off-key Frenchy music...just what the kids wanna see. On the plus side there is also plenty of little amusing quirky gross moments for the kids courtesy of the boxtrolls and their nose-picking antics.

Clearly this is a visual film much like any other stop motion animated feature, it relies on that. To its credit the movie does come out with plus points for me purely for this reason, but the plot can be a tad slow and mundane I can't lie. If it wasn't for the superbly dastardly Mr. Snatcher voiced by Ben Kingsley I think this would have been very drab despite the excellent visuals. If you don't know the book then I'm sure you can enjoy if you like this sort of thing. If you do know the book then maybe you won't agree with me so much...I dunno, there are many changes. Plenty of originality but maybe not quite as much wonder for the kids, check out the lovely animated end credit sequence too.

6.5/10

not really what i expected, sadly.

[antoinedb2001 · 4/10 · 24 November 2014]

everything kind of felt slapstick. it wasn't really trying to be a film that'll make your eyes flood with tears. all was slapstick. just slapstick. but, not at the first act of the film where the box trolls steal a baby and have a box put on him and the animation was very good by the first act.

the animation is what steals the show the most. This film would be Oscar worthy about it's animation as it's first two films were, (in which they were better than this movie).

I wanted to enjoy this film, but I think only slapstick and stuff that didn't make sense. could entertain your little rascals but probably not you very much.