The Boxtrolls

With only two previous animated features to their credit (2009's Coraline and 2012's ParaNorman), stop motion animation studio LAIKA has set themselves apart not just with their distinctive look, but with the tone of their films.  They're not afraid to be a little darker and edgier than the stuff we usually see from Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks.  Their latest effort, The Boxtrolls, keeps the weirdness and the dark edge, but it also adds a very silly British sense of humor that might go over the heads of some families.  I hope not, because much like their other films, this one feels like nothing else out there and is truly one of a kind.

The Boxtrolls is offbeat, silly and very weird, but it's also incredibly charming and heartfelt.  This can be said both of the movie, and the characters who inhabit it.  The titular creatures are strange and industrious little gremlins who live under the streets of an odd British town called Cheesebridge which, as the name implies, is filled with people who view cheese as a necessity.  The head of the community, Lord Portley-Rind (voice by Jared Harris), at one point uses the money that is supposed to be used for a children's hospital to build a giant monument to cheese.  The people of Cheesebridge fear the Boxtrolls, mostly because of the lies of an evil man named Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley).  Archibald has led the community to believe that the Boxtrolls are dangerous after one of them ran off with a small baby boy one night.  Now Snatcher, and his dim-witted henchmen, pursue the creatures and try to capture them.  They say they're doing this to help the people, but the sinister Archibald has ulterior motives.

In reality, the Boxtrolls are harmless, and are actually afraid of the people who live up above.  They only come out to the streets at night, not to terrorize children, but to rummage through junk that they can take back, fix, and use in their secret underground community that is filled with a variety of clever gadgets that the creatures have made for themselves.  And remember that boy that the Boxtrolls apparently ran off with that night long ago?  His name is now Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright), and he lives amongst them peacefully.  He knows nothing of the people who live above, so when he has a chance encounter with the brave young daughter of Lord Portley-Rind, Winifred (Elle Fanning), he doesn't know what to think.  Of course, neither does Winifred.  She's always been taught that the Boxtrolls were carnivorous animals, yet here they are taking care of this boy and acting polite toward her.  The two children decide to team up and change the town of Cheesebridge's mind about these creatures, hopefully before Archibald Snatcher can set his real plan into motion.

If I've made The Boxtrolls sound like conventional family fare with that description, I apologize.  This is a movie with a wicked and bizarre sense of humor that has a lot in common with Monty Python.  It's no surprise that one of the Python members, Eric Idle, was hired to write a musical number that plays in film.  I'm not sure how the British sense of humor will fly with American kids and their parents.  In fact, I have a hunch that this film might be enjoyed more by adult animation lovers, even though it is intended for kids.  There's a lot of clever word play in the dialogue, particularly between two of the villain's henchmen, Mr. Trout (Nick Frost) and Mr. Pickles (Richard Ayoade).  Their deadpan humor and conversations deliver some of the film's biggest laughs.  In fact, it is advised that you do not leave when the end credits begin, less you miss their funniest moment.

The frequently funny and witty dialogue would be reason enough to recommend the film, but this is a LAIKA production, and just like all of their animated films, it is a glorious wonder to behold.  The movie has so many sequences that are simply jaw dropping, especially when you consider the movie was created using model sets and tiny figures that were moved and photographed frame by frame in order to create the illusion of movement and 3D.  Not only does it create the illusion that these figures are moving around and talking on their own, but we eventually forget about the process, and simply accept these models as being characters.  But it's not just the incredible movement and animation.  The design teams had to create two separate worlds, Cheesebridge and the underground home of the Boxtrolls.  Cheesebridge kind of looks like a small British town out of a fairy tale or maybe a Charles Dickens story.  The underground world is alive with detail, with discarded junk and appliances like toasters and record players being remodeled into a society.

What strikes me the most about the look of the film is how it looks somewhat quaint and hand-crafted, but not dated.  There is nothing particularly slick about the look of this film, but it is enchanting nonetheless.  When you see the detail in the costumes these model figures wear, particularly during a ballroom scene at young Winifred's home, you really appreciate the detail that the designers used.  I also admired the little details about the Boxtrolls themselves, like how they roll themselves into little box-like formations when they are afraid, or how they stack themselves on top of each other when it is time for them to sleep.  When you think back and realize that these scenes were all accomplished by hand, and not fed into a computer, it becomes all the more amazing.  This is easily the most exquisite looking animated film of the year.

To top it off, there is an amazing voice cast behind these characters.  It's hard to pick a highlight or favorite, as everyone's in fine form here, but if I must, I would have to say that Ben Kingsley delivers a hilarious villain performance, and is obviously having the time of his life.  Everyone finds the right tone to their performance that is silly, but not overreaching.  And even though the Boxtrolls themselves speak in a made up language of grunts, squeaks and gibberish, they are still able to emote in very human and relatable ways, thanks both to the actors providing their sound effects, and the animators bringing them to life.  If you sit through the end credits, you may find some surprising names.  Who knew that Tracy Morgan could pull off a British accent?

My only concern with The Boxtrolls is that it's not flashy enough for some kids, and that it will be largely looked over during its theatrical run.  I can easily see it happening, yet at the same time, I can see it finding an audience with families looking for something different than the animated norm.  This is a joyful, witty and warm movie that deserves to be discovered.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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