The Boxtrolls
Making good use of the things that they find
Release Date: 26 January
2014 | PG | Blu- ray 3D & Blu- ray/ DVD Directors: Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi Cast: Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Elle Fanning, Jared Harris, Nick Frost
From the
studio behind Coraline – and thus filmed in gorgeous stopmotion – The Boxtrolls is a thoroughly entertaining adventure featuring a race of creatures kids will love to bits. The Boxtrolls live under the streets of the little town of Cheesebridge and emerge at night to collect all the interesting rubbish they can find. The citizens, rather than seeing them for the useful recyclers that they are, are terrified, particularly since the Boxtrolls once apparently stole a baby…
That baby is now a little boy named Eggs ( Isaac Hempstead Wright), who gets pally with the mayor’s daughter ( Elle Fanning) just as her dad’s rule is threatened by the nasty Archibald Snatcher ( Ben Kingsley). Snatcher wants to run things and, to get the townsfolk on his side, launches a campaign to round up the Boxtrolls. Boo! Hiss!
The voice cast are perfect, with Richard Ayoade in particular providing giggles as a thoughtful henchman. The production design is beautifully gothic, there are laughs by the bucketload and the animation is utterly divine. Witty, sweet and cute, you’ll love The Boxtrolls as much as a cat loves an empty box.
On the Blu- ray ( rated): commentary by the directors; six animatic sequences ( with commentary, 19 minutes); a five- part behind- the- scenes piece ( 33 minutes); six short featurettes. On DVD: nada. Meg Wilde The film is based on Here Be Monsters!, a book by Alan Snow. He once made tea for Tears For Fears ( as a studio technician).