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Having been a huge Wallace and Gromit fan as a kid, stop-motion animation has always been my favourite form of the genre.
Now a dying art since the mass embracing of CGI (which is much quicker and easier to produce), I was excited to see a rare outing of the format in the shape of The Boxtrolls. Thankfully, the film fulfilled my expectations and even surpassed them in some areas.
Stylistically, the film leans on the side of quirkiness and is even a little dark at times. Rather than focus on an idealistic princess in a utopian setting, here we are presented with a bunch of bug-eating misfits and miscreants.
Our eponymous protagonists are small, ugly creatures dressed in cardboard boxes that hide in their subterranean dwelling until nightfall. Under cover of darkness, they emerge to scavenge through the garbage depository of their town, Cheesebridge, in search of invention materials.
Unfortunately, the peaceful Boxtrolls are rumoured to be child kidnappers and baby-eaters, a falsity spouted by pest exterminator Archibald Snatcher (Kingsley). His plan, in a town obsessed with its sense of hierarchy as much as its cheese, is to strike a deal with the gullible mayor Lord Portley-Rind that will see him eliminate the Boxtrolls in exchange for a seat on the city’s council.
Caught in the middle is 11-year-old boy Eggs (Hempstead-Wright), who was adopted as a baby by the Boxtrolls and has grown up as one of their own. Dismayed at the constant disappearance of his friends as Snatcher systematically captures them, he vows to do something about it along with his friend Winnie (Fanning), the mayor’s disillusioned daughter.
The yarn spun here is a refreshing one, with themes that both children and adults can relate to. A town that is far too fixated on its own sense of grandeur and utilitarianism to see who the true monster before them is speaks volumes about modern society, while the traditional morals of not judging something by its looks and that social status does not equal someone’s worth are still too important not to proclaim.
In a particularly clever twist, Snatcher is allergic to cheese, so his relentless pursuit of elitism that he is willing to steal, kidnap and even kill to attain is one that does not suit him anyway. It’s craving power and social standing for the sake of it, since society has ingrained in us from the beginning that we must covet such things.
On a visual level, The Boxtrolls does not disappoint. The cinematography and art style reflects the gruesome characters perfectly; the Disney paintbrush of gold and rainbows is nowhere to be seen here, rather we are presented with a palette of browns and greys to reflect the dirt and grime the Boxtrolls live amongst.
There are no ne’er-do-wrong characters rendered with inch-perfect features here either. Our loveable rogues are misshapen, have a diet consisting of cockroaches and beetles and have dreadful teeth (they must be British). It’s a joy to root for such disgusting, grubby, yet lovable and funny, creatures for a change rather than the sickeningly perfect white knights of other children’s animated films.
Contrary to expectations, it turns out the Boxtrolls are quite musical creatures too. The soundtrack is a delight, one that will have both parents and kids tapping their feet and joining in with. Songs are just the right length, have catchy melodies and fit in nicely with the story. Partnered with the crisp, organic visuals, this movie is a visual and audio tour de force.
Unfortunately, the film isn’t quite perfect. The story, particularly Snatcher’s master plan, is a hodge-podge of the ridiculous and illogical. Yes, it’s a children’s film starring trolls, but that’s no excuse for lazy story-telling. It appears that the writers tried too hard to shoehorn their plot into a framework of an allegory about society and the class system. It’s certainly an intelligent attempt, but square pegs will never go into round holes no matter how hard you force them.
My other main disappointment was that we didn’t get to know the Boxtrolls more intimately on an individual level. As a collective, they are cute, witty and frankly awesome protagonists, so it’s a shame that there’s only really two who have any extended dialogue and developed personalities. If there’s a sequel (I hope so!), I’d like to see it focussed more on these characters rather than the human element.
Ultimately, in an age where most animators have swapped pens and paper for pixels and programmes, it’s a great delight to see the old style back in vogue, however briefly. Filled with loveable characters, striking visuals, clever themes and humour so black that Hitchcock would be proud of it, The Boxtrolls is thoroughly worth a watch for both kids and adults alike.
* Showing in Cineco, Seef II
