In ‘The Boxtrolls’, the Adult Authorities Are Corrupt

There shouldn’t be any doubt that stop-motion studio Laika is responsible for the most gorgeous animated features going around over the last few years. Should you still need proof after movies like ParaNorman and Coraline, look no further than their latest, The Boxtrolls;.

ParaNorman was one of the best movies of 2012, a smart, sweet dissection of bullying and troubling groupthink that carried way more weight than most more explicit “message” movies. As such, comparing The Boxtrolls to their last outing may not be entirely fair, but it’s bound to happen. Unfortunately, their latest doesn’t quite measure up. The Boxtrolls is delightful, stunning to look at, and adorable as all hell, but while it ranks among the best animated movies of 2014 — it did garner an Academy Award nomination – and should satisfy you in most regards, there’s simply just not as much to it as earlier Laika movies.

Based on Alan Snow’s novel Here Be Monsters!, the story follows a young orphaned boy (Game of Thrones star Isaac Hempstead Wright) who was raised by an underground cadre of Boxtrolls. Named Egg because he wears what used to be a box of eggs (there are trolls named Fish, Bucket, and Shoe for similar reasons), the townsfolk think the boy was abducted as an infant and that the Boxtrolls are heinous, baby-eating monsters. Nothing could be further from the truth: they are actually sweet, affectionate creatures. But when the villagers employ nefarious exterminator Archibald Snatcher (Sir Ben Kingsley) to rid them of this perceived menace, the time comes for Eggs to come to the surface and make his presence known.

At it’s core, The Boxtrolls is a story about misunderstanding, being closed-minded, not rushing to judgment, and intolerance. It touches on the nature of identity (Eggs doesn’t know where he truly belongs), the inefficiency of overly bureaucratic systems, class, and rampant even, unchecked ambition. Of course, the real monsters turn out not to be the obvious choice. Many of these are themes similar to those of ParaNorman‘s, but the film simply doesn’t hit its mark as true as its predecessor.

This film works best as a fish-out-of-water story as Eggs tries to navigate the strange world of humans and their social customs. He has Winnie Portly-Rind (Elle Fanning) to guide him along. The movie is full of charming moments within this plotline, like when she tries to teach her pupil what a handshake is.

There is more to the story than just the surface story, as Snatcher has more sinister aims than he initially lets on. You get harrowing situations and more than enough adventure to carry you through. This is the kind of movie that I would have appreciated as a kid, where the adults and authority figures are either corrupt or completely useless and it falls to the young characters to take care of business and save the day themselves.

As usual, a great cast lends their vocal talents to the proceedings. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toni Collette, Richard, Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, and many more all show up in various capacities. However, where The Boxtrolls really stands out from the pack, as you might expect, is in the visual realm. Again, Laika’s character design is second to none, and there’s such a texture and warmth to this medium that provides a level of connection and affection that you rarely find in animated movies.

The Boxtrolls is very good, and there’s a distinct possibility it will walk away with an Oscar in a few weeks. (This is especially true given the glaring omission of The Lego Movie in the Best Animated Picture category, which, aside from the Selma debacle, is the most egregious snub this year). Still, the film never quite fully connects, and you can’t help but think of this as something of a missed opportunity given the sky-high potential. It’s cute and fun, but never goes much beyond that. You don’t necessarily need more out of a movie, but you have to wonder what could have been.

If the movie itself isn’t enough to entice you to pick up a copy of The Boxtrolls, the home video release from Universal arrives with a ton of wildly varied extras. First off, the transfer on the Blu-ray looks fantastic, really doing the animation justice. The disc also comes with “Dare to be Square”, a behind-the-scenes featurette that gives you a clearer picture of the process involved in this kind of painstaking, stop-motion picture. Five more features explore different aspects of the film and provide a broader understanding of the film as a whole. Finally, a feature length commentary from directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi is full of stories and insight that you won’t find anywhere else.