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By Sandy Olmsted

Directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi’s The Boxtrolls spins a delightfully dark little tale of greed, corruption, and victimization against a backdrop of class warfare, which may not sound like a children’s film; however, The Boxtrolls operates on two levels.

The political allegory almost overwhelms the typical children’s tale of children teaching adults the way things ought to be. For young viewers, perhaps ages 8 to 14, Annabel and Stacchi weave a dark tale of right and wrong, for adults the political allegory operates on the level of Animal Farm. In The Boxtrolls, the corrupt elite would rather make a new, large cheese than build a children’s hospital, and the children see the victimization of the Boxtrolls as wrong.

The Boxtrolls, an underclass who live under the city and salvage garbage to build complex machinery in their underground home, also appreciate art, especially Fish (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), who adopts Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright). Rumor has it that the Boxtrolls stole this human child to eat him. As a consequence, Lord Portley-Rind (voiced by Jared Harris), head of the corrupt elite, puts Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Ben Kingsley) in charge of exterminating all the Boxtrolls in exchange for allowing the Red-hatted Snatcher into the elite ranks of the White Hats and their cheese tasting rooms.

Later, the lord’s daughter, Winnie Portley-Rind (Elle Fanning), witnesses Snatcher and his henchmen chasing Eggs, Fish, and Shoe (voiced by Steve Blum), and she begins to ask questions. While she’s on one level a spoiled, privileged child, she also has a grisly imagination and fantasizes about Boxtrolls, saying such things as, “I’m not obsessed, I just can’t stop imagining them gnawing off my toes and wearing the bones as a necklace.” She’s also intelligent and clever.

Meanwhile, Snatcher and his henchmen, including Mr. Pickles (hilariously voiced by Richard Ayoade), who questions whether they are evil, start grabbing Boxtrolls off the streets at night. The kindly Boxtrolls’ world, greatly diminished, continues on as if nothing has happened, until at last Eggs decides he’s had enough. After sneaking up top during the day, he realizes what people think of Boxtrolls, and he and Winnie set out to set the record straight. They also uncover the mysteries of what has happened to the captured Boxtrolls and to Eggs’ human family, and solve a few other mysteries and problems, too.

Based on the children’s book Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow, The Boxtrolls contains a fun sequence at the end of the credits when Mr. Pickles and Mr. Trout (amusingly voiced by Richard Ayoade and Nick Frost) imagine a world in which their every movement is manipulated by unseen giants. Slowly, an animator at work fades in, and producer and lead animator Travis Knight tinkers away at moving these characters. This delightful homage to such revealing works as Walt Disney’s “Alice Comedies” or Chuck Jones’ “Duck Amuck” reveals some of the secrets of stop motion animation, besides just being more of Laika’s quirky humor.

The credits also showcase a cover of the Pete Seeger hit “Little Boxes” performed by Portland band Loch Lomond. Eric Idle also performs “The Boxtrolls Song.” The Boxtrolls features excellently executed 3D stop motion animation, a dark and fun sense of humor, a superb cast, and good messages about doing the right thing. Laika Entertainment, the Oregon-based studio, behind the delightful ParaNorman, doesn’t seem interested in the blockbuster or the typical themes in animated films. And kudos to them for that. A little more reality and a few less platitudes in children’s film makes for film with fun, teeth, and meaning! A Focus Features release, The Boxtrolls is rated PG for action, some peril and mild rude humor and runs 97 minutes. The Boxtrolls opens Sept. 26 in theaters.
 

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