Stop-motion film impresses audiences with its detailed animation and entertaining storytelling
Holly Vogtman
Staff Writer
The Boxtrolls, a stop-motion animated film from the creators of Coraline, tells the story of an orphaned boy raised by a peculiar group of boxtrolls that raid the streets in the night. In an adventure to save the boxtrolls, the young boy must find himself, save his family and show the town of the boxtrolls true colors.
The Boxtrolls, a new stop-motion animated film, tells the story of an orphaned boy raised by a curious species of boxtrolls that raid the town’s streets at night searching for mechanical items for their lair in the sewers below.
Because of the evil Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley), the boxtrolls carry a poor reputation through the town as dangerous creatures and are being taken one by one in the night with Snatcher’s comedic group of goons.
Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright), an orphaned boy, must find his identity among his fellow humans and his family of boxtrolls to save the boxtrolls and prove they mean no harm.
This film was truly an impressive spectacle. The detailed stop-motion animation will no doubt fill audiences with appreciation for the obvious hard work and dedication required for the creation of the movie.
The storyline was a bit overdone and predictable as it tells the tale of an orphaned child being raised by others, adapting their lifestyle and later finding himself.
Overall, the movie went by quickly because the eye was always occupied with something on the screen, but certain scenes and sessions of dialogue tended to drag and slow down the pace of the movie.
While it did have its faults, it still did a fantastic job in storytelling. Younger members of the crowd could be heard laughing, cheering and gasping throughout the film.
The Boxtrolls has a star-studded cast, and viewers may be able to recognize some of the voices that gave characters their life.
The cast includes Jared Harris (Lord-Portley-Rind), Richard Ayoade (Mr. Pickles), Tracy Morgan (Mr. Gristle) and Elle Fanning (Winnie).
All of the voice actors of the film did a fantastic job in bringing their characters to life and in forming a strong personality no matter how small the role or how little the speech.
The boxtrolls themselves do not have too much dialogue and what they do have is translated by the boy, Eggs.
Even without dialogue, their expressions and mannerisms transferred perfectly to the viewer and were able to keep a smile on everyone’s face.
This was again possible because of the magnificent animation skills and detailed work on every aspect of each character.
The Boxtrolls may have fallen short on its originality regarding its plot and its slower pace, but it delivered with storytelling and animation skills.
This film is highly recommended to all audiences, as it is a refreshing example of another style of movie making that deserves just as much attention as live action receives.
The Boxtrolls receives 3 ½ paws
