The Boxtrolls

The Boxtrolls, much like Pirates! Band of Misfits, took me for a pleasant surprise. Both of these films were nominated for the Best Animated Film Oscar, and both are resolutely British in humor and tone. I watched The Boxtrolls with a smile affixed to my face.

The directors, Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, are American. The source material, though, a novel called Here Be Monsters! is English, and that has come through in the film. We are in England sometime during the past, and living underground are creatures called Boxtrolls, who look like some kind of goblin but wear boxes as clothes.

They are blamed for stealing and killing children, but they are, of course, very peaceful, and instead like to steal junk. The boy that they are accused of stealing has grown up among them, and doesn't realize he's not a Boxtroll until he is old enough to find himself in the city above.

As the plot unfolds, we learn that an exterminator, Snatcher, is a villain intent on destroying all Boxtrolls so he can earn a White Hat, which means he will be in high society. This mostly means he would be able to attend fancy cheese tastings, which is odd because he is allergic to cheese.

There's a lot to love about this film, As I said, it's steeped in things English, so the characters have bad teeth and a penchant for dressing in drag. Two of Snatchers' henchman have a running debate on the nature of evil--they think they are good, which is a kind of interesting philosophy as I think most of us think we are good, even if we do bad. The character of Portly-Rind, the swell who hires Snatcher, is also a great one--he's more interested in cheese than his own daughter. The creators of this film, by the way, share something in common with me--they agree that the word "cheese" is inherently funny.

I must admit that the end had me caught up in suspense. The Boxtrolls themselves are cute, with names associated with what's on their box, so we have Fish, Eggs, Sweets, etc. I think if I were about eight I would want to live with them.


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