THE BOXTROLLS review
(Reviewed by Melody Werner)
The Boxtrolls is a 2014 stop motion animated film from Laika, directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi. Starring Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, and Ben Kingsley, and based on Alan Snow's 2005 novel Here Be Monsters!, it marks Laika's third feature production. The Boxtrolls was met with a fairly mixed reception, worse than what Laika ordinarily receives. Now, I've made it clear in the past that I adore Laika's films. More than Disney's, Pixar's, DreamWorks's, etc.. But I had missed The Boxtrolls and still have yet to see their shorts. Back in December, I finally saw this for myself and I've gotta say: this is yet another triumph for this studio in my book.
Laika currently puts out the most artistic mainstream animated family films and that is something they seem to take much deserved pride in. They manage to strike a nice balance between having a unique, recognizable house style while having each film keeping an aesthetic that feels like its own take on said house style. In a way, one could draw parallels between it and Klei. Preamble aside, does this hold true for The Boxtrolls? Yeah, I wouldn't have wasted this much time writing that if it didn't. I enjoy how ramshackled the world in this feels, it's something that couldn't have worked quite as well in a more traditionally, CG-animated film because the stop-motion lends itself to such a vibe. In the past, Laika has used its stop-motion to great effect in creating an eerily occult vibe for Coraline and ParaNorman, but The Boxtrolls is more whimsical fantasy than eery occultism. Luckily, this stop-motion also works for whimsical fantasy, going by The Boxtrolls and how its exceptional animation elevates its charms. The music is solid, if forgettable, while the voice acting is top-notch with a litany of a-list actors serving as its terrific cast.
While the narrative is fairly rote on paper, its execution is handled well enough for the film to remain very compelling throughout, even if it never strays into masterful territory. The comedy is pretty charming, but more "I see what you did there" than gut-busting hilarity. Characters wise, they're all fun enough and have inspired character designs. There's a chance they could have been annoying, but thankfully they are not. It's well written, with enjoyable dialogue. The Boxtrolls is well paced, never allowing itself to become too dull.
The Boxtrolls is a ton of fun and a worthwhile film to watch with anyone. While I'd consider it to be the weakest of Laika's releases thus far (with Coraline holding up better than I'd initially thought), it's still something you may want to check out if you'd missed it. It's a pretty damn great time. The Boxtrolls gets a 9/10.
Fantastic
Summary:
Splendid animation in Laika's signature style, lots of fun; a very agreeable film I could see becoming a classic in the years to come, like every other one this studio has put into theaters.
The Boxtrolls is a 2014 stop motion animated film from Laika, directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi. Starring Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, and Ben Kingsley, and based on Alan Snow's 2005 novel Here Be Monsters!, it marks Laika's third feature production. The Boxtrolls was met with a fairly mixed reception, worse than what Laika ordinarily receives. Now, I've made it clear in the past that I adore Laika's films. More than Disney's, Pixar's, DreamWorks's, etc.. But I had missed The Boxtrolls and still have yet to see their shorts. Back in December, I finally saw this for myself and I've gotta say: this is yet another triumph for this studio in my book.
Laika currently puts out the most artistic mainstream animated family films and that is something they seem to take much deserved pride in. They manage to strike a nice balance between having a unique, recognizable house style while having each film keeping an aesthetic that feels like its own take on said house style. In a way, one could draw parallels between it and Klei. Preamble aside, does this hold true for The Boxtrolls? Yeah, I wouldn't have wasted this much time writing that if it didn't. I enjoy how ramshackled the world in this feels, it's something that couldn't have worked quite as well in a more traditionally, CG-animated film because the stop-motion lends itself to such a vibe. In the past, Laika has used its stop-motion to great effect in creating an eerily occult vibe for Coraline and ParaNorman, but The Boxtrolls is more whimsical fantasy than eery occultism. Luckily, this stop-motion also works for whimsical fantasy, going by The Boxtrolls and how its exceptional animation elevates its charms. The music is solid, if forgettable, while the voice acting is top-notch with a litany of a-list actors serving as its terrific cast.
While the narrative is fairly rote on paper, its execution is handled well enough for the film to remain very compelling throughout, even if it never strays into masterful territory. The comedy is pretty charming, but more "I see what you did there" than gut-busting hilarity. Characters wise, they're all fun enough and have inspired character designs. There's a chance they could have been annoying, but thankfully they are not. It's well written, with enjoyable dialogue. The Boxtrolls is well paced, never allowing itself to become too dull.
The Boxtrolls is a ton of fun and a worthwhile film to watch with anyone. While I'd consider it to be the weakest of Laika's releases thus far (with Coraline holding up better than I'd initially thought), it's still something you may want to check out if you'd missed it. It's a pretty damn great time. The Boxtrolls gets a 9/10.
Fantastic
Summary:
Splendid animation in Laika's signature style, lots of fun; a very agreeable film I could see becoming a classic in the years to come, like every other one this studio has put into theaters.
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