The Boxtrolls

The two biggest reasons why I saw this movie was the mostly positive response online and a free ticket. Also, because I enjoyed the past works of Laika, I was willing to give this film a shot. "Coraline" was good and "ParaNorman" was decent. I wasn't too impressed with "The Boxtrolls" unfortunately. The animation is remarkable and the main characters are noteworthy but the focus of the film was not on the story, unlike the company's other aforementioned projects. Instead, I felt the design of the movie took center stage while much of the story made no sense.

One major difference between "The Boxtrolls" and its predecessors is the fact that this movie takes place in an extremely fanciful world. The town in "ParaNorman" reminded me of Salem, Massachusetts and the real world portions of "Coraline" effectively contrasted the Other World. Cheesebridge is sure to please those moviegoers who value appearance over substance but as for me, story comes first. I wouldn't classify this movie as a comedy because there was only one joke that got me laughing (the line "Milk turns into it" was in truth very humorous). Eggs & Winnie and their relationship are the story elements that save this movie. While Winnie fears the Boxtrolls, they fascinate her as well. Her father's treatment of her creates sympathy. This curiosity that Winnie has allows her to accept the truth about the Boxtrolls and she takes it upon herself to reveal it to the people. The friendship between Eggs and Winnie is sweet in nature and genuine, especially when Eggs learns to dance. Madame Frou Frou provides a minor plot twist that was well executed. When I got close to realizing the truth, I was distracted by Frou Frou's skit at the annual fair because it provides exposition. Any family film must have a relatable story and the fanciful nature of "The Boxtrolls" does not accomplish this. Portley-Rind's obsession over cheese is such that he makes no sense as a character. He comes across as completely inept insomuch that he appears villainous and unredeemable, especially at the ball. When Frou Frou is unmasked, it is undeniable proof for the film audience of what Eggs is saying but not for all the partygoers. The filmmakers could have chosen another more realistic obsession or society flaw so that Winnie and Eggs prove unsuccessful. The climax failed to conclude the film in a dramatic way also. The theme of the movie is sound but wasn't incorporated into the story as well as it was for "Tarzan".

Considering that this was Isaac Hempstead-Wright's first movie, his work as Eggs was impressive. Dakota Fanning was the voice of Coraline so it is cool that her younger sister Elle voices Winnie for Laika. Sir Ben Kingsley's work was such that the voice he chose for Snatcher fits the character design perfectly. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost both voiced characters for this movie and two actors have a long career relationship but from what I have gathered, this may the first time they have roles in the same film without working directly with each other. There were some moments in "The Boxtrolls" where the animation was so smooth that it looked like computer animation and the filmmakers made many good decisions concerning the characters. That is why it probably got the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film. However, I was not very entertained on an emotional level due to the story problems and priorities of the filmmakers. "The Lego Movie" should have got the nomination instead.

3 Stars