Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

The Boxtrolls
2014
***
Director: Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi
Cast: Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan

A ruthless exterminator Archibald Snatcher is hired to rid the Victorian town of Cheesebridge of boxtrolls, scary little monsters who are believed to eat small children. In reality, these cute creatures and one human boy come out at night to gather building material for their inventive machines underground. The third feature-length stop motion animation from Laika follows in the footsteps of Coralie and ParaNorman. It tells a scary and gruesome story with quirky and grotesque visuals, but doesn't exactly stand out from the mass. Umpteen family films have spoken against unwarranted fear and prejudice, and the boxtrolls are not dissimilar to the Minions from the Despicable Me series. Based on Alan Snow's book Here Be Monsters!.