By Julia Sheth
Arts Editor
Thinking outside of the box can sometimes be entertaining, but the recently released movie “Boxtrolls” would have been much better off boxed up.
Although the directors of “Boxtrolls,” Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, showcase detailed and engaging animation through their use of both stop-motion clay figures and hand-drawn backdrops, the rest of the film thoroughly disappoints with a confusing and idle plotline and underdeveloped characters.
Based on the book “Here Be Monsters” by Alan Snow, “Boxtrolls” is an animated movie about cave-dwelling trolls dressed in cardboard boxes who lovingly raise a human child named Eggs (Isaac Hempstead-Wright). However, the humans of the Cheesebridge society, home to the boxtrolls, think the trolls are villainous creatures who torment Eggs.
In response, the mayor calls on the exterminator, Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley), to eliminate the boxtrolls from the Cheesebridge town. Fortunately, the mayor’s daughter, Winnie (Elle Fanning), is able to realize the good-hearted nature of these creatures through her interactions with Eggs, which urges her to help save the boxtrolls.
The highlight of the film lies in the inventive combination of stop-motion film and hand-drawn animation. The use of stop-motion techniques brings the characters to life, creating a high level of realism. This realism is achieved because of the clay figures used for stop-motion, which have extremely human-like and natural movements. In contrast, the hand-drawn animation imaginatively showcases the unique setting to the audience. The high level of detail in the drawings and the inclusion of unusual sights, distinct to the movie, impose the background of the scenes.
These techniques also allow for contrast in the animation of the film, as the claymation in front of the drawn backgrounds enhances the characters.
However, the impressive animation in “Boxtrolls” is not enough to overcome its strange and perplexing plot. Although the concept behind the film is creative, with mystical creatures and a backwards society, it is poorly executed. This is evident in the film’s inability to convey sufficient explanations for twists and turns in the plotline as it constantly shifts from highlighting one conflict to another without demonstrating reasons for the awkward changes in the plot direction. For instance, the plotline abruptly changes from Eggs’ inner struggle of trying to decide whether he is a human or a boxtroll, to the boxtrolls’ battle against the humans of Cheesebridge, in hopes of gaining their freedom and safety.
In addition to the over-complicated plot, “Boxtrolls” falls short in developing its characters. Even with a lot of unexpected events occurring throughout the film, the main characters are only developed in minute, surface-level proportions, like when Eggs realizes he is a human, not a boxtroll. The characters do not develop in a deeper sense. For example, Winnie is just as defiant and confident in her beliefs at the beginning of the film as she is at the conclusion of the film, showing no sign of character development in her personality, maturity, or ability.
Despite the ingenious animation of the film “Boxtrolls,” its puzzling plot and rudimentary development of the main characters block its path to success.
“Boxtrolls” is rated PG and is playing in theaters nationwide.
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