 | | | Eleven-year-old Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) swings into trouble when he tries to rescue a Boxtroll friend in Laika and Focus Features' family event movie "The Boxtrolls." Image provided | | | | | | "The Boxtrolls" comes from the small yet very impressive animation studio, Laika Entertainment based in Hillsboro, Ore. Laika is not a household name like Pixar or Disney but they have produced some of the most imaginative, original, creative and inventive animated films in recent years, including the two Oscar-nominated films "Coraline" in 2009 and "ParaNorman" in 2012. "Coraline" was beaten by "UP" and "ParaNorman" lost to "Brave," which was a disappointment.
Now comes "The Boxtrolls," a less dark film then Laika's previous movies. The story is about an orphan boy, Eggs, who is raised underground in the town of Cheesebridge by a group of trash collecting cave dwellers - the Boxtrolls. Isaac Hempstead Wright, Eggs voice, is the talented young 15-year-old from "Game of Thrones," and he must save his family, the Boxtrolls from the evil exterminator Archibald Snatcher (Sir Ben Kingsley "Schindler's List"). Eggs is assisted by the local wealthy girl Winnie (Elle Fanning, "Maleficent").
"The Boxtrolls" is based on the 544-page illustrated novel, "Here Be Monsters!" by author Alan Snow. It is not as solid a film as "Coraline," but I do see another Oscar nomination this year. Who knows - the third time may be a charm. As with Laika's previous films, it is the stunning visuals that makes "The Boxtrolls" stand out from other animated movies and the leader of stop-motion animation. Kudos to the small studio in Oregon! "The Boxtrolls" is rated PG and has a total running time (TRT) of 97 minutes, which may drag at times for the little ones but it is well worth the price of admission.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA