Despicable Me has a lot to answer for. Not only has it spawned a sequel, with a “”spin-off” later this year in Minions, but it has manufactured the specific creature that little kids will die imitating (perhaps loudly shouting “bottom”, as you walk through the supermarket). But The Boxtrolls, looking like an uglier, gothic cousin to the minions, is nothing to apologise for. Looking like Aardman animation meets Abe’s Odyssey, The Boxtrolls contains much more than empty crates and annoying little creatures. More creative and considerably more profound, The Boxtrolls is much more than a Despicable Me imitator.
Boxtrolls lurk underground. They mess up the streets at
night and, with their muddy boxes and cluttered manner, are feared by the
community they live beneath. Stories claim they are responsible for kidnapping
children and carnival-performances are played out to ensure the public know how
dangerous they are. Of course, they are
no threat. Introducing Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) as the villainous,
desperate older gent who seeks a place at the table amongst the upper-class
(termed as the “white hats”), the boxtrolls are his sworn enemy – despite their
cheeky, playful manner. Indeed, the boxtrolls themselves are creatures with
love to give and we see, akin to Monsters
Inc, the raising of a child in their company. Named after the boxes they
wear, “Fish” adopts human-in-a-box, “Eggs” (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright,
aka ‘Bran’ from Game of Thrones, and
looking a little like one of The Riddlers). In an innovative twist, it is the
daughter of the esteemed ‘white hat’ Lord Portley-Rind (Jared Harris), Winnie
(Elle Fanning), who clashes into Eggs one night. This forces the two to
confront their differences while taking down the evil Mr Snatcher.
The winding tracks and creaky buildings that we walk down is
a feast for the eyes. Tim Burton would surely get a kick out of the long-legged
and bulging-bellies of the humans. The British tone of Aardman animation shines
through, and the boxtrolls even seem to channel the trolls from Frozen a tad. But, unlike the cookie-cutter
morals of most Disney and Dreamworks fare, the “makers of Paranorman and Coraline”
tell a story that clearly draws parallels to our modern world. In a moment of
frustration, boxtroll “fish” becomes incredibly angry, almost living up to the
horror stories that we were told. It is brief and inconsequential, but a
sobering moment as the parallel between anger and victimisation is drawn. In
the final confrontation between Snatcher and Eggs, Snatcher tells him “they’ll
never accept us…” What connects these two vastly opposing characters? Who does
Snatcher believe “they” are? All is revealed when watching The Boxtrolls.
The ballooning abscesses as allergic-to-cheese Snatcher
forces himself to eat brie is gross, colourful and guaranteed to make you
laugh. The comedy is intelligent, the animation expert and the story is
thoroughly engaging. The Boxtrolls
is poignant and inventive and as much fun as it is bold in its statements.
This post was originally written for Flickering Myth
This post was originally written for Flickering Myth
