The Boxtrolls

'The Boxtrolls' has parts that I like, but overall I found it slow-moving. I enjoyed the Boxtrolls themselves, I like how they look and come across. Archibald (Ben Kingsley) and bodyguards, Messrs Trout (Nick Frost) and Pickles (Richard Ayoade), are good, as is the casting of Jared Harris as Lord Charles Portley-Rind. With that said, I liked them individually rather than as a group. Frost and Ayoade being the key examples, despite being two of the same character I never felt a connection between them. Elsewhere, I rate Isaac Hempstead Wright and Elle Fanning as actors, but I don't feel like their voices suit the respective roles of Eggs and Winnie. The stop-motion animation is strong, but I just feel the plot is brought to life in a sluggish manner; the ending particularly felt dragged out to me. All in all, it's an average film in my eyes.

The stop-motion animated film The Boxtrolls is pleasantly entertaining and has a positive message about family. Based on a bestselling children’s book, a young boy raised by Boxtrolls comes to the surface to search for his friends after they’re abducted by a nefarious monster hunter called the Snatcher. Featuring the voice talents of Elle Fanning, Ben Kingsley, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg, the film has a solid cast that delivers some good performances. Additionally, the animation is well-done and has an interesting visual style. However, the comedy is a little broad and geared more towards younger audiences. Yet, for a family film, The Boxtrolls works and has a quaint charm to its old fashioned style.