Archibald Snatcher
On Netflix the other night I finally sat down and watched The Boxtrolls. For those who don't know, it is the latest stop-motion animated film from Laika, the production company behind Coraline and ParaNorman. The Boxtrolls is the story of the town of Cheesebridge where the Victorian-esque town is thought to be besieged by trolls who wear boxes and come out at night to steal.
The story really begins with a child being taken away by the Boxtrolls and a man named Archibald Snatcher using that as an opportunity to get what he has always wanted, a white hat, by exterminating the Boxtrolls. You see, people in Cheesebridge wear hats according to their station and a white hat puts you at the top of society and earns you access to the tasting room where you can sample all of the best cheeses. It is a really weird place where cheese and hats are the priority. Beneath Cheesebridge you have a world built by the Boxtrolls that is like a scavenged, recycled Steampunky wonderland. It is in this world that a boy called Eggs grows up and lives with the Boxtrolls all under the specter of the Exterminators, led by Snatcher, who are capturing Boxtrolls to rid the town of their menace.
Like their other two movies, The Boxtrolls has an amazing visual style and to know someone made everything by hand is unbelievable. I mean take a look at this behind the scenes featurette about the making of the film.
That is crazy detailed and I can't imagine how painstaking that work actually is. Oh to be that artistic.
The things that work well in The Boxtrolls, besides the visuals are the interactions with some of the characters. Though they don't talk much, the Boxtrolls themselves are very expressive and interactive and caring with each other. One of the best bits of interaction between characters actually comes between Richard Ayoade's Mr. Pickles and Nick Frost's Mr. Trout who work for Snatcher. They are constantly questioning whether what they are doing would get them seen as heroes or villains. Very self-aware stuff that doesn't quite break the fourth wall.
There are themes of creativity, caring, and empowerment in the story. Especially how Winnie, Elle Fanning, the daughter of the town's lord steps out and takes matters into her own hands when her parents and other adults can't be bothered to think beyond their own needs/wants. Of course there is also selfishness, greed, and malevolent behavior on the part of the bad guy, Snatcher, and his crew. Since this is a kid's movie, the bad guy even looks like a bad guy to make it easier to spot.
Does the story have some ups and down, sure. However, the visually stunning and creative way the movie is shown more than covers those up. You would have a hard time finding something else to spend ~90 minutes watching. Take a break and go get immersed in the world of Cheesebridge, it will be worth your time. The Boxtrolls gets 4 Mick Happies.
Woah! My brother is definitely going to like this movie. We finished watching shows by Andy Yeatman last week and we are looking for more shows and movies online since then. I also want to become a producer and director in my life. You get freedom to actually teach good to the kids.
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