Give The Boxtrolls A Chance

There's something so wonderfully quirky about the dirty world of The Boxtrolls.

The guys over at Laika Entertainment have made another thoroughly entertaining family film full of whimsy, intrigue, and some dry humor that may be a little wetter than you'd expect... at some points it can be downright hilarious. And there is a pretty great message buried not too deep within... sure, be yourself, but everyone has the ability to change their nature. I think that's a cool principle to incorporate into a family film. Just because you're seen as one thing, doesn't mean you have to stay stuck in that "box" forever.

All of the voice actors are wonderful, the direction is slick and precise, and the creative team behind the stop-motion figures do an exceptional job. I especially like the way certain human characters look grosser than certain boxtrolls simply because of the choice of skin pigments and veins. That takes knowhow, something the crew at Laika has proven to have time and again... at least since Coraline back in 2009.

Laika as a production company gets me excited because they are working diligently to keep good stop-motion film alive. And it's crucial that we continue to have smaller companies come forward in the family film marketplace. Children deserve as many quality film options as adults... and the parents certainly should be given a product that they can actually sit through along with their kids. It's one of the most consistent audiences out there, and sometimes the content can be just dreadful. So the existence of a studio like Laika is absolutely critical to keeping the big animation companies on their toes. That's how quality content continues to thrive; through competition.

So, yes, I'm saying I liked The Boxtrolls. I'm an adult who doesn't have any kids and I enjoyed this movie. So take that for what it's worth.