The Boxtrolls (2014)

Elevator Pitch: In the town of Cheesebridge an evil man, Archibold Snatcher, has ambitions to take over and gains a  promise from the governor that if he can rid the town of the Boxtrolls, apparently an evil group of monsters, he will become the possessor of a “White Hat’ a sign in the town of the ruling class. But the Boxtrolls are harmless, collecting debris to make into things, and have brought up Eggs, a human baby left with them by the boy’s father. The boy grows up, and when he meets the governor’s daughter, they decide to protect the Boxtrolls and defeat the evil Snatcher.

Content: I would say “nothing to offend”, but note the PG rating. This is because both Snacher and the Boxtrolls themselves could be frightening for young children. There are scenes in the Boxtrolls underground pair, in the streets of the town, in the governors residence, the town square and Snatcher’s factory where he is using captured Boxtrolls to manufacture a diabolical machine. So the Boxtrolls sneak about in the streets and make things, particularly the machine for Snatcher, the governor has a dance and Eggs, the boy, interacts with everybody.

A View: The film received generally positive reviews, but was not quite as well liked as the studio’s previous outings. It is well done, particularly the Boxtrolls cavernous headquarters and their various machines. Its PG rating might have put some people off, and indeed it is a bit difficult to see who the target audience is other than adults who like ingenious presentations. But if you are one of those worth a free or low cost download.

Additional Info: Isaac Hempstead Wright has been a character in Game of Thrones. He does sound very confident. And the town is said to be based on Trowbridge.