From the people who gave us the interesting Coraline and the disappointing Paranorman, comes an apology for the latter movie. Admittedly, I’ve never seen the former yet I enjoyed Boxtrolls way more because it had greater originality to the execution. The story is the same old trope involving a kid being raised by the other but it stands out with the Rube Goldberg contraptions in the trolls’ home, their odd ecosystem under the town, their naming conventions and the main villains’ obsession involving fine cheeses. It’s what puts Boxtrolls in the same company as The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach and Chicken Run while avoiding the designation of Divorced Dads’ weekend killers.
The commercials and trailers cover the premise just fine. By the time I’ve gotten around to reviewing, this is either on its way to DVD for the holidays or remains at the buck theater up I-35, north of my house.
Regardless of how you watch, stick around to the very end for a clever, fourth-wall joke presented by the secondary characters.
Alamo Extras: Weird stop motion stuff of fairies and trolls (could be from Europe); Mr. Fox clips; an OK Go Video; Wallace & Grommit; Maru the box-loving cat and the Rube Goldberg winners on Jimmy Kimmel.