The Boxtrolls sounds like a movie that you'd skip on the principle of its title alone, but to do so would be a huge mistake, given that it's actually rather good - something you'd expect, given that it recently earned itself an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature and The LEGO Movie didn't (who'd have thought it?). Rendered using that ever arduous process referred to as "stop motion," The Boxtrolls conjures up memories of other great animated features like Coraline and ParaNorman. If it isn't quite as good as either of those, it's still gloriously-realised and fun to watch. And though it doubled its budget at the box office and was received rather well overall, there still seems to be a sizeable disagreement with regards to the purported tedium inherent to this movie. Don't let the naysayers put you off: The Boxtrolls occasionally loses focus, but not in any capacity to unhinge the movie entirely - it's charming and funny from start to finish. Credit where credit is due, of course: the voice work from the likes of Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning, Toni Collette, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade and Tracy Morgan adds a whole new dimension. Bravo!
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.