Summer of Netflix Day 33 - The Boxtrolls

Joel: So it looks like I will never stop being amazed by the stop motion animation work that Laika does. I was so incredibly impressive throughout the entirety of The Boxtrolls, that it was like I hadn’t seen them do something that good twice already. Story Wise, it isn’t quite as clean or as powerful as Coraline and Paranorman, but it’s still easily a must. The first line, the very first line is such a great joke, that you know you’re in for something good. This kind of creepy, weird kids movie is just the thing that there should be more of. It’s a shame that it takes two years for one of these to come out, but then again, that’s how we end up getting the impressive visuals and animation. And that’s this really good movie get that final boost to a great piece of cinema. I already need to go back and watch it again, just to see those characters move. It’s incredible.

Jason: I have always been fascinated with stop-motion animation. Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my all time favorite movies. And I try to go see every new one that come out. They keep ending up fantastic! I thought Paranorman was a little lackluster, but other than that, they’re all delightful. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go see this one in theaters. Actually, I hadn’t seen it up until about a month ago… But boy was I missing out!

This film takes all the heart and spirit that has gone into those other stop-motion movies and adds something a little different. Boxtrolls adds in family. Sure, other characters in movies like Coraline and The Corpse Bride have families but in none of those films are the bonds of those families so strong! The connection that Eggs has with Fish is so endearing! And the lengths they both go through to stay with each other is something that no other movie like this has experienced.

So on top of the heartwarming family bonds, this movie is funny, witty, charming, and has Ben Kingsley singing in drag (well, his character sings in drag, but you get the idea). The casting was phenomenal and so star packed that I couldn’t recognize them all without IMDB’ing the cast. On that note, Nick Frost and Simon Peg are both in this movie but did not know that each other was a part of it until their respective lines were completely taped. Just an interesting tidbit.

In conclusion, I thought this movie was a delight to watch and I am gladly adding it to my collection.

Chris: I wasn’t a huge fan of this movie, to be honest. Not saying it wasn’t good or I thought it was completely awful because it definitely wasn’t and the stop-motion and artwork was incredible but I just wasn’t into the story all that much. And I fully understand that is a “me” problem because clearly this movie wasn’t made for me and kids movies tend to make my head explode. There was a couple of funny moments that I did find myself chuckling at but other than that, I just didn’t connect well with it. It was a silly movie that I’m sure kids will get and enjoy which is exactly the demographic they were aiming for and perhaps adults with a different mindset would like as well. Again, not saying it was bad because it’s definitely not, just not my cup of tea and I understand why others would love and appreciate boxtrolls.

Your Viewing Homework For Tomorrow: Silver Linings Playbook