--- title: "The Boxtrolls" year: 2014 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-boxtrolls" fi1m_id: "the-boxtrolls" imdb_id: "tt0787474" tmdb_id: 170687 wikidata_id: "Q12103758" fi1m_score: 64 critics_score: 61 critics_reviews: 24 published: "2026-10-01T23:19:57.451941+00:00" updated: "2026-10-01T23:19:58.031985+00:00" region: "FR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Boxtrolls (2014) Directed by Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi · 1h 37m · CNC TP · Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy ## Identity The Boxtrolls - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-boxtrolls - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-boxtrolls - **IMDb ID:** tt0787474 - **TMDB ID:** 170687 - **Wikidata ID:** Q12103758 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0787474/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/170687, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12103758 **Fi1m score: 64** · Critics 61 from 24 reviews *In a sentence:* The underground cavern has more personality than the children, which is awkward when the children have to carry the story > There is pleasure in the grotesque detail of Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable’s animation, but its young leads are underwritten. Worth considering for the craft, provided the peculiar creatures matter more than the adventure. ## Synopsis Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and Winnie Portley-Rind (Elle Fanning) are the young leads of an animated family fantasy populated by the Boxtrolls, creatures with an underground cavern. Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) is the villain, while Lord Portley-Rind (Jared Harris), Mr. Trout (Nick Frost) and Mr. Pickles (Richard Ayoade) also inhabit this grotesque setting. Slapstick and macabre humour accompany an adventure with social themes, human characters and peculiar creatures. The comedy sits alongside a darker tone that may unsettle younger children. ## Review *The Boxtrolls* has enough invention in its creatures and surroundings to keep us looking, though rather less to make us excited about what happens next. Directors Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable embrace the macabre possibilities of a family animation, and the film benefits from their willingness to make things unattractive. The trouble is that the children at its centre are considerably less interesting than the company they keep. It is worth considering for anyone curious about stop-motion craft, with reservations about the story that gives all this work a reason to move. Production designers Paul Lasaine, Michel Breton, August Hall and Tom McClure make the underground cavern a place worth exploring. We were delighted by its crowded detail, which made us want the action to pause so we could look around. There is pleasure in a family film that lets its creatures look peculiar instead of tidying them into something reassuring. The sheer density sometimes competes with the action, but there is usually something worth being distracted by. John Ashlee Prat’s cinematography serves those designs well, keeping their odd shapes legible within an already busy picture. The stop-motion work makes these creatures feel solid enough to reach out and handle. Dario Marianelli’s score supplies energy, although musical encouragement cannot make the central adventure more involving. The images do most of the persuading, and they do it well enough to keep us watching through the thinner stretches. Ben Kingsley gets more to work with as Snatcher than Isaac Hempstead Wright does as Eggs, and makes good use of the licence to be excessive. The villain is allowed a degree of unpleasantness that makes him worth watching even when the story falters. Nick Frost and Richard Ayoade also make Mr. Trout and Mr. Pickles enjoyable company, with a comic ease that the film could use more often. These performances supply much of its humour. Eggs and Winnie Portley-Rind, voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright and Elle Fanning, ought to hold our attention without help from the surrounding grotesques. Neither performance is the problem. The screenplay by Adam Pava and Irena Brignull gives the young leads too little individuality, so their importance to the plot never quite becomes a reason to care about them. The social themes suffer from the same thinness: they are easy enough to recognise, but the film seems satisfied once we have recognised them. Edie Ichioka’s editing keeps the adventure brisk, sometimes at the expense of a moment that might let us settle with a character. At 97 minutes, this is hardly an overlong film, yet its weaker passages still hurry us past people we barely know. Family adventures need not have complicated plots to work. They do need someone whose next decision matters to us, especially when the visual novelty begins to wear off. There is enough affection in the handling of the Boxtrolls to make us wish they had more of the film to themselves. Its willingness to indulge a child’s interest in unpleasant things is also welcome, though younger viewers may find that less amusing than their elders. Try it if exploring the corners of an animated world is a substantial part of the pleasure. *Fi1m score 64, published 1 October 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews lean positive, with praise clustering around Laika’s painstaking stop-motion animation rather than the story. Critics repeatedly admire the detailed underground world, eccentric creature designs and expressive voice performances, and even several detractors acknowledge the care in the craft. Supporters find warmth in the grotesquerie and enough slapstick to entertain children, while the stranger humour and social themes give adults something to follow. The spread is wide, however, and character development is a recurring weakness even in favourable reviews: the young leads can seem thin beside the creatures and villains. Little White Lies welcomes the social commentary, while Slant Magazine finds the themes shallow and the characters underdeveloped. The harsher reviews describe muddled plotting and a shortage of charm; The Wrap goes further by rejecting the visual design itself. The chief divide is over whether the intricate animation and macabre humour compensate for the familiar, sometimes unwieldy story. ## Straight answers **Is The Boxtrolls worth watching?** *The Boxtrolls* is worth considering for its inventive stop-motion craft rather than its adventure, and we scored it 64. We enjoy the peculiar creatures, crowded underground cavern and macabre humour, but the underwritten young leads make it harder to care about what happens next. **How long is The Boxtrolls, and what is it rated?** *The Boxtrolls* runs 1h 37m and is rated TP by the CNC in France. It is an animation and comedy film. **Where can I watch The Boxtrolls in France?** *The Boxtrolls* is available to rent from Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does The Boxtrolls compare to The Nightmare Before Christmas?** *The Boxtrolls* offers macabre stop-motion pleasures, but we recommend [*The Nightmare Before Christmas*](https://film.one/film/the-nightmare-before-christmas) more strongly for its songs and clearer emotional centre. Both have thin stretches of storytelling; the former rewards curiosity about its creatures and surroundings, while the latter gives us more reason to care about its grotesque characters. **Is The Boxtrolls based on a true story or a book?** *The Boxtrolls* is adapted from a novel by Alan Snow, rather than based on a true story. We find its chief pleasures in the peculiar creatures and detailed stop-motion surroundings, which need no familiarity with the book to appreciate; our reservations concern the film’s underwritten children and thin adventure. **What should I watch after The Boxtrolls?** After *The Boxtrolls*, try [*The Nightmare Before Christmas*](https://film.one/film/the-nightmare-before-christmas) (1993, Fi1m 82): For more macabre stop-motion, with songs and a clearer emotional centre. Then [*Mary and Max*](https://film.one/film/mary-and-max) (2009, Fi1m 80): Another handmade world of outsiders, though its loneliness is for adults; and [*Ernest & Celestine*](https://film.one/film/ernest-and-celestine) (2012, Fi1m 84): An unlikely friendship across social divisions, told with greater warmth and economy. ### Reviews we read (24) - **The Guardian**, Mark Kermode (85/100, inferred): Kermode praises the film as splendidly inventive and deliciously scrungy. He singles out its dazzling visuals and the expressive voice performances, as well as the end-credits celebration of animation’s painstaking craft. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/14/boxtrolls-review-splendidly-inventive-childrens-animation) - **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (B+): Dowd finds the film a minor effort for Laika, though still far better than most animated competition. He praises its painstaking stop-motion craft and inventive, richly detailed world, while noting the hero feels underdeveloped. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-makers-of-coraline-return-with-another-morbid-marve-1798181403) - **IndieWire**, Greg Ehrbar (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a uniquely entertaining, well-paced animated feature, despite a few plot holes. They single out its visual banquet and brilliant end-title gag for praise. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-the-boxtrolls-123939/) - **Little White Lies**, Sophie Monks Kaufman (4/4/4): The critic finds the animation delightful and the story unusually rich in social themes. She singles out its intricate, comic stop-motion detail and clever adult-friendly commentary for praise. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-boxtrolls) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (75/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the film macabre, magical, and ultimately warm-hearted, despite its familiar allegory. He praises Laika’s outlandish designs and the film’s embrace of the dark, twisted curiosity of childhood. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2014/09/movie-review-the-boxtrolls.html) - **Empire**, William Thomas (70/100, inferred): The review finds the film funny, charming, and action-packed. It praises the slapstick and silliness, which should entertain children while adults follow the plot. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/boxtrolls-review/) - **Screen Daily**, Mark Adams, chief film critic (65/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review of the 2014 film. The paywall hides the critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-boxtrolls/5076844.article) - **Radio Times**, Emma Simmonds (3/5): The review finds the film fun and visually appealing. It praises the quirky creatures but says the young leads are somewhat wan. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-po1pue/the-boxtrolls/) - **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (3/5): The three-star rating indicates a mixed verdict on this animated adventure. The available description highlights its ooky, spooky tone. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-boxtrolls) - **Total Film**, Neil Smith (3/5): Smith finds the film meticulously realised but difficult to warm to, criticizing its pleasure in revolting viewers. He praises the imaginative design of the Boxtrolls’ underground cavern and the spectacular walking-incinerator climax. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-boxtrolls-review/) - **Slant Magazine**, Chris Cabin (2/4): The review finds the film underdeveloped and derivative, despite its generally charming animation. It singles out the villain Snatcher as the most fascinating character, while criticizing the story’s shallow themes and character construction. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-boxtrolls/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Betsy Sharkey (30/100, inferred): Sharkey finds the film visually inventive and charming but ultimately weighed down by an unwieldy story. She praises the stop-motion animation and detailed boxtroll designs, while faulting the film for neglecting character development. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-boxtrolls-review-20140926-column.html) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film stubbornly unappealing, with muddled storytelling, weak humor, and a shortage of heart. He singles out the end-credits sequence and Richard Ayoade and Nick Frost’s performances as highlights. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/boxtrolls-venice-review-729292/) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (10/100, inferred): Debruge finds the film disappointing, criticizing its unappealing concept and screenplay. He praises the meticulously crafted world and stop-motion visuals, but says they cannot make the setting or characters compelling. [Read](https://variety.com/2014/film/festivals/venice-film-review-the-boxtrolls-1201294795/) - **Collider**, Dave Trumbore (A-): The critic calls it one of the best animated films in recent history and praises the Blu-ray release. He singles out Laika’s detailed, fluid stop-motion animation and entertaining extras. [Read](https://collider.com/the-boxtrolls-blu-ray-review/) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): Hammond gives the film an enthusiastic verdict and predicts another Oscar nomination for Laika. He especially praises its hand-crafted stop-motion animation, which he says looks beautiful. [Read](https://deadline.com/2014/09/boxtrolls-review-pete-hammond-deadline-video-840590/) - **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (90/100, inferred): Titmarsh finds the film breathtaking, highly entertaining, and an ideal grown-up kids’ movie. She especially praises its dazzling production design and calls its ending one of the best she has seen. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-boxtrolls-review/) - **Paste**, Andy Herren (8.6/10): Herren finds the film a near-peer to Laika’s earlier work and one of the year’s best animated movies. He especially praises its breathtaking animation and memorable, sympathetic boxtrolls. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/the-boxtrolls) - **Den of Geek**, Simon Brew (4/5): The critic finds the film special and an easy recommendation, though its straightforward story is less memorable than its visuals. The stop-motion craft and richly realized world are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-boxtrolls-review-2/) - **The Skinny**, Josh Slater-Williams (★★★★): The review finds the film charming but somewhat cobbled together from familiar parts. It praises its mix of Roald Dahl, Monty Python, and LucasArts adventure-game influences. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/the-boxtrolls) - **Digital Spy**, Simon Reynolds (75/100, inferred): Reynolds finds the film a wonderfully eccentric and entertaining animation, though its audience may be too narrow for a major box-office success. He praises its gorgeous visual design, madcap Ben Kingsley performance, and lively voice cast, while criticizing the 3D for darkening the artwork without adding value. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a596052/the-boxtrolls-review-eccentric-mix-of-python-dahl-and-tim-burton/) - **Consequence**, Dominick Suzanne-Mayer (35/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an entertaining but slight entry in Laika’s work, criticizing its rushed pace and lack of depth. They praise its inventive, meticulously detailed animation, especially its graceful dance sequence. [Read](https://consequence.net/2014/09/film-review-the-boxtrolls/) - **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (25/100, inferred): The critic finds the film disappointing, saying its intriguing grotesque setting collapses under a muddled plot. He praises the voice performances but complains that the 3-D is pointless and the characters lack charm. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-boxtrolls-2014-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) - **The Wrap** (10/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a charmless, aimless misfire that is likely to bore parents and disturb young viewers. They single out its unappealing character designs and ugly visuals as major flaws. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/boxtrolls-review-laika-animation-ben-kingsley/) ## Details - **Director:** Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi - **Director:** Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi - **Screenplay:** Irena Brignull, Adam Pava - **Novel:** Alan Snow - **Cinematography:** John Ashlee Prat - **Editor:** Edie Ichioka - **Music:** Dario Marianelli - **Production design:** Paul Lasaine, Michel Breton, August Hall, Tom McClure - **Costume design:** Deborah Cook - **Producer:** Travis Knight, David Bleiman Ichioka - **Cast:** Ben Kingsley as Snatcher (voice); Isaac Hempstead Wright as Eggs (voice); Elle Fanning as Winnie Portley-Rind (voice); Dee Bradley Baker as Fish / Wheels / Bucket (voice); Toni Collette as Lady Cynthia Portley-Rind (voice); Jared Harris as Lord Portley-Rind (voice); Nick Frost as Mr. Trout (voice); Richard Ayoade as Mr. Pickles (voice) - **Runtime:** 1h 37m - **Certificate (CNC):** TP - **Release (France):** 15 October 2014 - **Genres:** Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy - **Budget:** $60 million - **Box office:** $108 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1El1xVRrkA ## Where to watch in France - Apple TV: rent €3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent €3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy €12.99, sd - Apple TV: buy €13.99, sd *Checked 2026-10-01.* Also available in: AR, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IL, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PL, PT, SE, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2015: Best Animated Feature (nominated) - Annie Award for Best Animated Feature 2014: Annie Award for Best Animated Feature (nominated) - Critics' Choice Awards 2014: Best Animated Feature (nominated) ## If you liked this - *The Nightmare Before Christmas* (1993), Fi1m 82: For more macabre stop-motion, with songs and a clearer emotional centre. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-nightmare-before-christmas.md) - *Mary and Max* (2009), Fi1m 80: Another handmade world of outsiders, though its loneliness is for adults. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mary-and-max.md) - *Ernest & Celestine* (2012), Fi1m 84: An unlikely friendship across social divisions, told with greater warmth and economy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ernest-and-celestine.md) - *The City of Lost Children* (1995), Fi1m 78: For grown-ups who want the grotesque designs stranger and the atmosphere darker. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-city-of-lost-children.md) - *Fantastic Mr. Fox* (2009), Fi1m 84: More stop-motion creatures, with sharper family tensions and a drier comic rhythm. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/fantastic-mr-fox.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-boxtrolls