The Boxtrolls facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Boxtrolls
Theatrical release poster
Screenplay by	Irena Brignull Adam Pava
Starring	Ben Kingsley Isaac Hempstead Wright Elle Fanning Dee Bradley Baker Steve Blum Toni Collette Jared Harris Nick Frost Richard Ayoade Tracy Morgan Simon Pegg
Music by	Dario Marianelli
Cinematography	John Ashlee Prat
Editing by	Edie Ichioka
Studio	Laika
Distributed by	Focus Features
Release date(s)	August 31, 2014 (2014-08-31) (Venice) September 12, 2014 (2014-09-12) (United Kingdom) September 26, 2014 (2014-09-26) (United States)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$60 million
Money made	$109.3 million

The Boxtrolls is a fun animated fantasy movie from 2014. It was made using a special technique called stop-motion, where objects are moved tiny bits at a time and photographed. The film was directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi. It's based on a book called Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow.

The story is about a human boy named Eggs. He was raised by friendly creatures called "Boxtrolls" who live underground and collect interesting things. Eggs tries to save his Boxtroll family from a mean pest exterminator named Archibald Snatcher. The movie features the voices of famous actors like Ben Kingsley and Elle Fanning.

The Boxtrolls was released in the United States on September 26, 2014. It received mostly good reviews from critics. The movie earned over $109 million worldwide, which was more than its $60 million budget. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, which is a very big award!

Story Summary

The movie takes place in a town called Cheesebridge, which is obsessed with cheese. People there believe that scary creatures called Boxtrolls live underground. They think these Boxtrolls kidnapped a baby long ago. A pest exterminator named Archibald Snatcher makes a deal with the town's leader, Lord Portley-Rind. Snatcher promises to get rid of all the Boxtrolls if he can join the important "White Hats" council. This is funny because Snatcher is very allergic to cheese!

But the truth is, Boxtrolls are peaceful and kind. They wear cardboard boxes and come out at night to find discarded items. They use these items to build amazing inventions. A human boy named Eggs lives with them. He was raised by a Boxtroll named Fish, who is like his dad.

As Eggs grows up, he notices more and more Boxtrolls disappearing. Snatcher is capturing them! One day, Lord Portley-Rind's daughter, Winnie, sees Eggs with two Boxtrolls. Soon after, Snatcher captures Fish. Eggs bravely goes to the surface to find Fish. He ends up at a town fair that celebrates the "Trubshaw Baby" who supposedly disappeared because of Boxtrolls.

Eggs is upset by how the town misjudges the Boxtrolls. He follows Winnie and asks her for help. She tells him where Snatcher's secret factory is. Eggs sneaks in and rescues Fish. But they get caught trying to escape. Snatcher realizes that Eggs is actually the "Trubshaw Baby" he's been looking for! He also reveals that the captured Boxtrolls are being forced to build a giant machine for him.

Winnie, who secretly followed Eggs, hears everything. She helps Eggs and Fish escape to the Boxtrolls' underground home. Fish explains that Eggs' real father gave him to the Boxtrolls to keep him safe from Snatcher. Winnie agrees to help Eggs tell her father, Lord Portley-Rind, the truth.

At a fancy party, Eggs tries to tell Lord Portley-Rind what's happening. But Snatcher, disguised as a woman named "Madame Frou-Frou," stops him. Eggs accidentally knocks a huge cheese wheel into the river, making Lord Portley-Rind very angry. Eggs then announces that he is the "Trubshaw Baby," but no one believes him.

Eggs tries to convince the remaining Boxtrolls to run away for their safety. But this makes them sad and lose hope. Snatcher then digs into their caves and captures all of them. Eggs wakes up to find his real father, Herbert Trubshaw, also a prisoner. He sees the Boxtrolls being put into a dangerous crusher. Eggs begs them to take off their boxes and run, but it looks like they are crushed.

Snatcher drives his big machine to Lord Portley-Rind's house. He shows the flattened boxes as proof that the Boxtrolls are gone. He demands Lord Portley-Rind's white hat in exchange for killing the "last Boxtroll," which is actually Eggs in disguise. But the Boxtrolls, who cleverly escaped the crusher, free Eggs! Herbert also reveals himself, and everyone realizes Snatcher has been lying.

Snatcher tries to take the hat by force. But two of his henchmen, Mr. Trout and Mr. Pickles, decide to help the Boxtrolls. They disable Snatcher's machine. Eggs and Snatcher fall onto the giant cheese wheel that was recovered. This makes Snatcher's cheese allergy go completely out of control. He swells up to a huge size! He grabs Winnie and tries to force Lord Portley-Rind to give up his hat. But after tasting some old cheese, Snatcher's allergy gets so bad that he swells up and bursts!

With Snatcher defeated, the townspeople and Boxtrolls agree to live peacefully together. Winnie tells everyone the story of Snatcher's end. Fish and Eggs drive off in one of Herbert's cool inventions, ready for new adventures.

Characters and Voices

This movie has many interesting characters, brought to life by talented voice actors.

Isaac Hempstead Wright (Eggs), Elle Fanning (Winnie) and Ben Kingsley (Archibald Snatcher) promoting the film at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International

• Isaac Hempstead Wright as Eggs: A human boy who grew up with the Boxtrolls. Fish is his adoptive father.
  • Max Mitchell as Baby Eggs
• Ben Kingsley as Archibald Snatcher: The mean pest exterminator who wants to get rid of the Boxtrolls. He also sometimes dresses up as "Madame Frou-Frou."
• Elle Fanning as Winifred "Winnie" Portley-Rind: Eggs' first human friend and the daughter of the town's leader.
• Dee Bradley Baker as Fish, Wheels, and Bucket: Three Boxtrolls. Fish is kind and caring, and he's Eggs' adoptive father.
• Steve Blum as Shoe and Sparky: Two more Boxtrolls.
• Toni Collette as Lady Cynthia Portley-Rind: Winnie's mother.
• Jared Harris as Lord Charles Portley-Rind: Winnie's father and the cheese-loving leader of Cheesebridge.
• Nick Frost as Mr. Trout: One of Snatcher's bodyguards, who is a bit clumsy but smart.
• Richard Ayoade as Mr. Pickles: Another of Snatcher's bodyguards, who means well but can be misguided.
• Tracy Morgan as Mr. Gristle: Snatcher's small but wild second-in-command.
• Simon Pegg as Herbert Trubshaw: An inventor and Eggs' biological father.

Movie Music

The music for The Boxtrolls was created by Dario Marianelli. This was his first time composing music for an animated movie! The soundtrack album, which includes all the songs and background music from the film, was released on September 23, 2014.

Awards and Nominations

The Boxtrolls was recognized with several awards and nominations for its amazing animation and storytelling.

See also

In Spanish: The Boxtrolls para niños