The Boxtrolls: 3D Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
The Boxtrolls are quirky, mischievous and good-hearted and these box-wearing creatures have lovingly raised a human boy named “Eggs” (Isaac Hempstead Wright) in a charming cavern below the bustling streets of Cheesebridge. But when evil Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) decides to capture the lovable misfits, it’s up to Eggs and his feisty young friend, Winnie (Elle Fanning) to save the Boxtrolls.
I don’t know if I’m the first to say this but I had no idea what this film was going to be about. The trailer that I initially saw really didn’t give any indication of what the story would be about. In a sense that reminds me of the old school style of marketing in film but in this modern day it all depends if an audience will see the film. I decided that this would be one to see with my 4 year old son so we threw on our 3D glasses, popped it and got to work. I thought it was a really cute little story with the Boxtrolls raising the little boy and their interaction between each other. I think the best thing about the film was the fact that it had lots of humor and it was action packed but not to the point where it was too much for kids and and not so little that parents wouldn’t be interested. There’s also a great message there for kids and parents might be surprised to find it within an animated film. For an adult there may be a bit of slow down here and they that may bother adults a tiny bit but it’s nothing major though. My son loved the heck out of this movie and it had him chuckling away and some of the more physical comedic moments so this definitely makes it a perfect flick to sit down and watch with the kiddos. 7/10
The 3D:
This is probably one of the best 3D transfers that I’ve seen in quite a while. Animated films make for the best 3D movies but this one really takes the cake. It’s possible that because of the type of animation it is it seems so real and smooth but either way it looks stupendous. The depth to the 3D is impressive and there’s surprisingly no weird flutter like there can be at times. The film’s colors are kind of on the darker side for the most part but when you see some brighter colors they are so vibrant with no sign of them being dulled out. I don’t use the word perfect very often when it comes to 3D but this really does seem that way.
Special Features:
Dare to Be Square: Behind the Scenes of The Boxtrolls – A group of 5 features that serve more as a documentary on the film and what it took to create the film with interviews with the cast and crew.
Preliminary Animatic Sequences – A total of 6 storyboard animatics that show a couple of scenes in the film with optional commentary.
Featurettes – Another group of 5 features that digs deep into the artistry and complexity of making a stop motion animated film.
