The Boxtrolls

The Boxtrolls takes place in Cheesebridge, a Victorian-era town preoccupied with money, status and smelly cheese, where the wealthy elite wear tall white hats. According to local legend, monsters called Boxtrolls crawl out of the sewers at night to steal the townspeople's children and their cheese. In reality the Boxtrolls are shy, gentle and inventive creatures who live underground and wear cardboard boxes. Years earlier they took in an orphaned boy, Eggs, and raised him as one of their own. Their quiet life is threatened by Archibald Snatcher, an exterminator who spreads terrifying stories about the Boxtrolls and, with the help of his henchmen, sets out to wipe them out so he can gain a white hat and a seat among the town's elite. Eggs must defend the family that raised him, aided by Winnie, a girl his own age who is the daughter of the town's leader.

The film was directed by Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, from a screenplay by Irena Brignull and Adam Pava, and produced by Travis Knight and David Bleiman Ichioka for Laika Entertainment. For Stacchi it was the first of two directing credits listed, followed by The Monkey King; for Annable it came after A Scooter New Year, a short he directed in 2007. The voice cast includes Ben Kingsley as Snatcher, Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Eggs, Elle Fanning as Winnie, Dee Bradley Baker, Toni Collette and Jared Harris, among 21 credited cast members.

Released in September 2014 and running 97 minutes, the film had a budget of 60 million dollars and took in 109 million dollars worldwide. It holds a 7.1 out of 10 critics' rating from 173 reviews, a 6.8 out of 10 on IMDb from around 65,000 votes, and a 6.7 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 1,900 votes.