Film Preview: The BoxTrolls (2014)

Poster

Poster #12

Additional posters can be found below.

Trailer Link

Release Date:

September 26, 2014

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “A young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator. Based on the children’s novel ‘Here Be Monsters’ by Alan Snow.”

Poster: B / B (6) / B (4) / A / B+ / C

Review: It’s chaotic in a good way. The poster design firmly establishes the characters as being ugly, yet endearing. It might not be able to appeal entirely to young children, but it’s better than a lot of teaser designs typically employed in the genre.

(#2-#12) Since our last update, we’ve had a large influx of new posters, namely ten character designs. The first 6 target two of the human characters in the film, with all of the characters put in front of varying colors and background designs. This is the kind of design that I like to see with character posters. The second set of character designs focus only on four box trolls, gain with distinctive backgrounds, but ones which are less traditional, but no less interesting. The twelfth deign is likely the final one for the film and it fits better in the traditional mass market production mold. We have our characters set up in their various native environments, introduce all of the key players and add a touch of fun to the proceedings.

(#13-#14) The thirteenth poster design is one of the best designs for the series and should probably be the best one to use for engaging audiences. The final design doesn’t have a compelling look, though it might appeal easily enough to young audiences.

Trailer: B / A / B / B-

Review: When the trailer first appeared, much fuss was made over the trailers inclusion of non-traditional families, though that design element nicely sets up the BoxTrolls’ adoption of the young orphan child.

(#2 & #3) Showing the audience how a film is made and the loving attention to detail its makers put into it, may be more than enough to bring people to the theater. The second trailer does all this and also present some elements of the film’s narrative, which is an added boon. The third design is more akin to the first in that it shows no behind-the-scenes documentation and focuses on the story, this time a bit more information about it than the first or second. I’m still not sure it will be that great a film, but with my appreciation for Laika’s prior two stop-motion efforts, it won’t be hard to persuade, especially since they reference both with every trailer.

(#4) The fourth design, by being what will likely be the last, is a overzealous affair that delivers all of the necessary plot points without nearly the fun or excitement of the prior efforts. It may still do a satisfactory job appealing to young children, but its dingy design might be a turn off to some.

Oscar Prospects:

Releasing late in the year will help it stay in the minds of Oscar voters a bit longer, possibly enabling it to become a Best Animated Feature nominee.

Revisions:

(September 29, 2013) Original
(March 30, 2014) New Trailers (#2 & #3)
(July 20, 2014) New Trailer (#4) / New Posters (#2-#12)
(September 21, 2014) New Posters (#13-#14)