Considering my favorite Disney previews were the ones that showed the pencil tests and behind the scenes interviews with animators and directors of upcoming films, it is not surprising that I really liked the video Laika released for their 2014 film The BoxTrolls. A rendition of the traditionally religious song “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” plays throughout the clip as we get to see Laika artists creating the intricate world and creatures that make up their third full-length animated feature.
The studio that released Coraline and ParaNorman has been turning heads in the animation world and Hollywood at large with their unique, beautiful art direction and solid scriptwriting. Their aesthetic is somewhat dark, which is fairly normal in Claymation films (Frankenweenie, Corpse Bride) and their plots have centered around supernatural experiences like talking to the dead and visiting parallel universes where your parents eyes are made out of buttons. In the newest trailer, we get to see some exciting animation and the summary Laika put out definitely makes The BoxTrolls sound like it will fit in with the rest of Laika’s films.
From Laika’s website:
‘The Boxtrolls’ is a comedic fable that unfolds in Cheesebridge, a posh Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth, class and the stinkiest of fine cheeses. Beneath its charming cobblestone streets dwell the Boxtrolls, foul monsters who crawl out of the sewers at night and steal what the townspeople hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least that’s the legend residents have always believed. In truth, the Boxtrolls are an underground cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs who wear recycled cardboard boxes the way turtles wear their shells. The Boxtrolls have raised an orphaned human boy since infancy as one of their dumpster-diving and mechanical junk-collecting own. When the Boxtrolls are targeted by a villainous pest exterminator who is bent on eradicating them as his ticket to Cheesebridge society, the kind-hearted band of tinkerers must turn to their adopted charge and an adventurous rich girl to bridge two worlds amidst the winds of change – and cheese.
Excited?
Animation Fascination 