Coming off of a summer that had The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin asking "Has there been a worse year for kids films?", surely The Boxtrolls will go some way to redress the balance.
The latest film from Laika, the people behind Coraline and Paranorman, and has the same look, feel, charm and wit of its predecessors.
Starting with a cold open and a snatched child, we are launched into the world of Cheesebridge. Only the child has not been snatched by Snatcher (voiced with relish by SIR Ben Kingsley), a creepy figure who resembles the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but the evil vicious BoxTrolls who live under the streets of the city of Cheesebridge.
However all the stories about these monstrous, flesh eating trolls might be more fiction than fact and instead these "disgusting creatures" that many, including C-3PO, can't abide actually have more in common with Jawas.
They communicate in a similar language and are obsessed with junk and what they can create from it. All that's missing is a cry of "Utinni!".
Plus they actually raised the baby they took as one of their own and "Eggs", as he is known, will play a central role in a power struggle both above and below the surface.
The voice cast is very British and very good and helps to consolidate and bring out the best in its old-school fairy tale quality.
With so many companies opting to use CGI for their animated films, stop motion is sometimes seen as an old, tired medium that is too costly and time consuming, destined to end up on the scrap heap but as The Boxtrolls show, one person's junk is another's treasure.
4 stars< /b>
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