Though Laika Entertainment only has two feature films under its belt, the studio has gained a respectable reputation for the high quality of its stop-motion animation. The studio’s first film Coraline (2009) – based on the Neil Gaiman novel of the same name – under the hand of Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach director Henry Selick – made back more than twice its 60 million dollar budget and gained a sizable amount of critical praise. Laika’s follow-up, 2012’s ParaNorman – an original story – though another critical darling, was not quite as successful financially. For it’s next project, the studio is going back to adaptations with The Boxtrolls.
Due for a September 26 release next year, The Boxtrolls is based on the (admittedly better titled) children’s book, Here be Monsters! by Alan Snow. The (almost entirely English) cast includes Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Game of Thrones), Simon Pegg (The World’s End), Ben Kingsley (Ender’s Game), and Elle Fanning (Super 8). The plot concerns a young boy, played by Hempstead-Wright, who encounters a gaggle of odd little garbage-dwelling monsters, the titular Boxtrolls. The movie is co-directed by Graham Annable – a creative director at Telltale Games (the company behind The Walking Dead games) – and Anthony Stacchi, who’s worked as a storyboard artist on various animated films.
We briefly covered the film when its first trailer was released. Now a second trailer is out; watch it below.
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