THE BOXTROLLS
A funny, profound adventure about looking past appearances.
Should You Watch It?
Here is the decision: The Boxtrolls is a delight. It is funny, clever, exciting, and sometimes even profound. Its unusual adventure carries strong lessons about doing the right thing, looking beyond appearances, and valuing loving father-child relationships.
The movie does have slightly edgy material. A supposed murder turns out differently than it first appears. A father is preoccupied with his own interests, married men are attracted to a woman who is actually a man in disguise, and there are three light exclamatory profanities. Younger children may need more parental guidance.
If your family includes older children or adults who enjoy something quirky and unique, this is worth seeing. For very young children, choose something gentler.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESBeneath the city of Cheesebridge, misunderstood boxtrolls scavenge at night and build wonderful things from the trash they find. One of them, Fish, lovingly raises a human boy named Eggs.
Aboveground, Archibald Snatcher is determined to capture and “exterminate” the boxtrolls so he can climb the city’s social ladder. When Eggs meets Winnie, the mayor’s feisty young daughter, the two join forces to uncover the truth and protect the boxtrolls.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a top-quality family film by the review’s standards. The Boxtrolls is funny, clever, exciting, and at times profound. Its quirky story and unusual characters give the animated adventure a distinctive charm.
The film also succeeds in making its moral discussions entertaining. Conversations about good and evil are philosophical without losing their humor. The result is a highly entertaining, loveable animated feature for older children and adults.
The Worldview
The Boxtrolls strongly affirms doing the right thing and making wise decisions about good and evil. Its characters discuss these questions directly, while the story also shows the value of risking yourself for friends and caring for family.
The film rejects judging people by their outward appearance. The boxtrolls look ugly and frightening to the people of Cheesebridge, but they are loving, creative, and misunderstood. The story also values positive father-child relationships: Fish lovingly raises Eggs, and Winnie’s father eventually recognizes how important his daughter is to him.
The movie’s moral framework is broadly compatible with biblical teaching about righteousness, goodness, justice, mercy, and love. It does not present these lessons through an explicitly Christian framework, but it points viewers toward the importance of the heart rather than status, appearance, or social approval. As Scripture says, “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
The film also includes a villain who disguises himself as a woman and attracts the attention of men in the town. When one man learns the truth, he says, “I’m so ashamed.” This gives the story a nontraditional, slightly edgy element that parents may wish to consider.
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong moral, redemptive worldview about doing the right thing and risking life and limb for your friends, with a philosophical discourse on the qualities and nuances of good versus evil in a funny, clever and ultimately profound way, plus villain dresses up incognito as a woman and attracts the attentions of the men in a town; a “Dear Lord,” “Lord” and OMG light exclamatory profanity, plus villain is allergic to cheese and his face breaks out in great ugly bulges, proving that he is the true monster; cartoon violence includes hitting, threats of hitting, boy climbs to heights to free friends, villains chase creatures and children, some fighting, scary machine belches and smokes, tales of creatures eating children turn out not to be true, and an far-away image of a yellow cloud of smoke implies man allergic to cheese ate too much and exploded; no sex or bedroom scenes but married man is attracted to a fancy dressing woman in town who turns out to be a man in disguise; rear male nudity of creatures in one scene and baby in another; implied wine use; no smoking or drugs; and, an alleged kidnapping, but it turns out not to be a kidnapping at all, lying but rebuked, deceit but rebuked, false imprisonment but rebuked, father is too busy and preoccupied with his own interests to pay attention to his daughter, but this changes, villain dresses up incognito as a woman to demonize creatures and attracts the attentions of the men in a town, when one man finds out woman was really a man he says “I’m so ashamed.”
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The boxtrolls are judged by their appearance rather than their character. When have you been tempted to do that, and how can you look at people differently?
1 Samuel 16:7 · James 2:1–4Fish lovingly raises Eggs, while Winnie’s father is initially too preoccupied to notice her needs. What makes a father-child relationship loving and trustworthy?
Ephesians 6:4 · Psalm 103:13Mr. Trout and Mr. Pickles discuss good and evil. How do you recognize the right thing when fear, popularity, or personal gain pull you another way?
Micah 6:8 · Matthew 6:33The boxtrolls risk themselves for their friends. What does faithful friendship look like in your family and community?
John 15:13 · Philippians 2:3–4The Final Word
Quirky, funny, exciting, and morally rich, The Boxtrolls offers older children and adults an unusual adventure with something meaningful to say. Its edgy moments call for parental discernment with younger children. For the right audience, it is WORTH THE TRIP — OLDER CHILDREN AND ADULTS.
