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, Eggs (voiced by Mr. Hempstead-Wright), since infancy as one of their dumpster-diving and mechanical junk-collecting own.
When the Boxtrolls are targeted by villainous pest exterminator Archibald Snatcher (Mr. Kingsley), who is bent on eradicating them as his ticket to Cheesebridge society, the kindhearted band of tinkerers must turn to their adopted charge and adventurous rich girl Winnie (Ms. Fanning) to bridge two worlds amidst the winds of change - and cheese.
Pegg, Frost, and Ayoade Among Voice Cast Of THE BOXTROLLS From PARANORMAN Creators
The pedigree of the filmmakers is impressive. Co-directing the feature will be Anthony Stacchi, a co-director of Open Season, and Graham Annable, a story artist on Coraline and ParaNorman. Equally impressive is the voice cast. Ben Kingsley is joined by Toni Collette, Elle Fanning, Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark on Game of Thrones), Jared Harris (Fringe) and Tracy Morgan.
And then it gets kind of fun because Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Richard Ayoade are also cast in the film. I get that same warm and fuzzy feeling when I heard that The League of Gentlemen were lending their voices for Vogons in Hitchhiker's.
The film will combine stop-motion and CG imagery. A release date of October 17, 2014, has been set. Here's the official synopsis from the press release: