History YMMV / TheBoxtrolls

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: ''The Boxtrolls'' appears to not know who it's aimed for. It has a little girl obsessed with blood and guts and wanting the boxtrolls to eat the flesh off of her skin, and a little boy almost gets burned to death and is knocked unconscious by the villains. That's not even to mention that it has [[CompleteMonster one of the most sinister and horrifically evil villains to ever appear in an animated film]], who is not only [[VileVillainSaccharineShow played completely seriously]] but also whose [[PopGoesTheHuman death]] is [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath anything but family-friendly]].

* BrokenBase: ''The Boxtrolls'' is often the most controversial of Laika's films. There's a consensus that this film's got great animation, but in terms of story, plot, and characters, the film isn't as [[{{Pun}}out of the box]] or good as Laika's other films. Whether this means the film is good but weaker than the previous and later films or if ''Boxtrolls'' itself is just a creative misfire on Laika's part depends on the person.

* BrokenBase: ''The Boxtrolls'' is often the most controversial of Laika's films. There's a consensus that this film's got great animation, but in terms of story, plot, and characters, the film isn't as out of the box or good as Laika's other films. Whether this means the film is good but weaker than the previous and later films or if ''Boxtrolls'' itself is just a creative misfire on Laika's part depends on the person.

* BrokenBase: ''The Boxtrolls'' is often the most argued about of Laika's films. There's a consensus that this film's got great animation, but in terms of story, plot, and characters, the film isn't as out of the box or good as Laika's other films. Whether this means the film is good but weaker than the previous and later films or if ''Boxtrolls'' itself is just a creative misfire on Laika's part depends on the person.

* AccidentalAesop: The boxtrolls [[spoiler: coming out of their boxes]] could be seen as a subtle allegory that you shouldn't let anxiety, timidity or idiosyncrasies be an excuse from doing what needs to be done. Sometimes, [[spoiler: you've got to think [[StealthPun outside the box]].]]

* AccidentalInnuendo: Archibald ''Snatcher''. Yes, it's a reference to how he "snatches" things, but... still...
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Is Archibald Snatcher just a man driven to gain power and respect at all cost or is he really just looking for comradery and be accepted by high society? [[spoiler: In the end where he has everything he wanted (in the tasting room, surrounded by--who he believes are--the other white hats, and about to eat the most delicious piece of cheese in their collection) he seems to have a look of utter horror on his face like he believes he '''has''' to do this.]]
* BrokenBase: This one is often the mostly argued about of Laika's films. There's a consensus that this film's got great animation but in terms of story, plot, and characters the film isn't as out of the box and as good as Laika's other films. Whether this means the film is good but weaker than the previous and later films or if ''Boxtrolls'' itself was just a creative misfire on Laika's part depends on the fan and/or critic.
* CompleteMonster: [[AmbitionIsEvil Archibald Snatcher]] is a self-styled [[FantasticRacism Boxtroll exterminator]] who, while initially appearing to be eccentric and goofy, reveals himself as something far more unhinged as the story runs its course. Envying the lifestyles of the elite "White Hats" Snatcher drives forth a campaign to eliminate every Boxtroll in Cheesebridge to motivate the White Hats into letting him join higher society. Ten years prior to the main plot, Snatcher is shown attempting to extort something out of the father of the-then infant Eggs by threatening the baby's life; when Eggs's father refuses to cooperate with his demands, Snatcher apparently kills him with a wrench—in actuality keeping the man under locks until he was DrivenToMadness. Snatcher later obliterates the Boxtrolls' home and gleefully attempts to crush them en masse while forcing Eggs to watch, and shortly after dresses the boy as a Boxtroll and then attempts to burn him alive in his attempt to endear himself to the White Hats. Shown at various times as a [[ItsAllAboutMe self-concerned megalomaniac]] who would willingly try to kill children to further his goals, [[VileVillainSaccharineShow Snatcher really stands out in such a lighthearted movie]].
* CrossesTheLineTwice: Some characters' antics, such as Lord Portly-Rind using his funds to buy a cheese wheel instead of a children's hospital.
* DracoInLeatherPants: Snatcher surprisingly has a fan following who believe him to be a JerkassWoobie who had good justification to act the way he did and got a raw deal in the end. They generaly go by the second AlternativeCharacterInterpretation.

** [[Creator/ElleFanning Elle Fanning]] voices a character in a stop-motion film by Laika... Just like her [[Creator/DakotaFanning sister]] did a few years ago in ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}''. Additionally, this is the ''second'' time Elle has played a redhead, the first time being in ''Ginger and Rosa''.
** For some viewers, it's hard not to watch a movie where a character obsesses over trading hats in an attempt to rise in social ranking without being reminded of [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 the world's greatest hat-trading simulator]].
* HypeBacklash: It amassed a pretty big following when it was first released and got mostly-positive reactions, but others felt that it was [[SoOkayItsAverage not good enough]], or at least fell short compared to ''WesternAnimation/{{Paranorman}}''.
* LoveToHate: Snatcher may be a megalomaniac, but he is so entertaining that you can hardly fault him for it.
* {{Moe}}: Eggs, both when he was a baby and a pre-teen.
* MoralEventHorizon: Archibald Snatcher doesn't seem that nasty of a villain and rather a [[LaughablyEvil goofy one at best,]] until later on in a flashback that [[spoiler: He kept Eggs' biological father captive for many years, [[GoMadFromTheIsolation driving him to insanity]] even though the flashback had him intending [[NotSoHarmlessVillain to murder him]] with [[WrenchWhack a wrench.]]]] Even worse, he [[spoiler: knows the whole time that [[OurTrollsAreDifferent the Boxtrolls]] are harmless but lied to the whole town simply so [[SocialClimber he can be a part of the White Hats.]]]] His actions are bad enough to make him irredeemable, but near the end [[spoiler: He [[ForcedToWatch forced Eggs]] to watch his adopted family get murdered (they escaped in time, but still), and dressed Eggs up as the last Boxtroll and [[WouldHurtAChild tried to kill him in a furnace]].]] Archibald then [[spoiler:rampages through the square and endangers everyone before abducting Winnie.]]
* NauseaFuel: Snatcher's cheese allergies are nasty, especially towards the end of the movie. To say nothing of when said allergies cause him to [[spoiler: explode]].
* ToyShip: Eggs and Winnie, especially during the dance scene.
* UglyCute: The Boxtrolls themselves. They're little, dirty, gray creatures who wear boxes and only come out at night. They have grubby fingers, large teeth, and eyes that glow in the dark. They are also terribly timid, have very innocent motivations, and have the cutest little voices.
* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Snatcher's Mecha-Drill is a five foot tall behemoth of a prop and the largest stop motion animated puppet produced for any film (well until Laika broke their own record with the Gashadokuro in ''WesternAnimation/KuboAndTheTwoStrings'').
* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: ''The Boxtrolls'' appears to not know who it's aimed for. It has a little girl obsessed with blood and guts and wanting the boxtrolls to eat the flesh off of her skin, a little boy almost gets burned in fire, faints sometime in the film, not to mention perhaps [[CompleteMonster one of the most sinister and horrifically evil villains to ever appear in an animated film]], who is not only [[VileVillainSaccharineShow played completely seriously]], but also whose [[PopGoesTheHuman death]] is [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath anything but family-friendly]].
* TheWoobie: Eggs, because of all that happened in the film. Winnie also counts because she is constantly ignored by her parents.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: ''The Boxtrolls'' appears to not know who it's aimed for. It has a little girl obsessed with blood and guts and wanting the boxtrolls to eat the flesh off of her skin, a little boy almost gets burned in fire, faints sometime in the film, not to mention perhaps [[CompleteMonster one of the most sinister and horrifically evil villains to ever appear in an animated film]], who is not only [[VileVillainSaccharineShow played completely seriously]], but also whose [[PopGoesTheHuman death]] is [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath anything but family friendly]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: ''The Boxtrolls'' appears to not know who it's aimed for. It has a little girl obsessed with blood and guts and wanting the boxtrolls to eat the flesh off of her skin, a little boy almost gets burned in fire, faints sometime in the film, not to mention perhaps one of the most sinister villains to ever appear in an animated film.

* LoveToHate: Snatcher may be a megalomaniac, but he is so entertaining that you canvhardly fault him for it.