Revisiting The Boxtrolls

I have always been a fan of animation movies, and always will be. The reason I like animated films is perhaps the freedom to do whatever it takes to seize all the attention to the detail and, of course, the characterisation. The Boxtrolls is one of the few movies I adore, and I remember the synopsis, although it’s almost 8 years old. Certainly, you cannot ignore the fun a good movie brings, and it is stamped in your mind forever.

Even though the movie is not as colourful as The Croods or The Ice Age franchise, given the victorian era as the context, it is cheerful enough— not to mention how well the contemporary social distinction is portrayed within the plot, reminding us of the inequity people had to face back in that time, including women.

So, the boxtrolls— well, I see them as the mystery our social setting includes. Mystery is often unresolved and used by the propagandists to strike fear into the heart of the mass soul and achieve their personal goals in turmoil. And it is very much related to any society you live in or heard of. There are a group of people who point to a certain issue and represent it as the most monstrous one, which, in most cases, is their own creation. Then they attempt to solve it to get benefits— more like an anti-virus software development company; they create the problem first and come up with a solution that earns them millions. Well, don’t ask me for a reference; I have just heard it; could be a rumour.

Similar to this scenario, the henchmen portrayed the boxtrolls as the mischievous creatures responsible for gruesome activities while they barely came in touch with the human. Now they need to be terminated, and the henchmen are willing to do that only if a certain demand is fulfilled; a distinguished position in the society, aka White Hat.

At the same time, the movie represents class conflicts. While the White Hat represents prestige, the Red Hat, is symbolised as inferiority. And irrespective of capabilities, you have to show respect to the white hat holders— a picture we see in today’s society where you have to kiss the ass of the wealthy people and are expected to be grateful just that you got the opportunity! Society hasn’t changed much; it’s all the same— victorian, modern; they all are the same. The women are still undervalued, they are deprived of their rights and given no attention to their opinions. The poor don’t have any social status; they exist only to serve the riches and are often treated as slaves. The authority is indifferent to the rights of the underprivileged, corruption exists, and people who can play with the emotions of the common people, like that so-called saviour of the society, the boxtroll catcher, enjoy the most benefits and the major gainer. Also, the pretending ones.

The ending scene of the movie extraordinarily portrays how society can live in harmony when personal interests are kept aside, evils are terminated, and the authority is sensible enough to care for its people. It also gives us the message not to be manipulated by the propaganda as it spreads overnight. For example, the boxtrolls have never caused any harm to the people. But they are the most fearful creatures existing in the minds of the community. Why? Because they are too distracted to question the authority, too busy to justify the truthfulness, and this is where the miscreants steps in. They take advantage of our ignorance and stir up emotions and gradually trap us.

However, as an animated movie, it has tons of fun stuff apart from educational aspects delivered through the plots. And I believe you will enjoy the platonic love established between the boy and the girl, where they share a bond of relationship not defined by traditional love and affair— an understanding that brings greater good to the human being. Exceptional in this sense that most movies we watch show the opposite genders falling in love with each other; kind of predictable.

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