Boxtrolls | Hidden Worlds: The Films of LAIKA

The Technology

Digital Boosts

With The Boxtrolls, LAIKA expanded its use of computer generated (CG) effects to extend sets and create crowds

Mixing puppets and CG, the ballroom scene hosts 150 Cheesebridgeians
CG humans are in 185 shots of the movie
CG Boxtrolls are in 131 shots of the movie
An animator takes 1 week to complete 3.7 seconds worth of footage, which is just under 90 individual frames

Armature Test Video, Boxtrolls, 2014.

Stacked boxes, The Boxtrolls, 2014.

The Costumes

All in the Details

Although small (and sometimes tiny!), puppet costumes contain a surprising amount of material and detail

200 costumes were made for the movie
There are 14 different fabrics in Lord Portley-Rind’s hat
Eggs’ sweater uses 233 yards of thread hand-dyed in varying color tones
The movie’s smallest costumes are for Eggs as a toddler: a sweater measuring 3.5” from cuff to cuff across the length of both arms and chest, and his socks measuring just 5/8” long
Winnie’s dress ruffle requires 37 yards bias-cut chiffon ribbon
The White Hat ladies’ ballroom dresses each have 8-10 hoops linked together by concertina wires, which sounds musical and ethereal but is actually barbed and dangerous

Behind the scenes, The Boxtrolls, 2014.

THE PROPS

Tiny objects that you may barely notice all contribute to creating a rich, believable world

More than 20,000 props were handmade for the movie
55 different prop cheeses were created for The Boxtrolls
24 different types of plants were manufactured by greens artists
The movie’s smallest prop is the tiny sewing thread and needle
The vinyl record is approximately 2 inches across, with its label being approximately 0.25 inches
The name of the musical group on the label on the vinyl record is Quattro Sabatinos, named after The Boxtrolls director Anthony Stacchi’s young son, Sabatino
The river running through the sewer scene where Eggs climbs the ladder is made from a 4 x 2 foot pane of shower stall glass that is passed over a nest of white aluminum fishing-line wire, tiny pieces of mirror and mylar, and colored masking tape. This creates a rippling liquid without actual liquid.

Ballroom Set, The Boxtrolls, 2014.

THE PUPPETS

Engineering Challenges

The artists, technicians, and craftspeople at LAIKA strive to constantly push their creativity and craft to new heights.

The Boxtrolls team initially thought getting the Boxtrolls’ limbs and head to completely retract inside their boxes would be fairly simple, but it turned out to be a complex challenge. When the designers were unable to fit all the body parts into the boxes, the Replacement Animation department fabricated half-heads and different-sized arms to create the illusion of the heads and arms being pulled inside.
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With each LAIKA film, replacement faces become more numerous and complex

190 puppets were built for the film
Over 53,000 individual face parts were 3D printed; of those, 15,000 belong to Eggs
Snatcher has over 1,180,000 possible facial expressions
Winnie has over 600,000 possible facial expressions
Eggs had over 1,400,000 possible facial expressions

Mechanical Terror

The Boxtrolls called for one of the most complex stop-motion puppet rigs yet built by LAIKA, the menacing Mecha Drill.

The Mecha Drill stands five feet tall, weighs over 75 pounds, and is made of over 600 metal, plastic, and steel pieces
Five complete Mech-Drills were created, along with three incomplete one

On the Set, The BoxTrolls, 2014.