Welcome to Cheesebridge!
Art director Curt Enderle adjusting some of the buildings of Cheesebridge on the movie set for the movie The Boxtrolls. | Photo credit: photo by Jose Mandojana via wired.com
Laika’s recently released stop-motion animated movie about the mischievous boxtrolls, takes place in this fictional steam-punk inspired town that is absolutely devoted to cheese. The narrow streets are filled with stores such as The Cultured Curd and the Fun & Fancy Brie Cheese Shop; Even the street signs offer opportunities for well-crafted cheese puns. It’s a fantasy world that would leave any cheese lover’s mouth watering.
However, the setting of a cheese-centered city is not just done out of randomness. Though it may seem like cheese-heaven, cheese is very much a symbol of status throughout the movie and who gets to eat it emphasizes the prominent class differences within Cheesebridge. While the White Hats, a group of elite politicians led by the Lord Portley-Rind, are busy stuffing themselves with the finest Bries and blues while neglecting the governing the city. Meanwhile, the lower class citizens can barely afford to scrape up even the smallest wedges of cheddar.
Eggs, voiced by Hampstead Wright, gorging on delicious cheese. | Photo credit: Photo courtesy of houseofgeekery.com
The villain of the movie, the Red Hat Snatcher, is one of these poorer citizens whose cheese aspirations are taken to the extreme. He wants nothing more than to join the cheese-elites in their Tasting Room, but can only do so if he exterminates every last one of the lovable boxtrolls and obtains a white hat. Spoiler Alert: Ironically, Snatcher is allergic to cheese and even the smallest nibble will turn him into a swollen grotesque monster.
This movie, based on the children’s book Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow, is a visually stunning adventure and sends a great message of staying true to one’s self. In one of the most unusual pairings we’ve ever seen, The Boxtrolls combines politics and cheese, but makes it funny with an abundance of cheese jokes that cheese lovers will find delightful.
Photo Credit: Featured image courtesy of Laika Entertainment
Jamie Ditaranto
Jamie Ditaranto is a senior at Emerson College and an online editorial intern for culture, who enjoys writing, photography, and travel. She finds a way to sneak cheese into just about every meal and is a sucker for free samples.
