Still, it's not for everyone, and it can take awhile to get engaged with them. But then, you come to appreciate their off-kilter charm.
Kids with active imaginations might enjoy them, and if your inner child feels like a little exercise, then by all means roll with it.
To enter their world and fully enjoy "The Boxtrolls," it's best to suspend disbelief and forget these are figurines manipulated frame by frame.
Adults must put aside their worldly concerns and think like kids for 90 minutes, which is easier if you are in a theater filled with boys and girls.
It's the same audience charmed by films like "Coraline" and "ParaNorman," made by some of the same folks behind these little guys.
Snatcher, voiced most amusingly by Sir Ben Kingsley, is determined to get rid of the grubby gremlins who collect garbage at night and live underground.
The villain calls them monsters, but they really are quite kind, so much so that they adopted a boy who has grown up believing he is one of them. That is, of course, until a girl voice by Elle Fanning shows him the real truth.
The finale really is a lot of fun, but it's a slow go to get there. The film is for those who value eccentricity and won't be too creeped out by these quirky characters.