The-Boxtrolls-Concept-ArtSeptember 2014 may well still be a long way off, but that doesn’t meant that we can’t start getting excited about LAIKA’s next project, The Boxtrolls.

The animation house behind Coraline and ParaNorman are once more reuniting with Focus Features, bringing us the 3D stop-motion / CG hybrid animated feature next fall/autumn. And I’ve been looking forward to it ever since it was first announced back in February.

The voice cast, as ever, is nothing short of brilliant. And whilst its release date is still a long time off, the studios have decided to give us a terrific early little taster, now launching the first teaser trailer.

The Boxtrolls is a comedic fable that unfolds in Cheesebridge, a posh Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth, class, and the stinkiest of fine cheeses. Beneath its charming cobblestone streets dwell the Boxtrolls, foul monsters who crawl out of the sewers at night and steal what the townspeople hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least, that’s the legend residents have always believed. In truth, the Boxtrolls are an underground cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs who wear recycled cardboard boxes the way turtles wear their shells. The Boxtrolls have raised an orphaned human boy, Eggs (voiced by Mr. Hempstead-Wright), since infancy as one of their dumpster-diving and mechanical junk-collecting own. When the Boxtrolls are targeted by villainous pest exterminator Archibald Snatcher (Mr. Kingsley), who is bent on eradicating them as his ticket to Cheesebridge society, the kindhearted band of tinkerers must turn to their adopted charge and adventurous rich girl Winnie (Ms. Fanning) to bridge two worlds amidst the winds of change – and cheese.

The young Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Game of Thrones) leads the cast as the orphaned human boy, Eggs. And he is joined by a stellar line-up, led by Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jared Harris, Toni Collette, Richard Ayoade, and Tracy Morgan.

Graham Annable (story artist on Coraline and ParaNorman) and Anthony Stacchi (Open Season) are behind the camera, co-directing from a script penned by Irena Brignull (Skellig), based on the original novel by Alan Snow, Here Be Monsters!

The Boxtrolls is set to be released in 2D and 3D on September 26th, 2014 in the US, moving up three weeks from its original release date, after Sony pushed back their upcoming Popeye movie to an as-yet-unannounced 2015 slot. And we can look forward to its arrival slightly earlier on our shores, with its UK release date set for 12th September, 2014. For now, here’s the first little teaser to get you in the mood. Enjoy. And be sure to let us know your first thoughts in the comments below.

The Boxtrolls Poster

Credit to The Film Stage.