'The Boxtrolls' opens up a quirky world of fun

Adults are monsters and cute underground beasts are the good guys in the animated The Boxtrolls.

Once you get past Kiddie Fare 101, though, the latest stop-motion effort (*** out of four; rated PG; opens Friday nationwide) from the acclaimed studio Laika is a delectable treat that balances themes of identity and class warfare with Monty Python-style political skewering, quirky humor and dairy jokes.

The Boxtrolls is set in — and under — the steampunky British town of Cheesebridge and introduces its young human hero Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) as part of a tight clan of mechanically gifted little dudes called Boxtrolls. The boy's quasi-dad/best pal Fish, along with Shoe, Fragile and the rest, have lovingly raised him as one of them.

The surface world is filled with trinkets and doodads for them to steal and use to creative effect, but they also court danger. Ever since a baby was stolen years ago in Cheesebridge, Boxtrolls are seen as the enemy. That creates an opening for treacherous exterminator extraordinaire Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) to make his move in the city's social circles by vowing to wipe out the Boxtroll problem once and for all.

His insanely obsessive goal makes Eggs and what's left of the Boxtroll gang go above ground for help, which comes in the form of the curious and puckish girl Winnie (Elle Fanning).

The Boxtrolls isn't quite as memorable as Laika's Oscar-nominated movies — the 2009 fantasy Coraline and the 2012 kid-horror flick ParaNorman. But it shares those films' subversive qualities as well as a stunning animation style, with highly detailed puppets and a painstaking process that gets an amusing on-screen shout-out before the credits end.

Kingsley's hilariously over-the-top cockney accent is as grotesque as Snatcher's bulbous belly and stalactite teeth, though the character may come off as a little scary for tykes. Co-directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi cast the equally impressive Richard Ayoade as Mr. Pickles, one of Snatcher's henchmen who begins to think his boss is a few slices short of a cheese wheel.

The overall story hinges on Eggs and Winnie's oddball pairing, and their entertaining relationship sparks when she has to get him ready for a ball and prepare him for a strange environment of human contact.

The Boxtrolls hold their own on screen, too, and children will fall in love with the creatures' mischievous antics, gurgling language and tendency to use their boxes as both a disguise and a portable bedroom.

Each of the clan has personalities brighter than their glowing eyes, making this cinematic meal of Fish and Eggs hearty and satisfying.