In 2009, the stop-motion studio Laika set a high standard with the premiere of “Coraline”, a twisted children’s story where people’s eyes are replaced with buttons. It was brilliant and delightful.

The main characters are a community of quirky, mischievous creatures in Laika and Focus Features’ new family movie, “The Boxtrolls”. (photo courtesy of Focus Features)

Three years later, “ParaNorman” kept the ghostly spirit alive with yet another loose horror tale. Now, “The Boxtrolls” arrives, once more revealing the power of a film formed in talented hands.

Admittedly, Laika’s third film is the weakest of the bunch, but it’s still one of the best animated stories of the year. Quirkier, cute and visually gorgeous, “The Boxtrolls” features some of the more memorable characters you’ll meet at the movies this year.

Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Ben Kingsley) is filled with envy, but he’d rather fill up on cheese. In Cheesebridge, a city run by several aristocrats known for their tall white hats and love of a good brie, Snatcher craves a white hat and a seat in the cheese tasting room, so he concocts a dastardly scheme.

Even though a boxtroll (exactly what they sound like) reportedly kidnaps a child, Lord Portley-Rind (Jared Harris) remains unmoved until Snatcher claims those trash-loving pests have an affinity for cheese, namely the Lord’s vast collection, which would rival that of even the most seasoned wine lover. For the price of a white hat, Snatcher lives up to his name, exterminating all the pests.

But what nobody knows is how charming the troll creatures are. Especially Fish (Dee Bradley Baker, who also voices two other boxtrolls, Wheels and Buckets), who doesn’t eat the child but raises him like any other boxtroll. Known as Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright), the boy enjoys his life under the city, building contraptions from scrap metal with his box-attire-wearing family, all the while avoiding Snatcher and his team. But things change when Eggs stumbles across the Lord’s daughter, Winnie (Elle Fanning). The troll-boy starts to question his entire upbringing.

Elle Fanning provides the voice of Winnie (left) and Isaac Hempstead Wright voices Eggs in “The Boxtrolls”. (photo courtesy of Focus Features)

Laika films favor unsavory elements. Boxtrolls hardly seem appealing, but that’s the joy of a film like this: caring about something in which otherwise you’d have no interest. Even when Snatcher’s awful cheese allergy causes his face to balloon, the disgusting image isn’t for the visceral effect. In this case, we see the absurdity of caring about such highbrow things at the expense of one’s well being. Too many people embark on ridiculous journeys to find their white whale, or white hat in Snatcher’s case, when they might be happier searching for treasures in the trash, like the innocent boxtrolls.

“The Boxtrolls” features a fine team of voice-acting talent — Kingsley, Tracy Jordan, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade and Fred Tatasciore — but the real hero is Baker, who voices three of the main trolls. Most people won’t know his name, but his many credits include the main animal voices from Nickelodeon’s “Avatar” cartoons, among many other cartoons currently airing. The film’s production team molds miraculous characters, but without Baker’s diverse talents, our Gremlin-looking critters would be more monstrous than cuddly.

The primary appeal of a stop-motion flick is the complexity of production design, but it’s all for not without a touching story. Enter directors Graham Annable (director of a few video games) and Anthony Stacchi (“Open Season” co-director), who hold down the fort well. Together their art-department résumés include films like “The Rocketeer”, “Antz”, “Hook” and “The Goofy Movie” — a diversity that serves them well here.

“The Boxtrolls” won’t win any awards (though it’s an easy choice for an Oscar nom), but it serves as another reminder that digital animation is hardly the only option. Illustration, rotoscope and stop-motion are but a few of the many compelling ways animation can still thrive. If only more such films could grace the often-stagnant big screen.