Film Music Reporter

Dario Marianelli has signed on to score Laika Entertainment’s upcoming 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid animated feature The Boxtrolls. The movie is directed by Anthony Stacchi (co-director of Open Season) and Graham Annable (story artist on Coraline and ParaNorman) and features the voice talent of Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Elle Fanning, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade and Tracy Morgan. The film is based on the novel Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow and takes place in Cheesebridge, a posh Victorian-era where people believe the Boxtrolls crawl out of the sewers at night and steal their children and cheeses, when in reality they’re a cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs. Laika President & CEO Travis Knight (ParaNorman) is producing the project with David Ichioka. The project marks the first animated feature for the Academy Award-winning composer whose credits include Joe Wright’s Atonement, Pride and Prejudice and Anna Karenina, as well as V for Vendetta, The Brothers Grimm and Jane Eyre. Laika’s previous two features Coraline and ParaNorman were scored by Bruno Coulais and Jon Brion respectively. The Boxtrolls is set to be released on September 26, 2014 by Focus Features. For updates on the film, visit the official movie website.

Also coming up for Marianelli is the drama A Long Way Down based on Nick Hornby’s novel and starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul and Rosamund Pike. The composer has also scored Paul Haggis’ drama Third Person starring Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, Adrien Brody, James Franco, Olivia Wilde and Maria Bello. The film premiered at this year’s Toronto Film Festival and was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics for a domestic theatrical release in 2014.