The movie Coraline was directed by Henry Selick, who also wrote the screenplay based on the book of the same time by Neil Gaiman. Neil Gaiman is most famous for his comic book series "The Sandman" but has more recently written a number of fiction books for adults as well as children. Among them are "Anansi Boys," "American Gods," and "The Graveyard Book."
When the original book that this movie was based on came out, I read it. It was an interesting read, but I thought it was a little predictable and not very scary. Probably because it was aimed at young adults. When I heard that they were making a movie out of it, and I still wanted to see it because I'm a big fan of Neil Gaiman's work. So I avoided the media hype as much as I could and I didn't watch any of the trailers.
Also I really love animated movies. It's a medium that makes for great spectacles. I'm especially a fan of Pixar Studios and Aardman.
The story follows the adventures of Coraline Jones, who at the beginning of the movie, is moving into a new apartment with her parents. Downstairs in the same apartment house are two aging actresses, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible (and their dogs.) In the attic of the house is Mr. Bobinsky, who trains mice to perform in a circus. Coraline's parents are busy and spend a lot of time telling her not to bother them. Feeling neglected, Coraline explores the house and finds a mysterious door that leads to a sort of parallel world that a set of alternate parents live in. These other parents seem to love her more than her real parents, until...
The thing that i found disappointing about the book, and also is a problem in the movie is that it is somewhat simplistic. A person who has read Alice in Wonderland will start drawing the inevitable comparisons, and honestly Alice in Wonderland is much more menacing, bizarre, and suspenseful. Also, there is a kind of sweetness and wholesomeness which never lets you believe that Coraline could really lose.
Here's what I liked:
The movie was shot in 3D I love 3D movies and seeing this in 3D was very exciting. Many times through the movie, people in audience were saying "wow!" and "ooo!" They did a really good job on this.
It is off-beat and creepy The movie has a lot of creepiness. There are rats, needles, giant insects, a creepy old well, and other things. The "other mother" becomes rather horrifying at the end.
They pushed the animation medium One reason I love to see animated movies is that they can do things that wouldn't be possible in a live action movie (although more and more is becoming possible with computer graphics.) This is somewhere that Pixar and Aardman shine. They will put together an amazing scene. I think Aardman, who make the "Wallace and Gromit" movies, are especially good at this. Coraline doesn't disappoint in this area. There is an amazing scene where a garden comes alive with flowers and insects and lights, and even has some "snap-dragons" who in this case are flowers that nip and snap at Coraline. There is also a memorable scene where her neighbors Miss Forcible and Miss Spink dress up in costumes as Venus and a mermaid.
I think I liked the movie more than the book, which surprises me because usually it's the other way around. Selick and his crew did a very good job of bringing the world of Coraline to life. This is also a movie where I wouldn't recommend waiting for the DVD to come out. It's really meant to be seen in a theater. Not just because of the amazing detail but also to see it in 3D! I review books and movies at my website, you should check it out.
I give it a 4 out of 5.
Dave Benz started folding origami more than twenty years ago. He has been gluten-free for over a year. He writes about origami, gluten-free living, and horror books and movies among other things.
