Directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas) and based on the best-selling children’s novel by Neil Gaiman, Coraline is a fairy-tale-nightmare that promises to delight and chill audiences beyond those suggested by the G rating.
While exploring her new house on a rainy day, Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) finds a door hidden behind the wallpaper. She opens it to find a world that is exactly like the one she left, but much, much better. The neighbours are friendlier, the garden is prettier, and her new parents are nicer – except that they have large, black buttons instead of eyes. Feeling neglected and bored, Coraline loves the time she spends with her “other” parents (voiced by Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) in a world which is that much better than her own-until they start trying to sew buttons into her eyes and keep her forever. It then becomes up to her to be resourceful and determined enough to escape.
The film is paced slightly slower than the eponymous novel. While it takes a while to get lost in Coraline’s world, the transition is more than welcome. As the pace starts to pick up the less-than-phenomenal opening is quickly forgotten. Watching aspects of both the boring real world and the fantastical, and later terrifying, “other” world unfold is an experience in itself. The viewing is enhanced by the suspension of disbelief made possible by the cinematographical style.
Coraline is the first stop-motion feature film shot in stereoscopic 3D, and in more ways than one, it’s a work of art. To begin with, every single item in the film was created by hand, from the 500 dogs which fill the otherworld theater to the miniature clothing knitted on sewing needles to a huge garden of lit-up flowers. The fact that they were also created expertly in a manner that only enhances the sensation of fantasy and wonder is just an added bonus to the level of sheer skill in every shot. And unlike movies where 3D is used to make audiences jump, in Coraline it is craftily employed to enhance the world that is already on-screen. Though clearly noticeable, it is unobtrusive.
Though billed as a children’s movie, Coraline has an appeal which transcends age to reach a wider audience. While anyone trying hard enough could make several Freudian references, they would be missing the point – it is neither deeply philosophical nor deeply fluffy, and is best treated as an adventure or even horror film. From its delightful story to its impressive level of detail, Coraline is one movie that only gets better with a second look – or even a third.
First published in The McGill Tribune 2/10/09.
The Coraline website is also awesome, though it does take some time to load.