'Coraline' review

"Coraline" (Credit: Focus)

Photos:

11-year-old Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) has a tough time adjusting to a new home and doesn’t get much help from her parents (Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman) who are busy completing a book on gardening. When Coraline discovers a hidden doorway to a parallel universe where everything, including her parents, is a lot more fun, she thinks she’s found the solution to all of her problems. But her dream world soon turns into a nightmare, and Coraline finds herself fighting to save her parents and herself.

The buzz: Over three years in the making, this stop motion animation adaptation of celebrated fantasy writer Neil Gaiman’s dark children’s story is brought to the screen by cult favorite filmmaker Henry Selick (“The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “James and the Giant Peach”), making it a rare animated movie that adults might be tempted to check out with or without kids in tow.

The verdict: The kind of movie that will freak out sensitive parents even as it captivates imaginative kids and pre-teens, “Coraline” shares the dark fantasy appeal of everything from “Alice in Wonderland” to “Pan’s Labyrinth.” A far cry from the spastic silliness that characterizes most animated movies not developed by Pixar, Selick’s approach emphasizes haunting visuals (watching the parallel universe disappear and later reassemble around Coraline is simply stunning), eerie music and quirky vocal stylings (including “Deadwood’s” Ian McShane as a Russian circus performer and British comediennes Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as elderly former glamour girls). It all gains an extra vibrancy in select 3D engagements, but the technological wonders only enhance, never overwhelm, a traditional tale well told.

Did you know? There’s no doubt that stop motion is a painstaking process: just creating one puppet is a three to four month process involving 10 people, and 28 puppets were used for the Coraline character alone.

Add a comment