Yet another film to use 3D, this time there were no headaches though. Just pure enchantment from the REAL director of the Nightmare Before Christmas. Yes, it’s Henry Selick’s Coraline.

This stop-motion film is the adaptation of the novella by Neil Gaiman (2007’s Stardust was also written by this man). It focuses on the vibrant and imaginative character Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning). She moves to a new house with her parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) but finds both her parents and the area boring. After finding a secret door and unlocking it Coraline travels to the same world but where her parents and neighbours are kind and loving, giving Coraline all the attention. The only catch however, is they all have buttons for eyes.

After warnings from the local cat and her friend Wybie (Robert Bailey Jr.) Coraline decides to keep travelling to this world. In the end though she discovers that her “other” mother is actually a Beldam (basically an old witch) who wants Coraline to stay and wear the button eyes so that she can love her. With help from the ghosts of other children trapped by the Beldam, Coraline embarks on a series of games to secure her freedom from this world. She finally escapes despite the Beldam not playing fair and banishes the key to the secret door to the bottom of a well. She then realises she has all the love she needs from her real parents.

The animation and music has many nods to Henry Selick's other film Nightmare Before Chirstmas, one of the best animations around. He has the credentials and delivers on them, despite the idea not being as original as Tim Burton's. The 3D effects enhance the experience of the intricate animation to rather than being gimmicky.

Having never been a fan of the whiney Dakota Fanning or Desperate Housewife Teri Hatcher I was pleasantly surprised. Miss Fanning is starting to make a habit of voicing young animated characters after also appearing in Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro. For the adults there is the joy of recognising French and Saunders voicing Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, along with Ian McShane. The voice acting from all parties is perfect, especially the creepy tones of the “other” world characters.

The films message is perfect for kids facing a world now where they won’t be able to afford everything and have all their parents attention. This is without a doubt a kid’s film, but is at times quite a scary and macabre film. Having said that, it is still a fantastic watch for people of all ages! Great animation, great story, great director and splendid voice acting.

Coraline official website


 

Coraline