Creepin' with Coraline
Remember Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas? That stop-motion animated movie that your parents mistakenly took you to as a child, thinking it was just another Disney cartoon before realizing way too late, after seeing images of hurled skulls and burning bodies, that the movie might be too twisted for a little kid?While Coraline might not be as visually gruesome, it's in the same vein. Marketed as a children's fairy tale gone wrong and awarded a PG rating (I'd like to disagree), this film is surprisingly adult and definitely way too creepy for the average six-year-old.
Coraline is directed by Henry Selick, the visionary behind The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. Selick is wonderfully imaginative when it comes to animation, using a mix of stop motion and Claymation to beautifully illustrate his landscapes and characters. In addition, Selick often adds a shade of darkness and twisted humor to his cartoons, resulting in a very disturbing combination.
The basic premise of this film is that Coraline (voiced nicely by I Am Sam's Dakota Fanning) has just moved into a new house with her parents. Her father (the Mac commercials' John Hodgman) and mother ("Desperate Housewives"' Teri Hatcher) are busy editing a gardening catalog 24/7, thus neglecting Coraline on a daily basis. She is incredibly lonely, and the fact that they live above a pair of over-the-hill actresses and below a mentally-unstable circus performer does not help.
After exploring the ancient house, Coraline finds a small door, which is actually a portal to an alternate universe. It is an exact duplicate of her own apartment, except that her "other" parents are more caring and willing to give her all the attention in the world. Everyone in this universe, however, has buttons sewn over their eyes. As the movie progresses, the trips to this other dimension become more terrifying and Coraline realizes that her fantasy is transforming into a nightmare.
The movie has several positive aspects, particularly the cinematography. I watched Coraline in RealD 3D technology (I told you this will be the norm for every movie!). Rather than hurl objects into the audience's faces, the 3D works nicely to add depth to the visuals, particularly to the animals and plants. Additionally, Selick has the boldness to make his movies scary, unlike typical Disney fairytales.
Despite the originality of the animation, the plot of Coraline is way too hackneyed. The "be careful what you wish for" message has been played out in several other films and books. The concept of a little girl discovering a passageway to another world has been portrayed in The Chronicles of Narnia and most notably in Pan's Labyrinth, which is the perfect blend of fantasy and horror.
If you're really aching to go to the theater this weekend, then Coraline is probably the most entertaining film to watch. The plot is predictable, but the movie is fun and inventive.
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