Movie Review: Coraline

Author: (of book) Neil Gaiman
Director / Screenplay: Henry Selick
Title: Coraline
Release date: 13 February, 2009
Age range: 10 – no upper limit
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Plot summary: Directed by Henry Selick of A Nightmare before Christmas, Coraline is an eleven year old only child with parents who wish she would leave them alone. They're writers, penning articles about gardening though they don't have any time for flowers themselves. She has a lively imagination and wants to be active. When her parents move to a new apartment building in the country Coraline is left to explore her new environment by herself. While attempting to douse for an old well, Coraline meets the grandson of her new landlord and an odd cat who keeps him company. Taken with her blue hair, the neighbor boy gives Coraline a doll that looks just like her, except for its button eyes. The other tenants in the apartment building seem bizarre but harmless, like the aging circusmaster upstairs who claims he is training a legion of performing mice. Before long Coraline discovers a hidden passageway from her living room, initially only accessible in the dead of night, which opens into a new world: it looks just like the apartment she left, and her parents are there – but they're her 'other' parents. They want her there. Her 'other' mother wants to cook and pamper Coraline, and her 'other' father is a loving goof who maintains a spectacular garden. The circusmaster's mice put on a fantastic show just for Coraline. At first Coraline enjoys the attention, but it isn't long before she realizes that her 'other' life is a bit sinister – her 'other' mother wants her to stay, and to stay she has to get buttons sewn in place of her eyes. When her 'other' mother turns out to be a manipulative witch who will stop at nothing to get Coraline to stay in her 'other' life, Coraline tries to escape. Next the 'other' mother kidnaps Coraline's real parents and Coraline has to use her wits (and the advice of the odd cat, who can travel between the worlds as well) to get them back, and she finally realizes that her real life isn't so bad after all.

Comments: I was lucky enough to see the 3D version of this movie, and it was very well done. Selick has an inimitable style of showing off the wonders of stop action animation and puppetry. There's always a sinister side to his work, and Coraline is no exception. Neil Gaiman is a great match for this style of animation, with his dark take on life and treatment of alternate worlds and possibilities. I think young viewers will relate to Coraline's frustration with her parents who won't pay attention to her, and appreciate how nice it would be to have a whole new family who want to feed you your favorite foods and make fun things happen. But in the end, real family is what is important, and you can't trade the one you have in for a new one. The things that appear too good to be true in the movie definitely are, and that's another of Coraline's realizations that I think young viewers can relate to other stories they are familiar with. After seeing this movie I would say that it would appeal more to younger teenagers than older ones who might consider it to be a bit silly. That said, there are some dark parts that might be a bit scary for tweens, so parents should consider the maturity of their individual child before letting them watch this film.

Date Viewed: 13 February