The advertising for Focus Features’ new stop-motion animated feature has taught me something. That something is that if you promote a movie as “from the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas,” to an awful lot of people this means Tim Burton. So if you’re planning to go this weekend (or stay away) just because of the Burton name, you’ll want to reconsider. Tim Burton wrote Nightmare Before Christmas, but it was directed by animator Harry Selick (who also directed James and the Giant Peach and Monkeybone).
In my book, the absence of Tim Burton is a good thing, as his tendency to repeat himself is so strong that a third trip to the spooky stop-motion realm would like have been boring. Also, no Danny Elfman soundtrack (please send e-mail trying to convince me that Danny Elfman is the best scorer of movies since sliced bread to someone who isn’t me).
Instead, Selick worked with original author Neil Gaiman on the script and then set about creating a perfectly unique world. Gaiman’s ability to imagine worlds just a few degrees off-kilter has a wonderful partner in Selick’s ability to bring those worlds to fruition. The story isn’t all that complex, but the true wonder of the movie is in the visuals—and I’m not going to describe even a single one of them, as you deserve to experience them in a steady wash with no anticipation brought on by any spoilers in my review.
Coraline (Dakota Fanning) is a young girl who isn’t really happy in her life. Her parents are distracted with work, and they’re newly moved into a very odd boarding house. While playing, she finds a portal into a mirror world where all her problems seem to go away. Of course, all is not as it seems.
There, that’s it.
I’m describing no visuals, and you don’t get any more of the explicit story than that.
So what will I tell you? If you’re over 12, you probably won’t find the movie actually scary, but you should find it wonderfully surreal and surprisingly intense by the final act (though the build-up is slow). I would not recommend this movie for the under-12 crowd for the same reasons. If ever there was a time I’d make this recommendation, it is now:
While many young kids will love it and many others loathe it, this movie is probably a good candidate for having a parent or trusted friend do a preview screening before taking the whole family. There is no blood, there is no gore, there is no swearing, and there is no sex—and so it is rated PG. I won’t be surprised if I get e-mail asking how it could be as low a rating as PG while others wonder why it wasn’t G.
The voice acting is also good, though names are used a bit more than my preference for actual voice talents. Dakota Fanning provides a strong inner core for Coraline, while Teri Hatcher surprised with her ability to present two different voice characters playing both Coraline’s mother and her other mother. Any fan of Deadwood (also not recommended at all for young children) will know that Ian McShane can put a lot of oomph into a line reading, but as Mr. Bobinsky, he does it with a Slavic accent while having to say really weird things.
This is an unsually short review because while I loved the movie, I can’t think of a single thing I’d be willing to spoil for anybody who will see it (unlike Beverly Hills Chihuahua where I felt I was practically doing a public service hinting strongly about the ending). But it is not a perfect movie bound for universal acclaim and recognition and record-breaking financial success. So this recommendation is not made on the assumption that everybody should like it, but rather, on the idea that the movie is so quirky and going about things in its own way that you owe it to yourself to have the chance to love it. Even if you hate it, it will have been an unusual ride.
Finally, a note on the 3-D presentation, which is how I saw it: Most animated features these days are hitting theaters in both traditional and 3-D formats. As Jeffrey Katzenberg has been saying ad infinitum on his promotional tour for Monsters vs. Aliens, this isn’t your father’s 3-D. Digital projection allows for removing the jiggle that was the bane of film projection and allows the two projected images to be perfectly in synch. Glasses are more comfortable and allow more light through than the old red-blue ones. For most recent exhibitions 3-D has added something signfiicant to the movie but at worst has done no harm.
I did not find that to be the case this time around, though. With the caveat that something could have been off with projection at the screening or with me, I found the 3-D oddly disjointed and several times through the movie simply lifted my glasses to watch the blurry image for a while, allowing my eyes to rest. So if you’re questionable about the whole 3-D thing you might want to lean even more towards a 2-D theater.
- Coraline is a Focus Features release
- Wide theatrical release February 6, 2009
- Directed by Harry Selick
- Screenplay by Neil Gaiman and Harry Selick
- Starring: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane, Robert Bailey Jr., and Keith David
- Rated PG for thematic elements, scary images, some language and suggestive humor.
- Running time: 100 minutes
- Alex’s Rating: 8 out of 10.
