Movie Review - Coraline

This review was written viewing the 2D version only. I'm sure the 3D version would have been even better.

Coraline

Ah, being young and adventurous again; curious about the world and the way it works, never afraid to step on toes by exploring places you might not be allowed to go... That's where Coraline takes me, anyway - a fairytale world where the only thing off-limits is the imagination.

Director Henry Selick brings the adventure out of the film's animation, with the colors and rich environmental detail sucking the viewer in to the strange, inviting textures of both the realistic and illusional worlds. Coraline is a perplexing and intricate young lady, and Selick explores her personality by situating her in positions that require her to act.

The plot is charming, and since it came from Neil Gaiman, dark, vivid, strange, and full of wild hallucinatory sequences, as if we're on some good drug trip. The animation brings Gaiman's visions to life with wonderful scenery and choreography; perhaps the most successful of these sequences is the blooming of Coraline's Other Father's garden, in which we're treated to lush landscapes of glowing colors and intricate set pieces that pop out of the screen in both 2D and 3D.

Coraline looks fantastic, it really does. And the story lends itself to the animation. The film retains a creepiness with the button-eyed people that is fantastically dark and crooked. It resembles a Grimm fairy tale - it's got a good message for kids, designed for kids, but there's also a violent side to it that appeals to adults as well. Plus, the game-like nature in which the film progresses is so enthralling that one can't help but follow with wide eyes.

I mentioned adventure earlier; Coraline's direction brings out the curious kid in all of us, and I soon found myself imagining myself in Coraline's shoes. Maybe it puts the film into a perspective of realism, giving me the ability to ask myself if this seems plausible or if that would really happen. I can safely say yes to both; if I was Coraline, I'd have done the same thing. But even more-so, for an adult to relate to a child in this way speaks for how children might relate to the wonderful protagonist themselves - they'll get the themes of loving what you have vicariously through Coraline, an adventure all on its own.

Coraline on Rotten Tomatoes