When Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas came out in theaters fifteen years ago, many critics and parents claimed that the film was far too morbid for little Johnny and Jane. If I hadn't been a part of the target audience when the film came out, I might have agreed. Yet, even as a small child, I loved Nightmare and would often shove my VHS tape into the VCR once a week to watch it. I realize that though Nightmare was rather dark, it was dark in a campy way; it had a theatricality to it reminiscent of a Broadway musical or (yeah, you guessed it) a typical Disney movie, filled with exuberant choruses and, of course, a love story. Much like any other animated feature tainted with the Disney stamp of approval, Nightmare had enough Tim Burton influence to be unique and original, but enough Disney to keep its morbidity to a minimum. Creepy but not creepy.
Don't expect too many Disney moments in Coraline.
Originally a children's book written by Neil Gaiman, Coraline is the story of a young girl who, after moving into a new home, discovers a portal to another world that seems much livlier than her real life, where she lives in a gloomy boarding house with her neglectful parents. But, as I already knew going into the movie (I read the book years and years ago), nothing is as whimisical as it seems.
Coraline (voiced notably well by A-list child actor, Dakota Fanning) grows tired of her neglectful parents and her gloomy new home, not to mention the house's tenants and owners. One night, she discovers a portal to a seemingly better world through a trapdoor in her apartment, which is actually just an alternate version to her real life. On the other side, she meets her "Other Mother" and "Other Father", more loving versions of her actual parents. Coraline soon becomes obsessed with this other world until she discovers that her "Other Mother" (voiced by Teri Hatcher, who also voices Coraline's real mother) is really just a dangerously possessive monster who wants to keep her locked in her world forever as a doll to play with. In fact, the "Other Mother" creates the entire world and other beings as a sort of doll house to play in. Soon enough, Coraline must battle for not only the "Other Mother's" past victims, but her true parents and her freedom as well.
Director and writer Henry Selick really gets my props here as a master of character development and overall vision. It is quite apparent that Selick had a specific idea for every character, both visually and characteristically, and it is clear he is masterful in making sure the execution of the vision is done to his liking. A director who knows what he wants? I encourage other Hollywood directors to follow by example.
The quirky characters are truly a joy to watch in this movie, which is unusual for me to say, because I usually find myself annoyed with minor characters. But Selick manages to balance the exaggeration of hilarious idiosyncracies (two retired actresses who always try to out-do each other and an eccentric and acrobatic ex-circus player) balanced with their involvement of plot really adds depth to each character.
Animation really takes the cake in this. The movie is in 3D, but even if it wasn't in 3D, I would still remain humbly impressed. It's not only the stop-motion animation I'm impressed with (after all, stop-motion is a long and arduous process), but rather the imagery chosen throughout the film. The "Other Mother" for example, progresses from a peachy version of Coraline's real mother, to a gaunt, spider-like monster. But the greatest animation choice remains in the doll-like appearance of the characters in the alternate world compared to Coraline's real world. If you squint, you can see the seams running along "Other Father's" arm, a representation of the "Other Mother's" posession of everything in the alternate universe.
As I said earlier, there are few Disney moments in this film. Yes, at some point, there are moments of gut-busting humor (including an old busty woman in nothing but a thong and pasties singing opera, which remains questionable in a kid's film), but the moments are few and far between. And I don't mind the scarce moments of humor, and in fact enjoy the scarcity, but some kids might get freaked out during this movie. The film is a horror/fantasy, the first children's film of it's kind, and I was reminded constantly throughout. The ghosts of dead children speak in wispy, frightened voices, the alternate universe characters look generally disturbing with buttons for eyes, the entire musical score gave me goosebumps through entire film and the "Other Mother" is scary enough to give even me nightmares. Coraline is creepy in that quiet way that gives you goosebumps and forces you to take a psychological step outside your comfort zone.
Besides some forced dialogue, a long running time (an hour and forty five minutes, unusual for a kids movie), a few unbearably ludicrous moments and Fanning's Minnesotan accent, Coraline is now one of my favorite movies of all time, a film not to be missed by anybody, adults and kids alike...well, maybe not some kids.
Overall Rating: 8 out of 10
