AT THE MOVIES WITH JUSTIN SIMS
Coraline
Adapted from the multiple award-winning book of the same name by Neil Gaiman, Coraline makes its big screen debut in both 2D and 3D. Depending on the theater, depends on which version you will see. The extra money for the 3D version is well worth this stop-motion animated piece that was obviously meant to be seen with more depth than the average film. This movie has had adults and children from all over the world oohing and awwing at the visual feat as different parts of the film protrude and recede from the screen. Henry Selick directs his first entirely stop motion animated movie since The Nightmare Before Christmas and his style shows through.
The basic story revolves follows a young girl who did not want to move away from her friends and is instead stuck inside a large house with her parents who don’t pay attention to her and other inhabitants who Coraline find very odd. Inside this house is a small door that is sealed with bricks but one night she is awoken and when she travels downstairs the door is open leading her to another world. A world where everything is the same but better; her parents pay attention to her, the annoying, talkative neighbor boy can no longer speak, etc. The world is everything she could ask for, but things take a drastic turn and Coraline begins to realize her fairytale land isn’t as fun as it seems.
The colors in the film are absolutely beautiful. The real world has been rainy and dreary, but the “other world” full of bright colors and lively characters, including an all mouse circus. The entire world comes to life so much more, and when watching it in 3D it is so much more noticeable because things fly out of the screen. The experience is very memorable. Like many animated films now, the animation is perfect. The characters move gracefully, but in my opinion, it means so much more when it’s stop-motion. It takes a very keen eye to be able to do this detail-oriented work, and it’s nice to see people still making them, especially within the United States. We haven’t had one since James and the Giant Peach (another by Henry Selick).
The visuals in this film are what make it worth watching and enjoyable to almost anyone. The story is where it began to fall apart for me. With a lot of movies that are characterized as “children’s movies” there seems to be a lack of motivation for the characters. The ending feels hurried along while parts in the middle seem to drag a bit. The best thing is that the visuals kept me distracted enough to not even care. It was a very enjoyable watch and it’s refreshing to see. Hopefully, this type of work will continue here. 3½ Stars
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