Review: Coraline
Filed under: New Releases, Theatrical Reviews
I review a fair amount of children's and family movies, and often my eyes hurt from me rolling them so much because too many of these films rely on tiredly predictable plots, stupid animal jokes, morals so blatant that even the youngest audience members must be fed up, and poop jokes. (The same could be said about comedy films supposedly for grown-ups, but we'll argue that another time.) The idea seems to be that if a movie is squeaky clean and suitable for all ages, it doesn't have to be very good.
On the other end of the spectrum, I also watch well-made films like Wall-E and Ratatouille and now Coraline -- films that I enjoy very much. But are these really family films? How many children will like these movies, and what ages? Coraline is a bit scary at times and some kids are going to have trouble with it. But for children and adults who can appreciate the experience of a darker movie, Coraline is gorgeously fantastic, in all senses of the word.
Henry Selick, who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas (that's right, it wasn't Tim Burton) also directed Coraline, which he adapted from Neil Gaiman's young-adult novel. Like Nightmare, the film is stop-motion animation, although Coraline was shot in 3-D. Coraline also has a much stronger and more complex story, with more vivid characters. The title character (Dakota Fanning) is a clever girl who moves with her family to a strange new house. Her parents never seem to listen to her or do anything she'd like, and the neighbors are all weird or pesky. But at night, Coraline finds a door into a parallel world, full of surprises. There's even an Other Mother and Other Father who lavish attention and treats on Coraline. And yet, she senses that this other world may not exactly be Paradise.
Selick has expanded Gaiman's almost bare-bones style from the novel by supplying more backstory, giving the minor characters more depth and screen time, and fleshing out the original story to give the film even more of a fairytale quality -- events happening in threes, for example, and Coraline's attitude toward the Other World changing more gradually. Coraline also gets a friend her age, a boy named Wybie, and although the cynical part of me suspects he was put into the film to make it more attractive to boy audiences, his character is not at all superfluous and fits well in the film.
The movie is populated with gloriously colorful creatures -- Coraline's downstairs neighbors are retired actresses, played by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, and a joy to watch in both of Coraline's worlds. Teri Hatcher voices the mothers in both worlds, and is able to play one role with subtlety while letting loose with the other. Ian McShane has a high time as a Russian acrobat trying to train mice for a circus, and Keith David voices a cat that would stylishly rip the throat out of any family-film flatulent hamsters or annoying raccoons. The "ghost children" are a little stilted and awkward, with dialogue that was more suitable in Gaiman's novel than in Selick's more Americanized movie, but fortunately they're rarely the center of attention.
Selick's style of stop-motion animation is a treat to watch even with a weaker story, and Coraline has some visually stunning set pieces, most set in the Other World: a garden, a troupe of performing mice, and the world's strangest theater. I saw the movie in 3-D, and the effects enhanced the film without being obtrusive or annoying. I think you could see the movie without the 3-D format and still marvel at the visuals.
I admit I have a weakness for movies about imaginative little girls who feel put-upon and misunderstood, whether they're made for children (Matilda) or adults (Pan's Labyrinth). We won't speculate on what this says about my own childhood, but I would have loved Coraline when I was seven or eight ... or ten. Even now, when I'm the right age to sympathize with Coraline's real mother, I'm also right there with the daughter, exasperated by a world where no one is listening to her or pronouncing her name correctly. You don't have to be a child to be enchanted by the world of this movie.
Coraline has a well-earned PG rating, and definitely falls on the dark side of the fairytale spectrum. It isn't gory or excessively violent (certainly not as much as Prince Caspian), but there are some pretty frightening threats, and the peril that main characters often face can seem real and intense. It's similar in tone at times to Spirited Away -- if you think your kids can handle the Miyazaki film, they should be fine with Coraline.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-06-2009 @ 3:38PM
Donna DeDario said...
Thought ya'll might like to know that you can get one-of-a-kind and handmade original items from the film up for auction on ebay right now - all to benefit Starlight Children's Foundation. http://www.ebay.com/starlight. You can even get one of the original 28 coraline dolls! Check it out.
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2-06-2009 @ 7:02PM
The Rake said...
I have been reading nothing but strong reviews of Coraline all day. This is no exception. That is great news, but hopefully people will go out and support this movie in a crowded marketplace. We'll see. I actaully have an early review of Joaquin's last acting venture, "Two Lovers" up, if interested. Enjoy!
http://thefilmnest.com/2009/02/two-lovers-review/
The Rake
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2-06-2009 @ 7:59PM
Brice_J said...
so excited to see this movie! i too have been reading reviews of it all day, only not all of them have been "strong." all positives, though, from the sources i trust the most =)
films with a young heroine who enters an alternate world always seem to be very good, & with more to come, it's hard not to wonder if the premise will still have the same impact..
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2-07-2009 @ 5:30PM
NP said...
I saw it yesterday (in 3-D) in a sold out theater that was full of families with children of all ages and also adults who had come to see it on their own. Everyone really seemed to enjoy it, and if any of the children in the theater were scared by it, it never went so far as to cause tears (from what I was able to hear). I thought the film was really great, stayed true enough to Gaiman's book while expanding logically in certain ways. I also thought this was the best use of the new 3-D technology that I've seen. Though there were a couple of "whoa ______ is coming right out of the screen at me!" moments, this was not overdone. The 3-D more felt like a way to add to the feeling of the film, not to make the film gimmicky.
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2-07-2009 @ 9:57PM
izze said...
I thought the movie was great, but the rating was too lenient. rated PG, I thought perhaps a rating of PG13 would be best. Mostly because of the overwight lady in a thong and practically nothing up-top, but I also thought it was a little too creepy for little kids. I was blown away by the 3D, and I thought the film was incredible and totally worth seeing. It was all hand-made! Unbelievable! Definitely go see it. but bear in mind the thong... always the thong...
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2-08-2009 @ 2:44AM
Mest said...
Writer Neil Gaiman is a second generation Scietologist, he grew up in the cult and the members of his family are all high-ranking Scientologists. As a kid he was audited (questioned with lie detector equipment) and drilled to eliminate emotions. All his stories seem to be emotionally strange and grim. Coraline appears to be an allegory for Gaiman's involvement in Scientology. Good parents ignore you while evil parents interrogate, spy and turn unsuspecting children into brainwashed zombies, stealing their souls and replacing their eyes with buttons. The ethical thread of Coraline is unnerving, stay at home in your icky, boring dead world because the outside world is dangerous? An interesting visual confection, but for Coraline to get past Gaiman's usual cult followers and gain a wider audience, the story would need to have a heart.
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2-25-2009 @ 8:26AM
Andrew said...
"Coraline" is a beautifully-done film with an excellent, endearing story and stunning visuals. It has a great message that doesn't simply smash into the watchers' faces. I must admit great consternation about those people who say it lacks heart. Simply put, it has quite a bit of heart.
2-08-2009 @ 10:45AM
Lauren said...
I saw Coraline this past Friday when it opened and it was fantastic! It was my first film of the new year and it was visually stunning, as well as having an equally stunning cast of characters and a story for them. I would agree with an earlier poster that it should maybe give a bigger warning with a PG-13 rating. While there is no harsh language, some of the scenes might be terrifying to a small child. When we saw the movie, it was my boyfriend and I and the only other people in the theater was a mom and dad with their five-year-old daughter. About half way through the film I turned to my boyfriend and asked "What is this movie rated" because there are definitely some disturbing plot points for a child. All in all I believe this is one of those "children's films" that can relate to an older audience as well.
Enjoy!
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2-22-2009 @ 5:24PM
Brit said...
Personally I enjoyed the first few minutes where the hands were making the new doll, but then I hated it. I am sorry to say, but as a young adult wanting to see a better world, this movie is one to desynthetize kids from knowing bad from right. The naked ladies in the film are what caused me , 15 and my sister 13 and my mom and dad both 40 to leave. Yes, we are mature in nature and enjoy a good film, but leave out the "playful porn". Kids if you value your innocence and your mind do not go see this movie.
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