Coraline (2009)
When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. When the Other Mother invites Coraline to stay in her world forever, the girl refuses and finds that the alternate reality where she is trapped is only a trick to lure her.
I have just watched the movie with my 4 year old son.
I would not recommend it for less than 12 year olds.
(I it a very mid horror movie for adults)
It was marked PG on the box but this is miss leading.
I have seen Nightmare before Christmas and I enjoyed it but I will wait a few years belore allowing my son to watch.
it was adventurist but do not let the little ones watch it
A nine year old girl named Coraline Jones discovers a secret door in her new home and steps into a world inside that door that is much more interesting and cheerful than her normal life. But as she is exploring the fantastic world with her "other mother" and "other father" she realizes that they're less enjoyable and a little bit more self-centered than she had originally thought, so she has to get back to her normal life before it's too late because her "other parents" will keep her for good.
If you've ever seen "The Nightmare Before Christmas" then you probably know what stop-motion animation looks like. Coraline has effects that are 10 times better than that and the film is a visually stunning piece of artwork. Everything from the beautiful raindrops outside Coraline's kitchen window to the intricate little buttons for eyes. Now, your probably asking yourself, "Buttons for eyes?" Yes, I know it sounds strange and it is strange. But that adds to the whimsical charm of Coraline's strange world.
Like some family movies, the dialouge isn't the greatest and the side stories are drawn out towards the middle which also lack some of the charecter development to make this one a classic. Just because a film has great animation doesn't mean that the writers can give up on the script.
Despite the boringness of some scenes, Coraline is a well made film and has made it one step further in the visual category. Try to go out and see this in 3-D because I'm sure the effects are even more groundbreaking. A little warning though to kids under six because there are some scary images blended into Coraline's twisted atmosphere.
Coraline is about a girl named Coraline that feels she's ignored by her workaholic parents. They are both writers and never have time for her. In their new home, she finds a secret doorway.
At first it's blocked by bricks until one night when she follows a mouse to it. There's no bricks and in it is a small crawl space. Inside leads to an alternate world where everyone has buttons for eyes. Her parents are nicer and always feed her great food.
But she soon realizes that this wonderful happy place isn't everything it seems to be. The film is creepy and haunting at times. So it's not for small children. It does have a good lesson about being happy with what you have though. It's also worth seeing at IMAX in 3-D. My only complaint is that the animation isn't totally perfect at times. The movement is just a little off for one thing.
This is not your normal animated children’s movie. Coraline is a darker movie than most people think. It deals with situations that might give little kids nightmares if they did not know any better. But the movie is unique with its storytelling and its animation. The animation process of Coraline is similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas. They both have stop-motion animation. Also, they are both directed by Henry Selick.
This stop-motion animation takes a long time. I believe it took something like 4 years to create. The process is long and it takes a week just to film a few seconds of the movie, which explains the 4 years to complete it. But this type of animation makes a movie like Coraline shine. It has a darker theme than the usual animated movies, but that’s the point. It is not suppose to be like those. And the animation helps it stand a part from others. Also, I got to see it in 3D and it is a cool movie to see in 3D if you can. Everything that Selick used in Coraline made the movie and the experience of seeing it better.
The story is about Coraline, a girl who thinks she lives a boring life. She has moved away from her friends, and her parents are too busy to notice her. She is alone. However, when she finds a secret door that leads to another version of her world, everything seems so much better. Or so she thinks. Her “other†parents notice her and pay her too much attention. But she enjoys being noticed. She feels loved until they want her to stay with them forever. The world that she thought was so bright is dark instead. So, we watch while Coraline tries to escape and help her real family as well. It is a dark adventure story. And its tagline could not be truer: Be Careful What You Wish For. Things could be much worse than you think. The story is about appreciating what you have and being thankful. I think it’s a message everyone can relate to. Coraline is an animated movie, but an animated movie with a message that is told with a good story and great visuals.
At The Movies
Coraline (PG) * *
Director: Henry Selick
Stars: Voice of Dakota Fanning, Terry Hatcher
Genre: Animation/fantasy
Audience Suitability: PG
Rating: * *
Studio: Alliance Films
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Release Date: Feb 6, 2009
Family Divide!
By ROBERT WALDMAN
Efforts to bring new stories to the screen deserve strong accolades. Experimentation is also welcomed to entice in new audiences. Strong on style is Coraline, a rather offbeat and obscure wicked sensation from Alliance Films now hoping to click with folks at ScotiabankTheatre, the Empire Esplanade 6 Cinemas, and select Famous Players arenas.
Gimmicks can make or break a movie. Novelties can work or fail. With Caroline there is the added (?) bonus of the movie being shot in 3-D or, as some theatres insist, Real D. Never one to trust the added effects I often intermittently take on and off the plastic made in China glasses supplied upon entry to such theatres to see if there’s truly any effect. Back and forth insertions of the glasses in my view revealed few of those three dimensional effects to warrant their usage.
So now it’s onto the story, which is what we’re all presumably waiting for. Coraline is a creepy movie. Animation films have recently caught on and this movie, adapted from a book, is one of the most unusual and dare I say freakish movies in years. What we have here is a girl named Coraline who lives with two parents. Life in the big house is rather bland for the young girl and there’s constant friction between the clan. Modern households will relate to this squabbling. When Coraline does some exploring around the house she finds a parallel world complete with similar parents, friends and surroundings. Oh, there’s one slight difference between those she encounters in this rival world: all the creatures, human and animal, have buttons for eyes.
What looks like a throwback to the days of Nightmare Before Christmas or Edward Scissorhands this film has a certain dark look to it, with unbelievably strange creations sure to scare little children out of their wits. Do not take small children to see this film and probably a better safer recommendation would be to restrict it to over 13 year olds. Here lies the problem with movies like this: just who is the audience. It’s too scary for kids and adults are also likely to find the subject matter very obscure. Taste ultimately will decide the fate of this film that surely will be cheered on by those who like very dark moods, experimental film techniques and the like.
Voice talent from some mainstream actors lends flesh and bones to these wild imaginative characters. Again Dakota Fanning seems to be one of the few children getting gigs in the movies these days and she gives some soul to Coraline, a little girl lost in a very bad world full of ghastly and ghostly characters out to make quite the point. Former Bond babe Terri Hatcher plays her mom. People wanting something different will sure get their wish with Coraline, a movie that does succeed in creating some very imaginative situations the likes of which you’ve never seen before. Let’s all be glad this is a work of fiction for no one would ever like to encounter parents like this girl’s make-believe version in that secondary world.
Read more reviews by Robert at www.moviereviewssite.com
