Today’s quick review: Coraline. Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning), an inquisitive young girl, has just moved to an old house with her mother (Teri Hatcher) and father (John Hodgman). While exploring her new home, she discovers a passageway to another world, a magical place where she can live the life she wants. But as she gets drawn deeper into this new world, she learns that not everything is as perfect as it seems.
Coraline is a dark fantasy adventure based on the book by Neil Gaiman. Coraline features impressive stop motion animation, inventive fantasy elements, and a plucky, likable heroine. The story it tells remains interesting from start to finish, and its high-quality voice acting helps bring its world to life. The movie’s few flaws include slightly flat resolutions to some of its conflicts and an art style that works well but strays from the beaten path.
Coraline straddles the line between fantasy and horror. Dolls, stitches, and insects give the movie a horror feel, but there are no true scares. Instead, Coraline channels its darker elements into a fascinating, otherwordly tale that has its own, consistent rules and a mystery to solve. For all of its eeriness, Coraline plays fair. However, the quasi-horror may still be too much for younger children.
Watch Coraline if you are in the mood for something dark and creative. Coraline is a worthwhile watch for anyone interested in the eerie side of children’s fantasy. Skip it if you are looking for an upbeat or conventional movie. For an animated horror movie with a darker tone and more action, check out 9. For another surreal, visually inventive fantasy adventure from Neil Gaiman, check out Mirrormask.
7.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for a good premise, rich animation, and a strong sense of fantasy.