Review of 'Coraline'

I was lucky enough to see this, the latest Neil Gaiman story-based movie, in stop-motion animation 3-D. Mind you, it was in a very hot tent at the Glastonbury music festival but, in many ways, this was the perfect venue for this wonderful flight of whimsy yet with an undercurrent of very serious issues.

Coraline (very intentionally NOT Caroline) is a young girl who have moved to a mysterious house with her two hard-working parents who never seem to have time for her. When she finds a door in the wall she follows it to a mirror of her world but made of fabric where she finds doll-parents an ideal version of her own who are willing to indulge her every whim. But, all is not as it seems as they want her to stay forever, including replacing her eyes by sewing in buttons instead…She is not the only child to have been tempted…Will she be able to save the day?

Touching on issues of modern living this is a modern fantasy tale with some elements of horror that keep the audience on it's toes. Additionally, the 3-D is not over-used and serves to enhance the experience. Truly enjoyable and very interesting both for the young and old with the many young children in the audience (for my screening) appearing to be enthralled with what was on the screen – The relatively simple story with sumptuous visuals truly engage everyone. Fantastic.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2009-07-05

Directed by: Henry Selick

Studio: Laika Entertainment

Year: 2009

Length: 100 minutes

Genre: Fantasy

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327597/