May 4, 2009
The latest in an ever-popular stream of modern animation, the wonderfully strange Coraline tells the tale of a young girl who, growing bored of life in her own world, accidentally enters into a very different one.
The film, given a U certification, is supposedly suitable for all, however, it is almost impossible not to be aware of the subtle and not-so-subtle sinister undertones. Giving off a definite Tim Burton-esque vibe, the film takes the idea of childlike curiosity to a whole other level as the young Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) stumbles across a door to another dimension in her new house. The audience dons their 3D glasses and steps into a land where even some simple gardening is made exciting by flowers that come alive and leap from the screen, where eyes are replaced by buttons and where a mouse circus is nothing unusual. But even here, things are not quite as innocent as they at first seem.
The general premise for the film is nothing new; a lonely girl, new in town and bored with her parents’ absorption with their work sets out to find a more exhilarating way to fill her days. But after the initial magic of the discovery of the land the other side of the door, the message that Coraline sends to its viewers is much more along the lines of the age-old adage “be careful what you wish for.”
Directed by Henry Sellick and with appearances (in voice form) by the recently BAFTA award winning French and Saunders, and based on the novel by Neil Gaiman (the brain that also brought us Stardust), Coraline is bound to be another animated hit. The 3D aspect of the film manages to veer away from simply astounding the audience by shooting things out at them, instead creating a sense of hyper-reality in a world that is anything but real. The darker tones to the film will undoubtedly not be lost on all children, who may find moments of Coraline a tad scary, but as a family film it certainly has something to offer those of all ages.
The film, given a U certification, is supposedly suitable for all, however, it is almost impossible not to be aware of the subtle and not-so-subtle sinister undertones. Giving off a definite Tim Burton-esque vibe, the film takes the idea of childlike curiosity to a whole other level as the young Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) stumbles across a door to another dimension in her new house. The audience dons their 3D glasses and steps into a land where even some simple gardening is made exciting by flowers that come alive and leap from the screen, where eyes are replaced by buttons and where a mouse circus is nothing unusual. But even here, things are not quite as innocent as they at first seem.
The general premise for the film is nothing new; a lonely girl, new in town and bored with her parents’ absorption with their work sets out to find a more exhilarating way to fill her days. But after the initial magic of the discovery of the land the other side of the door, the message that Coraline sends to its viewers is much more along the lines of the age-old adage “be careful what you wish for.”
Directed by Henry Sellick and with appearances (in voice form) by the recently BAFTA award winning French and Saunders, and based on the novel by Neil Gaiman (the brain that also brought us Stardust), Coraline is bound to be another animated hit. The 3D aspect of the film manages to veer away from simply astounding the audience by shooting things out at them, instead creating a sense of hyper-reality in a world that is anything but real. The darker tones to the film will undoubtedly not be lost on all children, who may find moments of Coraline a tad scary, but as a family film it certainly has something to offer those of all ages.