Coraline

A 3D children’s film based on Neil Gaiman’s popular book of the same name, this film is not a waste of money. The fairytale is about a girl named Coraline (not Caroline, as many characters in the movie mistakenly believe) and her adventures in a parallel world. In the real world, Coraline has to deal with parents who don’t listen to her needs and only write for their gardening book (despite their own bleak garden), as well as odd neighbors Mr. Bobinsky (a circus performer), Mrs. Spink and Mrs. Forcible (former vaudeville actresses), and a little boy named Wybie who seemingly stalks Coraline. Coraline gladly escapes through a small door that has been bricked up into another world, where her Other Mother gives her delicious foods and has made her neighbors and father act in amusing and fun ways. However, this world isn’t as pleasant as Coraline supposed when the Other Mother tries to keep Coraline there forever. The Other Mother kidnaps Coraline’s real parents, and has kept other children captive in her world also. The only way for Coraline to escape with her parents and to free the other children is to enter into an exploring game against the Other Mother, with only the help of a talking cat and a seeing stone.

For those viewers who have read the book, there are a few additions to the plot, but no omissions. The biggest change is the character Wybie, added as Coraline’s neighbor, who supplies some information about past incidents with the mysterious door, and gives Coraline someone to talk to other than herself and the cat, as was the case in the book. While not a strictly necessary addition, he doesn’t detract from the story or the integrity of the story.

Visually, the 3D is flawless. It brings the entire setting to life in ways that don’t draw you to question how the animators did it, but merely accept it as beautiful and natural within the story. I found the scenes where the tunnel to the other world opened particularly delightful, as well as the creepy room decorated in various types of bugs.

One of my complaints though is with Mrs. Forcible. This character was drawn with ridiculously sized breasts, which I found inappropriate for children. Understandably, she is meant as a vaudeville act, but breasts larger than the state of California are hardly necessary. To worsen this oversight on the animators’ parts, there is a scene were she and Mrs. Spink are performing, and Mrs. Forcible is wearing a ‘bra’ similar to what the stripper wore in The Graduate. This is, clearly, utterly inappropriate and extremely confusing for young audiences.

Though I liked this film immensely, it may not be right for younger audiences. It has some scary moments that make even an adult jump. Anyone under seven might be advised to wait, but if your child is mature enough to handle the second Harry Potter movie, than this film is probably manageable.

A note for English lit. majors: The law of the weight of the stern is particularly prevalent in the entire film. Examples: Three visits to each location, three objects to find, three (original) neighbors, three people in Coraline's family, three mentions of a well, etc.