Art of storytelling
Coraline is a must for those who love film
Ryan Anderson
Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: Entertainment
Throughout the ages, parents have used the art of storytelling as a tool to teach children lessons. Although it may seem foreign in today's politically correct society, but the most popular and most effective way to do so was to scare those kids into behaving. In that respect, among others, "Coraline" is truly old fashioned. It's a film that isn't afraid to make its audience scared, a trait that's been absent in our society for a while.
The film revolves around Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning), who has just moved to Maryland from Michigan, where her workaholic parents are putting out a gardening catalogue. She's a sad, pathetic, girl derived from two sad, pathetic people (John Hodgman and Teri Hatcher). She whines about her new neighborhood, their creepy old house, and the fact that her new acquaintance, Wybie, (Robert Bailey Jr.) can't seem to shut up. Desperate to escape the drawl of routine life, she discovers a tunnel behind wallpaper in the den, she crawls through without hesitation.
On the other side of the tunnel looks a lot like from where she came. It's Coraline's regular house, but instead of parents too busy for her, Coraline's "other" mother and father are all too eager to spend time with her. They feed her spectacular feasts, show her a magical garden, and let her play in the mud all she likes. Coraline has stumbled into the perfect world… except everyone has buttons sewn into their eye sockets, and if Coraline wants to stay, she would have to as well.
Utilizing stop motion animation, this film is a true carnival for one's eyes. Director Henry Selick, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993), brings a dark, menacing world to life with a technology that is nearly extinct these days. It's a world filled with equally dark and menacing characters, all the better to teach young Coraline a lesson she won't soon forget. Although it's a film marketed to kids, the true audience of this picture is for anyone who appreciates the art of film making. The way the meticulous framing blends in so well with the 3D technology is worth admission price alone.
The story doesn't make all too much sense, particularly towards the end. But that's the case with most allergies, and most allergies aren't this beautiful to look at. This is a movie for audiences of all ages, and Coraline delivers scares and fun in equal doses. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, some of those in the audience will learn to appreciate what they have.
The film revolves around Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning), who has just moved to Maryland from Michigan, where her workaholic parents are putting out a gardening catalogue. She's a sad, pathetic, girl derived from two sad, pathetic people (John Hodgman and Teri Hatcher). She whines about her new neighborhood, their creepy old house, and the fact that her new acquaintance, Wybie, (Robert Bailey Jr.) can't seem to shut up. Desperate to escape the drawl of routine life, she discovers a tunnel behind wallpaper in the den, she crawls through without hesitation.
On the other side of the tunnel looks a lot like from where she came. It's Coraline's regular house, but instead of parents too busy for her, Coraline's "other" mother and father are all too eager to spend time with her. They feed her spectacular feasts, show her a magical garden, and let her play in the mud all she likes. Coraline has stumbled into the perfect world… except everyone has buttons sewn into their eye sockets, and if Coraline wants to stay, she would have to as well.
Utilizing stop motion animation, this film is a true carnival for one's eyes. Director Henry Selick, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993), brings a dark, menacing world to life with a technology that is nearly extinct these days. It's a world filled with equally dark and menacing characters, all the better to teach young Coraline a lesson she won't soon forget. Although it's a film marketed to kids, the true audience of this picture is for anyone who appreciates the art of film making. The way the meticulous framing blends in so well with the 3D technology is worth admission price alone.
The story doesn't make all too much sense, particularly towards the end. But that's the case with most allergies, and most allergies aren't this beautiful to look at. This is a movie for audiences of all ages, and Coraline delivers scares and fun in equal doses. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, some of those in the audience will learn to appreciate what they have.
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