Coraline (2009) – Film Review

Director: Henry Selick
Voice Cast: Dakota Johnson, Teri Hatcher, Dawn French
Certificate:

By Roger Crow

Henry Selick is one of the most unsung creators of stop-motion animated films. Best remembered by some for The Nightmare Before Christmas and James And The Giant Peach, he also helmed the disastrous Monkeybone, which was remembered by just about nobody.

It’s probably 15 years since I last saw Coraline, his sublime adaptation of a Neil Gaiman story about the eponymous youngster who moves to a new house with her mum and dad. Both are writers who hate gardening and have little time for their daughter.

“Look fabulous”

Alas, Coraline Jones is bored in her new home until she finds a secret door that leads into a world that’s just like her own, but better. However, when this fantastical adventure turns dangerous and her “other” mother (with buttons for eyes) tries to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness and bravery to get home.

Among the unforgettable moments are a theatre full of canines, which looks like a cross between Terry Gilliam’s Baron Munchausen and Wes Anderson’s movie, Isle of Dogs.

The painstaking animation still looks fabulous all these years later, and at around 100 minutes, it’s just the right length for the subject matter.

“Incredible”

Bonus features included on the Blu-ray disc include Making Of featurettes, a rather dry but no less fascinating audio commentary with director Henry Selick and composer Bruno Coulais, concept art, and deleted scenes.

I can only imagine how many animators and how much time was devoted to the project. Every time you blink, what you miss is probably a day’s work for some devoted artist.

Fabulous stuff from the Laika studio, who have made some of the best stop motion animated films of the past few years, and yes, it looks and sounds incredible in HD. Recommended.