Movie Review: Coraline, PG
2 ½ out of 5 stars
Laura Dosanjh
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Couple the award winning director of The Nightmare Before Christmas with the innovative and legendary fantasy author Neil Gaiman, and fireworks ensue… or rather, fireworks should ensue in the new movie Coraline. Actually, this firework is a dud.
Coraline is a kid with parents who, quite frankly, stink as parents. They don’t have time for her, and they snap at her irritably every time she opens her mouth. (That’s correct. Have some excessive, undisguised social commentary with your fantasy film.) Coraline is forced to entertain herself most of the time, which she does by exploring her new surroundings.
Enter Wybie, a local boy whose grandmother owns the house Coraline and her parents have recently moved into. Coraline and Wybie don’t exactly hit it off, mainly because Coraline decides she doesn’t care for someone who talks more than she does. (Hey, she’s the product of her upbringing. Did you expect Mother Theresa?) Wybie’s good nature prevails, however, and he presents Coraline with a doll that mysteriously resembles her.
The doll turns out to be a spy for the other mother, a mysterious creature who lures Coraline into a better, alternate version of her life. Though the other mother’s house seems identical to Coraline’s real house, and her other parents are physically similar to her real parents (with the exception of shiny black buttons for eyes), the other world is infinitely improved over her real life. The other mother cooks all of Coraline’s favorite foods, the other father plants an amazing garden in the shape of Coraline’s face, and the other Wybie isn’t allowed to speak (something Coraline takes entirely too much delight in, if you ask me.) Coraline enters this world by crawling through a door in the living room that appears to be blocked by bricks during an initial examination. Later, while she is sleeping, she is woken by a jumping mouse that she then follows through the door and into the fantasy world. (It’s actually quite reminiscent of
Though no one believes her nocturnal adventures are real, the downstairs neighbors (two elderly, out of work actresses) give Coraline a stone with a hole in it after seeing she is in danger in her tea leaves. The stone proves to be an important asset for Coraline later, when she finally understands the sinister nature of the other mother. Coraline, with the help of a talking black cat and the other Wybie, then embarks on a quest to rescue the eyes of three ghost children and her real parents, who have been captured by the other mother.
Overall, Coraline was a disappointment. Coraline wasn’t at all likeable, and several times I found myself hoping the other mother would win. It would serve that little brat right! Additionally, Coraline attends a play performed by the other downstairs neighbors in which one of the older women—very well endowed—appears practically naked. It was inappropriate—and not just for children.
I also found myself confused about what audience this movie was supposed to be targeting. The simplistic plot and lack of adult innuendo certainly failed to appease older theater-goers, but the movie was definitely too creepy (and the whole nearly-naked scene) to be appropriate for a younger audience.
Despite my griping, there are a few positives about the movie. The animation and vivid colors are magnificent. The fantasy of the other world, snapdragons that tickle and toys that talk, is imaginative and often playful. The upstairs neighbor is good for at least one laugh (digging up tulips to plant beets.) One of the truly bright spots in the movie is when Coraline first meets her other father. He improvises a song about Coraline that proves to be a catchy little ditty. The gesture made me wish that Danny Elfman had turned this movie into one of his animated, musical masterpieces. (See The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride for reference points.)
My bottom line: skip the box office and read the book instead.