Review of Coraline (2009) by Sam F — 14 Aug 2013

From the mind of the acclaimed writer who brought to you Stardust and American Gods, and the director who brought to you Nightmare Before Christmas, comes a fantastical, odd and eerily dark tale of Coraline.

The Joneses have just moved to a new house. Caroline Jones finds her life boring and thinks that her parents do not care for her one bit. She meets Wybie and rather sinister-looking black cat, and receives a rather strange doll which resembles her. Soon, she is led through a small doorway into another world, which is almost like her own home, but livelier. It is a place where her parents are fun - only with buttons as eyes - and she can do her favourite things all day until she goes to sleep. The next morning, she would wake up back in her real home again. Attracted by the place, she makes another trip back there, but soon discovers that things there are a little too good to be true. Only when it is too late does she realise her terrible mistake.

This is the first animated feature I have watched in quite a while now and it is indeed refreshing, especially seeing as it incorporates fantasy, horror and Gothic elements - some of my favourite genres. Based on the Hugo-winning novella by author Neil Gaiman, this film adaptation went on to win several awards at the Annie Awards and was nominated at both the Oscars and Golden Globes for best animated feature.

On the main aspects, the voice acting is pretty good. Dakota Fanning's voice is perfect for Coraline and Keith David (Crash, Requiem for a Dream) as the cat is bone-chilling. Apart from that, I was pleasantly surprised to hear British comedy legends, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders voicing two former burlesque dancers leaving under Coraline's house. The screenplay is well-written and the overall pacing of the film is perfect.

On the technical aspects, the production design is both gorgeous and harrowing at the same time. While the designs resemble those of Night Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, it contains some of its own elements. The stop-motion animation is also pretty good and it actually makes the villain all the more scary. The music by Bruno Coulais is haunting, bone-chilling and out of this world. Simply beautiful.

Overall, this is a beautifully dark and haunting animated feature with an important message to children - be careful for what you wish for. The wish might just end up devouring you, instead.