Review of Coraline (2009) by Madalyne2021 — 13 Feb 2017

I’ve just finished “Coraline,” which was made by Laika Entertainment, and I don’t know if I’d recommend it. Even though it’s an animation, I wouldn’t call it a little kids movie. I feel like the plot would be hard to follow and would scare someone that young.

I would say that I liked the animation style, and the message was great. Although, I don’t know if I would watch it again. “Coraline” takes place at Pink Palace Apartments. Coraline doesn’t really get along with her parents.

She is upset about moving, and in her boredom decides to explore her new home. She finds a small, locked door and wonders why it’s there. In the night, a mouse shows her that it’s a magical portal to another dimension.

Coraline loves it there and is eager to keep going to her other mom and dad through that door. Her friend Wybie and other people in the apartment building warn her not to go back, but she did anyways because of all the fun she’d have there.

Coraline soon realizes that she was wrong, and tries to run away when her Other Mother reveals her true identity. I don’t know if I can say I liked the plot to “Coraline.” It seemed all over the place at the end, with Coraline making a bet and having to defeat the villain twice, and it kind of lost it’s creepy tone for a while.

It also seemed too scary for their target audience. You have to give Laika Entertainment credit for its stop-motion, though. It was smooth for the most part and their character and set designs were great.

The movie also had a great message about loving your family so that would be a plus. While the rating, PG, suggests that this movie might be good for little kids, I think it should be a PG-13 rating.

With a woman begging to be loved and stealing the souls of innocent children, “Coraline” can be creepy at times and might be a little scary for young children. The “other” dimension characters come off as almost lifeless towards the end, one even tells Coraline about their suffering.

I wouldn’t say this movie was bad, but it wasn’t great either.