Coraline the movie veers off from Coraline the book in a few places – the American-ness kind of weirds me out, there are a few criminal line omissions, and while I enjoy Wybie, his presence lessens some of Coraline’s accomplishments. Overall, though, this is a pretty faithful, beautifully well-rendered adaptation of the Neil Gaiman book, done in gorgeous stop-motion by Henry Selick of The Nightmare Before Christmas fame (or rather, would-be fame, were it not for the fact that most people don’t realize that Tim Burton didn’t actually direct that movie.)
As in the book, Coraline Jones finds an escape to the doldrums of life in her new home via a mysterious door between her apartment and the next, leading into a fantastical world populated by her button-eyed Other Mother and Other Father. Soon, however, the fun and instant gratification of that world take a sinister turn, and it’s up to Coraline to save her parents from the Other Mother’s clutches and get back home.
First things first: the stop-motion is amazing here. Full-on stunning. I love the washed-out colors and apparent drabness of the regular world compared to the eye-popping vibrance of the Other World. So many visuals are realized just perfectly. I especially love Coraline and Wybie in the fog, the garden in the Other World, the passageway between the worlds, and the stunted, barely-sketched-out detail as Coraline ventures too far in the Other World. Just fantastically well-done all around. And the scary parts? Majorly creepy – mission accomplished!
I kind of miss Coraline’s signature unflappability from the book, but I like how the movie makes her a bit brattier. She goes back and forth between worlds more often before the penny starts to drop re: the evilness, and you really get a sense of how she’s being seduced by the Other World. Her relationship with a new character, her neighbor Wybie, reflects that as well. Even as Coraline is bored and itching for some excitement, she turns up her nose at this obviously-eager potential friend, and it’s clear from her early interactions with the somewhat edited Wybie in the Other World that she mostly thinks of herself, not others. In this way, the message of Coraline learning to be happy with the family/world she has rather than the one she wants comes through more solidly.
Like I said, though, I miss some of the book dialogue. The name conversation between the cat and Coraline is sadly gone, as is Coraline’s wonderful little speech about getting whatever you want. Plus, there’s the fun, random quirky lines that are lost, too, like “Everyone knows that a soul is the same size as a beach ball,” and, my favorite, “I’m on my own. I think I’ve probably become a single child family.” Who passes up stuff like that?
Dakota Fanning voices Coraline with spunk and aplomb. Teri Hatcher is Coraline’s mother (both versions,) and she’s excellent – she has the alluring/sinister thing down pat. The film also features the voices of Ian McShane (Silas from Kings,) French & Saunders, and Keith David (recently, Elroy on Community) as the cat.
Warnings
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