“CORALINE” IS A VISUALLY DAZZLING ANIMATED MASTERPIECE! 

by Karl Cohen*

Feburary’s ASIFA-SF Newsletter 

         Henry Selick, who directed Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), has pushed the art of stop-motion animation to new heights in Coraline. It is a wonderful sophisticated surreal fantasy, a noble magical quest against evil, shot in 3D. It is so well told that I quickly forgot I was looking at puppets. I became engrossed in every moment of the young heroine’s adventures. Along the way she meets wonderfully inventive creatures including flowers that talk, eccentric humans, bizarre spirits and other unusual things. The girl is bright and lovable so it is easy to emphasize with her as she explores her new home, a Victorian mansion with a magic garden. This mysterious Lewis Carol-like feature opens Feb. 6.

          My eyes were riveted to the screen the entire time. One of the first images is a long shot of the mansion that shows off the depth of the enormous set. It also hints that this will not be a Psycho-type horror film as you can barely see a strange looking acrobat doing exercises on the steep roof. What follows is a story constantly full of surprises including a circus performance with trained mice. The voice talent is exceptional and Skywalker Sound provided the finishing touches.

The well-constructed screenplay was written by Henry; based on the bookCoraline by Neil Gaiman. I consider the film better than Nightmare Before Christmas (both are terrific films) and this leaves no doubt in my mind that when given the proper property and budget Henry can be an exceptional director.

                Parents should be aware that the film’s script is scary at times, just as the climax to Disney’s Snow White is scary. This is a dramatic Gothic fantasy with many intense moments, but Henry avoids gross visuals or ugly violence. It is rated PG “for thematic elements, scary images, some language and suggestive humor.” The film is distributed by Focus Features (Milk, Burn After Reading).                                 

                                            *KARL COHEN is editor for ASIFA San Francisco.  Contact:  karlcohen@earthlink.net