STRANGE YET EERILY FAMILIAR... PREPARE FOR ADVENTURES WITH CORALINE

As a general rule, it is safe to say that animations can be divided into three general categories. First, there are the ones that are strictly for kids. This is usually a matter of subject matter more than anything else. Although adults can – and do – watch them, chances are that they will be bored withf them. Secondly, there are the ones for the whole family. This, I find, is generally speaking the largest category. Nothing too bad happens in this lot, but the story is exciting, there are varying levels of jokes, some stuff that the kids may miss but adults will pick up on and laugh at, all in the context of the film of course (I’m thinking “Cloudy with a chance of meatballs” as a prime example). I put those age-old classics like Tom and Jerry into this category as well (be honest with yourself, if you come across a Tom and Jerry cartoon on TV over breakfast, you do NOT change the channel. Why? Because it’s good, old-fashioned slapstick comedy for all ages). And thirdly, there are the “adult” animations. And if by adult you think I mean smut, think again =) these are animated movies strictly for older children and adults. They can either be quite complicated as far as the storyline is concerned or slightly scary (for the kids at any rate). Modern technology ensures that there is a goodly dollop of all three on the markets these days. And one of the latest additions to the third category (well when I say latest it does go back a few years, but still…) is Coraline. Now, just checking out the creative credits gives one high hopes for this film. First and foremost, Coraline is the brainchild of Neil Gaiman, that weird and wonderful person responsible for the creation of so many different worlds… And the director is none other than Henry Selick. Don’t be fooled, you have actually heard of him. I mean, ok, you’ve heard of the Nightmare before Christmas, no? Ok, newsflash, Tim Burton DID NOT direct this. Henry Selick did. Tim Burton produced Nightmare Before Christmas but never directed it. Now, take the mind that created Jack Skellington and his weird world, mix it with Neil Gaiman and what do you get? That’s right, a winner…
Coraline Jones’s life has definitely NOT taken a turn for the better. She and her parents have moved out into the countryside; a sensible move seeing as they are both writers for garden magazines and Detroit is not the ideal place for a garden. But Coraline is lonely, she misses her friends, her parents barely have time to cook, much less to spend time with her and won’t (ironically) even let her go out into the garden to plant things as it makes too much of a mess later. Their only neighbors are two actresses who cannot stop dwelling on the good old days, Mr. Bobinski who is decidedly either mad or drunk (possibly both), their rather terse landlady and Wybie (short for Whyborn) her nephew. Thus, Coraline is seriously disgruntled with her lot until she discovers a mysterious door. The door leads to what seems to be an alternative universe. And as every single aspect of Coraline’s life “sucks” at that point, things over there seem to be nothing but good. Her parents have nothing but time for her, her favorite food constantly fills the house, the neighbors are charming and the alternative universe is filled with nothing but wonder… Coraline is sorely tempted to stay, but as she stays there, this trip to wonderland slowly reveals itself to be a real nightmare… A particularly terrifying one, as her “other mother” will stop at categorically nothing to keep her there… For ever…
First of all, I am a MASSIVE fan of this style of animation. This kind of animation is closer to old style drawing (and I strongly suspected it WAS drawing only some of the special effects in the film makes me think otherwise – if someone knows any better, please give me a nudge). I have categorically nothing against the completely computer simulated versions, but this is not, on any level, pretending to be real. You know, it is a wild, beautiful, completely imaginary world, it has a style to match, and it is NOT afraid to show it. I mean, put aside the subject matter, simply watching the film, and the things you watch on screen afford you pleasure.
As for the story, well, the subject matter is no different from any fantastic tale you can think of – I mean vague parallelisms could even be drawn with Odysseus, you remember the one where they stopped at the island of those sirens but the sirens were in fact monsters that killed the sailors who stopped? Something like that… Not only would the details of this one be completely lost on smaller children, the “bad guys” and what they threaten Coraline with would scare them witless. I mean, think Nightmare before Christmas and put your hand on your heart; didn’t some of the things that happened there give you the creeps on some level? In a good way though. Believe me, even the rather corny “there is no place like home” message buried not too deep in there somehow becomes palatable with this coating… I can quite see why it was up for an Oscar ®