I have always been a fan of stop motion animations and particularly the dark macabre films of Tim Burton such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. Coraline which is adapted from the book by Neil Gaiman is done in the same film style as these films and is brought to us by director Henry Selick, the same man who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Coraline is a visually stunning and unique film that follows the title character (voiced by Dakota Fanning) whose family has moved into a new house that has some dark secrets.

The DVD version of the film has a 3D special edition which I highly recommend as it lends even more to the ominous and disturbing atmosphere of the film. At first seeming a little slow paced as Caroline learns her new environment, meets her new friend Wybie, and discovers a blocked passage behind a small door in one of the houses rooms.

The film is darker than any previous stop motion film by Henry Selick and is not for little kids, I really wasn’t aware just how much of a spooky vibe the film bestows until my six year old practically balled in fear and couldn’t sleep at night after watching it.

You are literally sucked into the strange world with Coraline, knowing something bad will happen and hoping Coraline figures it out before its too late. No doubt about it, Coraline is a superb film that is highly original, creepy and one of the best films I have seen in 2009. Dragon Blogger rates this film 4 out of 5 stars.

-Dragon Blogger

No related posts.