Coraline DVD Review

Published by Jeff Leins on July 20, 2009

The adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Hugo Award-winning novel Coraline weaves a sort of gothic Alice in Wonderland tale of a young girl who discovers an alternate dimension.  The result is a strange experience, which may be delightful for some and disturbing for others.

As director Henry Selick’s third stop-motion production, the craftsmanship is extremely impressive.  The tedious 18-month production resulted in a technical display of fantastic visuals and rich scenery.  Those unfamiliar with the physical repositioning required for stop-motion design might be initially bothered at first by its choppy animation, but will soon settle into its characteristic rhythm.  However, most will marvel at the attention to detail.

Coraline was the first stop-motion animation to be shot entirely in 3-D and may be a bit lacking in its transition to DVD.  Perhaps the awe-inspiring element resided in the third dimension because without the accompanying theatrical spectacle, the story seemed flat and lifeless.

Although rated PG, the adventures of plucky protagonist Coraline may be too creepy or possibly inappropriate for young children.  Nightmarish creatures loom over her and reach their elongated, spidery fingers for her face, a cat claws the eyes off a character, and two retired, well-endowed ladies hint at a past burlesque career.  Without having kids myself, I admittedly don’t know the threshold of scares, but I wanted to warn any parents or potential babysitters popping the disc in for a little peace and quiet.

The plot opens to Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) and her workaholic parents relocating to a rickety apartment in Oregon.  Consumed by computer tasks, her mother (Teri Hatcher) and father (John Hodgman) encourages their only child to busy herself exploring the ancient building.

In her search for amusement Coraline meets a hunchback named Wyborn, a moniker as depressing as the world his imaginative adventures avoid.  Instead she calls him Wybie, a cute nickname to dress up a downer, which seems fitting in this occasionally whimsical story told in an often darker tone.

Her morbid curiosity leads her to a mysterious small door hidden behind the faded wallpaper.  At first it appears bricked over, but a symbolic dream sequence leads her to the portal and a tunnel into an alternate dimension.  There she finds eerie versions of her parents, now cheerful, luxurious, and attentive.  Oh, except they have buttons for eyes.

At first she’s happy in her slanted dream world with a new house, a silent doppleganger of Wybie, and extravagant shows performed by her otherwise odd neighbors.  But soon the lure of the “Other World” seems too good to be true and she hesitates at the proposal to stay forever by replacing her human eyes with buttons.

Audience interpretation of the strange imagery may vary.  A lonely girl’s boring day turns into a night of wild, magical dreams.  Or maybe it’s a more adult allegory for drug-induced trips and the clutches of addiction.  Whatever it means to you, to me it meant a slow drag through a story as macabre and spindly as the “Other Mother.”

Coraline is eye-popping and impressive for stop-motion animation, but will raise eyebrows with a weird style and terrifying tone.

3 out of 5.