Coraline
In what is poised to be a banner year for animated cinema, the stop-motion fantasy picture Coraline storms out of the gate with its promising blend of technical wizardry and fairytale magic. 2009 is slated to feature several 3-D computer animated movies (such as Monsters Vs. Aliens and Up), as well as The Princess and the Frog, Disney's first traditionally animated 2-D picture since the little-seen 2004 film Home on the Range. Even with so many animated movies on the horizon, it is probably safe to say that Coraline will remain one of the most visually dazzling entries of the entire year. But while the beautifully creepy (or is that creepily beautiful?) visuals soar to iconic heights, Coraline's story unravels in a predictable and uninspired second half that drains the movie of its dramatic potency.
Based on a story by Neil Gaiman, the movie follows young Coraline Jones (expertly voiced by Dakota Fanning), who discovers a mysterious doorway hidden behind wallpaper in her new home. Coraline has moved to a small, gloomy town with her emotionally distant parents and she is in dire need of someone to connect with. She meets Wybie, a boy whose loneliness equals her own, but unfortunately, she finds him more annoying than charming.
She also comes in contact with her eccentric new neighbours who actually live in the basement and attic of the large, old house she has just moved into. The bottom apartment is occupied by two women who used to be performers in lewd stage shows and now share a certain affinity for Scottish Terriers. The apartment in the attic is home to a strange man who was once a circus performance and now entertains himself with his troupe of performing mice. These characters are wonderful additions to the movie, as they offer a heavy dose of humour to balance the story's dark undertones.
Once Coraline's new world is sufficiently explored, it is time for her to enter the realm of the fantastic. One night, she follows one of the performing mice downstairs and to the mysterious door behind the wallpaper. She enters the door and crawls through a tunnel to the other end, where she exits exactly where she entered. She is confused at first, but Coraline soon discovers that she has entered an alternate version of her own world, one where everything is more comfortable and inviting. This alternate world is home to Coraline's Other Mother, who is perfect in every way, with one slight exception: she has buttons for eyes. This may seem a bit odd at first, but Coraline's fears are quickly put to rest when she discovers that her Other Mother serves turkey for dinner and cake for dessert.
From this point on, Coraline divides her time between life in the real world and life in the Other World. Everything is so much better in the Other World, which is clearly a dead giveaway that this seemingly wonderful new place is too good to be true. In these early stages of the story, Coraline's adventures are incredibly entertaining, because the allure of the Other World is truly convincing and the slow reveal of the Other Mother's true nature is genuinely unsettling. But eventually, the story begins to lose its lustre as it gets tied up in explaining the mystery behind this alternate reality and forcing Coraline into the position of saving its innocent inhabitants. In the end, the promise of the Other World's dangers is far more interesting than the execution.
As the story begins to unravel, it begins to lose its sense of originality and becomes rather predictable. But even with the plot transforming into little more than recycled material, the allure of the Other World is always palpable. The imagery is intoxicating and it is very easy to accept that a child could become lost in this world, since everything on its surface is so spectacularly sumptuous.
Coraline is directed by Henry Selick, who employed a similar visual style in the 1993 animation classic The Nightmare Before Christmas. Selick is unable to make the story resonate in the same manner as he did with the memorable adventures of Jack Skellington, but his impressive eye for fantastical grandeur is once again on full display. The stop motion animation techniques at work in Coraline are breathtaking with every passing second, making both the real world and the Other World stand out, even as the story fades into the background.
Despite the shortcomings of the plot, the movie's extensive visual vocabulary and the strength of its young heroine are more than enough to warrant recommending this movie to anyone who appreciates the exciting possibilities of artistic animation. Coraline is a visual extravaganza with a recycled plot, which means that its dramatic impact is weakened, even as it dazzles the senses with enchanting sights and sounds. While the familiar narrative is unable to match the incredible imagination of the imagery, the movie nevertheless succeeds as a visually delicious tribute to the children who bravely battle the things that go bump in the night.
