Coraline
Stop-motion is not done as frequently as it should be. This is one of the take-away lessons from Coraline. It’s like Gumby on steroids. Good stop-motion, like good CG or hand-drawn animation, opens brand news worlds, or existing worlds in brand new ways. Coraline takes place in the mountains of Ashland, Oregon, and the pain-staking detail in the modeling, both physical and digital, (re)creates the city vividly, with a feel of thread throughout. Grass and hair look and move much like yarn or cloth, adding to the conceit of the story, that a doll made of cloth and buttons is the cause of all of Coraline’s troubles to begin with (not to mention that no one can get her name right). Mostly top-notch voice-acting (Dakota Fanning plays Coraline) and arresting imagery collaborate to produce a finely tuned animated adventure.
Coraline and her parents have just moved to a house in the mountains of Oregon. Her parents are writers and rarely have time for her. Even when they do give her a moment’s consideration, it’s typically to curtly advise her to stop pestering them. A doll identical to Coraline is given to her by Wybie, an annoying boy whose grandmother happens to own the building Coraline lives in. One day, Coraline discovers a door in the wall that has been covered by wallpaper. She begs her mother to unlock it, which she does, only to reveal a thick wall of red bricks behind it. That night, after she falls asleep, some mice lead her back to the door. She finds the door to open up to a long purple tunnel leading to another house, identical in shape and inhabitants to the one she lives in with her parents, only more idealistic than her “Real Parents” and her “Real Home.” After a few nights, she realizes she has more than she bargained for, and thus, the adventure begins, including much trippy (though artsy) cinematography, psychedelic gardens, Van Gogh-inspired night skies, circus mice, a talking cat, and a strong grass-is-not-always-greener theme.
The story is taken from Neil Gaiman’s eponymous novel, which I have not read. However, assuming continuity of major plot points, the similarities between this story and both The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Pan’s Labyrinth are astonishing: a hidden door leads a young girl to a new world where magic reigns and the possibilities are endless. Like those stories, this one, too, is about the power of the imagination and the magic of a good story. A score that seems to be inspired by Thomas Newman at times is very appropriate, and, fittingly, the animators are the first people listed in the final credits. Two more flavors of icing on an already pretty tasty cake.
It isn’t perfect. There are times when it isn’t clear if this is a film for children or adults. On the whole, however, this film succeeds in large part due to a very strong narrative and even stronger animation. It’s a harrowing tale of a young girl’s quest away from, and finally back to, her home. Sometimes we have to leave in order to realize what we had. Indeed, the grass is not always greener. Sailing the whole world round, Chesterton said, one man might arrive back at his original country and claim it for himself, a theme which is both poignant and timely. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need. The film is certainly worth watching, especially if you happen to be a stop-motion fanatic. If you are, this is hog heaven. If you aren’t, this is still a good story well told, something that is nearly always enjoyable and worthwhile.
Rating: 3/4 Stars
