Review – Coraline

I genuinely enjoyed this movie. Henry Selick – the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas – once again proves his gifts for both storytelling and the technical aspects of stop motion animation. Coraline is bored and frustrated in her family’s new house until she discovers a secret door that leads to an alternate version of her life in which everything is perfect and everyone has buttons for eyes. Needless to say, something’s wrong here. The production is full of pretty, odd little moments that are endearing without being cloying. And though it contains a line or two that will go over most pre-teens’ heads, this isn’t as vulgar as some kids-and-adults-both productions. For some reason – perhaps the voice work by Dakota Fanning – this reminded me of My Neighbor Totoro. That’s a good thing, because both productions do an excellent job of being clever and entertaining while avoiding many of the pitfalls that often ruin animations designed for family audiences. Worth seeing