Coraline is based on Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling book and is helmed by The Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick.
A young girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life - only way better. But when this wondrously off-kilter adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit other mother (voiced by Teri Hatcher) tries to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her stubborn determination and the aid of her talking black cat to get back home.
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
When Coraline Jones and her parents move into a house in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forests and foreboding hills, there is something immediately unsettling about the place. When she discovers a secret tunnel, much like Alice in Wonderland with a touch of Being John Malkovich, we fall straight into a child’s dream – intoxicatingly magical yet with more than an undertone of menace.
Henry Selick’s (The Nightmare Before Christmas) stop-motion animation is beautifully crafted – the real puppets and lighting effects smother the film with thick atmosphere. 3D technology allows for seamless immersion into the fantasy world – a highlight is when Coraline first opens the magic door and watches as the tunnel extends before her into the distance.
The musical score, by Frenchman Bruno Coulais, is exceptional. It’s a combination of European classical (recorded by the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra and the Children’s Choir of Nice) and experimental electronic that creates an eerie tone where everything feels fantastical yet slightly uneasy.
Neil Gaiman’s original story doesn’t quite leave us with a climax to top the set-up, but closes with the feeling of waking from a dream. This animated fairytale is visually dazzling, fun and weaves an atmosphere somewhere between magical and creepy. Coraline gives us an adventure to invigorate the imaginations of young and old.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
This is a gloomy film with weird characters doing nasty things. I've heard of eating chocolate-covered insects, but not when they're alive.
Terrifying and beautiful, believable and fantastical, this is one of the best children's films in years and Selick's finest -- better even than "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
This is a marvelous family story, tapping into all sorts of childhood dreams and nightmares involving Mommy, monsters and heroic youngsters. Selick's imaginative sets and puppets are in perfect pitch with Gaiman's fantasy.
A remarkable feat of imagination, a magical tale with a genuinely sinister edge.
Coraline lingers in an atmosphere that is creepy, wonderfully strange and full of feeling.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 6th Aug 2009.
Release date: August 6th 2009.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
