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Well, new look to the site... and new stamps for me too...
May as well do a top film to start it all off...
Coraline, an 11 year old girl, has just moved with her parents into a new apartment that was created by segregating an old Mansion. Her neighbours are a little eccentric and Coraline at first has trouble adapting, mainly through boredom.
When she finds a small doorway in the wall that is bricked off, Coraline is a little disappointed that it doesn’t go anywhere… she was hoping for something exciting, interesting, maybe an adventure… but one night, the door opens, and the brick wall behind it is gone…
Quite simply… magical.
On first viewing, I was expecting a Tim Burton clone… the look of the film, animation style especially, and I was expecting another The Nightmare Before Christmas.
What I found though was one of the most engaging animated feature films I’ve seen in a long time.
Brilliantly written in the story stakes, Coraline blends what is essentially a fantasy with genuinely creepy (and even scary) visuals and sequences and makes the whole thing exciting at the same time.
Some of the highly charged scenes had me on the edge of my seat, similar in a way to when The Pale Man chases Ophelia in Pan’s Labyrinth.
There’s also the simple yet wonderfully written characters throughout that bring an air of pizazz to the proceedings.
Coraline getting wound up when people get her name wrong, Mr Bobinski the eccentric Russian who talks of “speaking Mice”, Miss April Spink and Miss Miriam Forcible as Coraline’s (also) eccentric neighbours who own several stuffed Dogs.
It’s very original.
The film also combines many subtle levels of brilliance. The music, general soundtrack, visual styles from one scene to the next that change with the tone of the world that Coraline happens to be in at the time (real world or the “other” world), and voiceover work.
It’s very atmospheric when it needs to be.
Talking of voiceover…
We have Dakota Fanning as out titular Coraline… top notch… you can really feel the intuitive nature of the character through Fanning’s voicework and the more exciting scenes are carried well by her voice alone.
Backing up Fanning are Robert Bailey as Wyborn, Coraline’s only real friend… comedy duo Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French as Miss April Spink and Miss Miriam Forcible respectively, Ian McShane as Mr Bobinski, Keith David as The Cat (great character) and teri Hatcher and John Hodgman as Coraline’s “two sets” of parents…
All give massive character to the, erm, characters and bring the wonderfully animated characters to genuine life.
The action and effects (as such), is fantasy based… but we’re treated to some wonderfully realised set pieces and visuals that add massive charisma (for want of a better word) to the more highly charged and exciting scenes.
The use of light and colour is also a huge factor and very subtle changes between the real world and “other” world are utilised perfectly.
It’s when the people in the other world start showing their real side that the film really comes into its own and makes a massive impression. Even some scenes made me feel a little disturbed at times on first viewing.
May as well do a top film to start it all off...
Review #211, Movie #282
Coraline
Year Of Release
Coraline
Year Of Release
2009
Director
Director
Henry Selick
Producer
Producer
Henry Selick, Claire Jennings
Writer
Writer
Henry Selick, Neil Gaiman
Cast
Cast
Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, John Hodgman, Ian McShane and Keith David
Notes
Notes
Directed by the man behind The Nightmare Before Christmas (yes, Selick directed Nightmare, not Burton), Coraline came about when Selick met Coraline writer Neil Gaiman, just as Gaiman was finishing the book.
It transpired that Gaiman was a fan of Selick’s work on Nightmare, so the two collaborated, albeit with a few changes in the script to make the film longer than the 47 minutes they were originally looking at… and we the audience were treated to this brilliant animated film which went on to being nominated for 21 Awardsincluded in the American Film Institute, the Chicago Film Critics Association, the San Francisco Film Critics Circle, The People’s Choice and the Annie Awards amongst others… eventually winning 10 altogether.
It was also Honoured with special achievement award for Martin Meunier and Brian McLean for their Rapid Prototyping advances.
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It transpired that Gaiman was a fan of Selick’s work on Nightmare, so the two collaborated, albeit with a few changes in the script to make the film longer than the 47 minutes they were originally looking at… and we the audience were treated to this brilliant animated film which went on to being nominated for 21 Awardsincluded in the American Film Institute, the Chicago Film Critics Association, the San Francisco Film Critics Circle, The People’s Choice and the Annie Awards amongst others… eventually winning 10 altogether.
It was also Honoured with special achievement award for Martin Meunier and Brian McLean for their Rapid Prototyping advances.
---
Coraline, an 11 year old girl, has just moved with her parents into a new apartment that was created by segregating an old Mansion. Her neighbours are a little eccentric and Coraline at first has trouble adapting, mainly through boredom.
When she finds a small doorway in the wall that is bricked off, Coraline is a little disappointed that it doesn’t go anywhere… she was hoping for something exciting, interesting, maybe an adventure… but one night, the door opens, and the brick wall behind it is gone…
---
Quite simply… magical.
On first viewing, I was expecting a Tim Burton clone… the look of the film, animation style especially, and I was expecting another The Nightmare Before Christmas.
What I found though was one of the most engaging animated feature films I’ve seen in a long time.
Brilliantly written in the story stakes, Coraline blends what is essentially a fantasy with genuinely creepy (and even scary) visuals and sequences and makes the whole thing exciting at the same time.
Some of the highly charged scenes had me on the edge of my seat, similar in a way to when The Pale Man chases Ophelia in Pan’s Labyrinth.
There’s also the simple yet wonderfully written characters throughout that bring an air of pizazz to the proceedings.
Coraline getting wound up when people get her name wrong, Mr Bobinski the eccentric Russian who talks of “speaking Mice”, Miss April Spink and Miss Miriam Forcible as Coraline’s (also) eccentric neighbours who own several stuffed Dogs.
It’s very original.
The film also combines many subtle levels of brilliance. The music, general soundtrack, visual styles from one scene to the next that change with the tone of the world that Coraline happens to be in at the time (real world or the “other” world), and voiceover work.
It’s very atmospheric when it needs to be.
Talking of voiceover…
We have Dakota Fanning as out titular Coraline… top notch… you can really feel the intuitive nature of the character through Fanning’s voicework and the more exciting scenes are carried well by her voice alone.
Backing up Fanning are Robert Bailey as Wyborn, Coraline’s only real friend… comedy duo Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French as Miss April Spink and Miss Miriam Forcible respectively, Ian McShane as Mr Bobinski, Keith David as The Cat (great character) and teri Hatcher and John Hodgman as Coraline’s “two sets” of parents…
All give massive character to the, erm, characters and bring the wonderfully animated characters to genuine life.
The action and effects (as such), is fantasy based… but we’re treated to some wonderfully realised set pieces and visuals that add massive charisma (for want of a better word) to the more highly charged and exciting scenes.
The use of light and colour is also a huge factor and very subtle changes between the real world and “other” world are utilised perfectly.
It’s when the people in the other world start showing their real side that the film really comes into its own and makes a massive impression. Even some scenes made me feel a little disturbed at times on first viewing.
---
All in all, one of the best animated films I’ve seen. For me, personally, in terms of animated features, it’s up there with Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo, WALL-E and The Incredibles.
Atmospheric, great voiceover and music, edge of the seat when it gets going, laugh-out-loud funny, engaging and even scary at times.
Simply a wonderful film on all fronts.
My Rating: 99%
All in all, one of the best animated films I’ve seen. For me, personally, in terms of animated features, it’s up there with Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo, WALL-E and The Incredibles.
Atmospheric, great voiceover and music, edge of the seat when it gets going, laugh-out-loud funny, engaging and even scary at times.
Simply a wonderful film on all fronts.
My Rating: 99%