Another Dimension

Forget Benjamin:This is Where all the Buttons Have Gone.
by Morgan P Salvo

After My Bloody Valentine I was convinced that every movie should be in 3D. Now that I have seen Coraline I’m not so sure. It’s already so cool to look at with its ingenious concepts and artistic designs, I say why bother? This movie is a psychedelic treat to the eyes and more colorful than anything I can remember. Using stop motion animation puppeteers moved models for something like 32 frames for every second we see, so this movie took about five years to make. The 3D, as effective as it was, almost distracted from the already flawless animation.

Cute and warped—that’s Coraline in a nutshell. This movie sends mixed messages and forms a metaphor about being good in order to get the things you want. Taking a twisted way to achieve this goal Coraline might just be too creepy for kids. Moms, be warned! You will have a lot of explaining to do if you do bring the kids. It’s definitely dark and there are some real blatant sexual themes, including cartoonish fat old English biddies exposing their scantily clad, enormous hooters. But in addition, Moms themselves are depicted in two ways: completely evil or incompetent.
The plot is focused around Coraline (Dakota Fanning), Mom (Teri Hatcher), Dad (John Hodgman) and their questionable move from Michigan to a house in Oregon. Her parents, struggling financially, constantly ignore Coraline. Due to her ensuing boredom she creates a fantasy world, finding a portal to a parallel universe where Other-Mother and Other-Father are more fun than a barrel of monkeys. They feed her good and play cool music. Only problem is that they have buttons for eyes, and want her to have the same. Hey, we all sacrifice something for a better life right? Trying to decide on the best course for her dilemma Coraline goes in and out of dreams and universes, taking us through a circus of wacky characters and some hilarious musical numbers.
Coraline is based on Neil Gaiman’s novel, which won the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers. Director Henry Selik (Nightmare before X-mas) spins this dark tale creating a gothic nightmare hidden under the depths of domestic squalor. The never-ending foreboding overtones rarely leave the screen as Other-Mother and her world plays out in progressing frightening installments. Staying ghoulish throughout, there are some unique deaths including one where these “flying-hornet-humming birds” are annihilated, but they don’t bleed instead turning to dust
The voice-overs are extremely well cast. There’s a know-it-all-cat (Keith David), a crazed Russian gymnast, Mr. Bobinski (Ian McShane, who seems to be having the time of his life) and two super-wacked old ladies Miss Forcible and Miss Spink (Dawn French/Jennifer Saunders) who put on a musical trapeze act that reminded me of Terry Gilliam’s animated hijinx from Monty Python days.
The music shines throughout. I am sure Other-Dad’s piano song is John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants. But the eerie and menacing score by French composer Bruno Coulais incorporates some of the most magnificently beautiful music I have ever heard. Using a pastoral boy’s choir, its cryptic tone will leave a mark.
After a while the narrative seems to lose focus and kind of meanders amidst its extraordinary effects. And by the time the Other-Mother’s true identity is revealed as a sinister Cruella Deville/Freddy Krueger spider woman, well, it was a long time coming.
The wizardry of the animation never disappoints but the 3D isn’t the deciding factor. I think My Bloody Valentine worked so well because real people are doing real things (well kind of), so the 3D heightened reality became surreal. Coraline starts off supremely surreal and stays that way. The 3D only invites you to stay in Coraline’s world to watch and marvel at all the effects. But what a fun and yet disturbing world it is.
If you stick around after the credits you will see the coolest 3D of all, the production company logo.

Coraline in 3D
Starring Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher John Hodgman, Ian McShane, Keith David
Directed by: Henry Selik
 2 ½ stars