Film Review: Coraline

Three words describe this classic adaptation of Neil Gaiman's best-selling children's book. Dark, Twisted and Awesome. I read somewhere how a filmmaker who is making film aimed at kids shouldn't be afraid to be scary. Contrary to popular belief kids will not break they aren't made of glass and Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas)does just that. The graphics are some of the best that i have ever seen and I didn't even see it in 3D. I found out later that it is only playing in 3D at certain theaters. I'm glad that my daughter didn't back out and still wanted to see it.

Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) has just moved into a new house with her parents. Her parents are both poor under paid writers for a popular gardening magazine and are also trying to write there own gardening book. The only problem, they are so busy writing they don't have time to garden or even have time for Coraline for that matter always brushing her aside to work. Her only friends are a neighborhood boy and a stray black cat. The boys grandmother owns the house that Coraline and her family live in but his grandmother will not allow him to step foot inside the house. She is afraid of something inside of it.

Like a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland Coraline finds a small Red door that is locked and that raises her curiosity even more. Doing what kids do best, she bugs her mother long enough she stops what she is doing finds an old skeleton key and tries the door. It opens to revel a solid red brick wall and all hopes of anything exciting happening in the old house have drizzled away that is until late one night Coraline has a vistor in the form of cute little Grey mice. She chases them though her room and down the stairs and she even watches them as they squeeze underneath the little Red door. she opens the door but this time there is no brick wall but a long tunnel with no end in sight. Her eyes light up as this is where the fun begins.