The other mother. The other father. Who among us hasn't in some dark and frustrated moment wished for that "other" life? The one we imagine filled with beauty, where nothing goes wanting, and is populated by those "other" people, the ones who are everything we want them to be rather than their disappointing real selves. That is the haunting world of "Coraline," very much a fairy tale for an adult sensibility, in which animation and wistful thinking dance a spellbinding and frightening web of possibilities. Director Henry Selick's stop-motion film, lingering still in a few local theaters, is a visual feast.
Synopsis of "Coraline" from Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A young girl walks through a secret door and discovers a parallel reality that is eerily similar to the life she already knows, yet deeply unsettling in a number of ways, in director Henry Selick's animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's international best-seller. Eleven-year-old Coraline Jones (voice of Dakota Fanning) is fearlessly courageous, and perhaps far too adventurous for her own good. Coraline and her parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) have recently relocated to Oregon from Michigan. Bored in her new home since her parents are distracted by work and she has yet to make any new friends, Coraline passes the time by exploring her new neighborhood with an annoying local boy named Wybie Lovat (Robert Bailey Jr.). But after paying a visit to her eccentric neighbors Miss Spink (Jennifer Saunders) and Miss Forcible (Dawn French), a pair of aging British actresses, and crossing paths with the outright weird Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane), the precocious young girl becomes convinced that her new surroundings are just as dull as she'd initially suspected. Shortly thereafter, Coraline discovers a hidden door in her new house, and decides to investigate. Venturing into the eerie passageway inside, Coraline emerges into an alternate version of her own reality. At first glance, this strange new world seems even better than the real thing; there her parents aren't distracted by work, and Coraline is always the center of attention. There's even a mysterious Cat (Keith David) that's fascinated by her every move. But when Coraline's button-eyed Other Mother (also Hatcher) attempts to make her stay permanent, the frightened young girl must summon her resourcefulness and bravery in order to find her way back home and save her real family.
Can't wait for the DVD? Then see here if Corline is showing at a theater near you
Opened February 6, 2009 Runtime:1 hr. 40 min.
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders
Director: Henry Selick
Genres: Children's Fantasy, Fantasy
No comments:
Post a Comment