A film for children? Coraline is rated PG (UK rating meaning Parental Guidance) but it will scare the willies off any child with an imagination and a little sensitivity.
I grew up with Labyrinth and Dark Crystal, and the original Star Wars saga (weirdly, I saw these backwards – thanks mum and dad – starting with Return of The Jedi, making the saga even more bizarre). I can remember being disturbed by scenes in all of these films. They have creepy elements that defy any attempts to rationalise them in adult life. Coraline has the same madness. These days, I’m older, more desensitized and – I’d like to think – a little more rational, but Coraline still left me feeling a little bit like I’d bought a sherbet dip and discovered it was filled with dead flies. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrifying like Alien or The Exorcist, it’s just unnerving and unsettling. It takes little sacred things from our childhood and twists them slightly; you seem them through the looking glass and you don’t want to look too closely.
BUT, this is the most artistic, boldly creative stop-motion animation probably ever. It’s meaningful too, making Nightmare Before Christmas seem like the Halloween musical that it is. I’d put this in the same class as Belleville Rendezvous; it’s expressive and haunting and a little bit beautiful.
See it in 3D?! I didn’t. I’d like to now, but probably best that wasn’t the first experience; you need to be eased in to this one.
I’m tempted to get some Neil Gaiman books now…to have my button-eyes opened.
Coraline
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