From the moment she sprints out of the front door with her banana-colored raincoat and purple hair, the titular heroine of "Coraline" makes one thing clear: It won't be easy to keep up with her. Coraline proceeds to lead us through deep woods with Tim Burton-esque trees, a wondrous, blooming garden, a miniature circus performed by mice and into the depths of a spider's web. All of this just happens to take place in 3-D.
Bored with her new living situation in Oregon, separated from her only friends and removed from familiar surroundings, Coraline stumbles through a small door into another world, the world of the Others. At first, this discovery seems like a mirror image of her life in the present, except better. Everything that Coraline hates about her new life is turned upside down. It's the perfect arrangement — until she notices her Other family's eyes or, more accurately, their buttons for eyes.
"Coraline" is funny, creepy and everything in between. Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French from "Absolutely Fabulous" entertain as the fading comedic duo of Miss Spink and Miss Forcible with their army of angel dogs and dog bats. The quirky ringleader Mr. Bobinsky (voiced by Ian McShane) teaches Coraline how to have fun. When the Other mother, (Teri Hatcher from "Desperate Housewives") is unraveled, one can't help but shudder.
It is remarkable that "Coraline" does not have to be a movie specifically for children. Coraline (Dakota Fanning) is a believable, clever young girl caught in a magical, frightening fantasy like that of "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006), but without the violence or historical context. Her determination and curiosity reflect the core of every childhood experience, though for Coraline, the experience has greater consequences. When Coraline's world collides with the world she once wished for, she is forced to become a grown-up in minutes.
With stunning visuals and jaw-dropping set design, the stitching of Coraline's journey is itself a feat of cinematic history. At 100 minutes, "Coraline" is the longest stop-motion animation feature film to date and is also the first stop-motion feature shot completely in stereoscopic 3-D.
The 3-D component is not so much the jumpy, frightening stuff seen in many of the thrill rides at places like Disney World. The purpose of 3-D in this movie is to provide even more depth to the characters and the environments. Without 3-D glasses, viewers may not be so absorbed in many of the bizarre shapes and sizes in the film.
The creative inspiration for the world of "Coraline" stems from Neil Gaiman's award-winning novel of the same name. Director Henry Selick, the mastermind well-known for "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) and "James and the Giant Peach" (1996), seamlessly weaves Gaiman's original vision and his distinct style together for this screen adaptation.
Anyone who enjoys an escape from the real world once in a while and anyone who has ever identified with Harry, Dorothy, Alice or the Pevensie children as they slipped into their own alternate universes will surely enjoy tagging along in "Coraline." With the upcoming 3-D releases of the Tim Burton-produced "9" (2009) and Pixar's "Up" (2009), it seems as if this is the direction in which the animation industry is heading. "Coraline" then serves as a perfect transition into the magical world of 3-D animation, almost identical to the world we know, but with a twist that leaves the viewer wanting more.
Just a tip: Don't leave until the end of the credits. There's more incredible animation to be had and a special code to enter in an online-only contest to win a pair of Coraline-inspired limited edition Nike Dunks.
