coraline
Some reviews say that Coraline is too dark for a fairy tale, and pretty scary, and not appropriate for kids. These reviewers forget that fairy tales were the original horror shows, before Disney turned them all into musicals. The Little Mermaid commits suicide in the end. Cinderella’s ugly step-sisters mutilate themselves to make that glass slipper fit. Bambi’s mother is shot by a hunter. Alright, so sometimes Disney gets it right.
Coraline is very much the stuff of traditional fairy tales. The absent parents, the secret world, the evil witch, the perilous quest, the wonder, the danger, and the inevitable slide from dream to nightmare. The movie is based on the novella of the same name by Neil Gaiman, and as it happens, dreams and nightmares are his thing. The story is put into the very capable hands of Henry Selick and company, who pull out all the stops to translate the fairy tale to the screen.
Is it a story for kids? I think that depends on your kids. Coraline drops the words “dead children” at least once, which I found remarkable in a culture that has a problem letting cartoon characters bleed when they are shot. I wouldn’t take the six year-old along, but everyone else should enjoy this, including you. There’s no cutesy moral at the end (which some reviewers interpret as a lack of “universality,” whatever that means), just the satisfaction of a defeated evil and a freshly appreciated life.
Is it the best 3D movie you’ve ever seen? I suppose so? How many have there ever been, really? The 3D never feels like a gimmick, and it certainly doesn’t hurt the beautiful visuals.
The movie adds one character that wasn’t in the book. I haven’t actually read Coraline, but being very familiar with Gaiman’s work, the addition is easy to spot. It’s not that the character feels annoying or out of place (in fact, I like what he adds to the movie), it’s just that he’s quite clearly the least Gaiman-ish thing on the screen. Or the most Burton-ish, if you find that more helpful.
Also, Keith David is in this movie, and even if his relatively small role wasn’t billed in the opening credits, I would recognize his voice, because he has the kind of voice that I would recognize if I were completely deaf.
Bottom line? Pan’s Labyrinth with a sense of humor. Cinderella with the hacked feet put back in. A good education in the uses of enchantment. Absolutely worth a trip to the theater.
Commentation
(No Comments)