My review of Coraline

I must say, I never thought that I would watch a movie on my laptop wearing 3-D glasses but I just have. I am also writing some of the review with the glasses on..long story on that one.


Well, as anyone who has seen this movie knows, this movie is not for kids. In an upcoming video review of mine, I reference this film a bit and compare it to the film I will soon post a video review of.

Acting/characters: Good voice acting here. Dakota Fanning played Coraline so she had to carry the whole film. If you pick a bad Coraline, the whole film goes to pot. But, she did a very good job so it was incredibly good. The second voice actor that they needed to cast that needed to do a good job was the mother/other mother. Teri Hatcher did a very good job with it. If Coraline and the Other Mother are cast well, that's 90% of it right there. Both did a good job. The rest of the cast did well too, but I liked them the best. 9/10

Plot: Not for kids. It wasn't dark so much as disturbing. Very disturbing. Not a kids film in any way shape or form. Just because it it animated, that doesn't mean that it is for kids. Now, I think this one may think that it is for kids, but it is too disturbing to be a kids film. Aside from that, it was a very well done and original plot (based off of a book) that I enjoyed very much. They did very well bringing the plot to life in a good way. The moral isn't so original; "Be careful what you wish for" but that is hardly a bad thing. It was very well done. 9.5/10

Screenplay: Like the rest of the film, it was very well done. It was nice to see a good one for a change. It did a good job complimenting the plot as opposed to some other movies where the screenplay just takes it and makes it worse. but this one was very well done. 9/10

Likableness: It was a very likable film once you got past the fact that it isn't a film to bring home to your 8 year old. You know, I think that animation might be the last true artistic form of film that may be above the rest of the money grubbing that other films do. Animated film, for the most part, is above all of that. It will be nearly impossible to remake stuff like the Pixar films. With the exceptions of animated sequels, animated films are generally original and so the makers put more effort into them. They actually try to craft it with care. In the case of Pixar, they love making the movies and they care about the finished product so we love to watch them. Coraline is an artistic film with amazing visuals. It was made to be more than just quick cash (it takes too much work in a film like this to be just quick cash) it had heart to it. Props to that. 9.5/10

Final Score: 37/40 92% (N)


TRIVIA TIME: 1. At one hour and forty minutes long, this is the longest stop-motion film to date. Also, it is the first stop-motion animated feature to be shot entirely in 3-D and this film marks the first time that a stop-motion animated morphing sequence has ever been accomplished. The sequence runs for 130 frames, or nearly six seconds.

2. The original sweater the design team had designed for Coraline's father sported a big maize-and-blue University of Michigan logo. However producer Bill Mechanic decided to change the design in favor of his alma mater - Michigan State.

3. The 'Ranft Bros. Moving Company' that moves Coraline's family into their home, are based on real-life brothers Jerome Ranft and Joe Ranft. Both brothers did work on The Nightmare Before Christmas with Director Henry Selick. The mover at the front door (who is given the $1.00 tip) is modeled after Joe Ranft.

4. The band They Might Be Giants wrote 10 songs for the movie, but a change in tone from a musical to more dark production meant that all but one was cut; a scene in which Coraline's other father sings along with a piano features John Linnell's voice. The band has said they will release the other songs created for the movie in other projects, including albums.

5. Mr. Bobinsky is wearing the Russian Hero Medal for Service at the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster on April 26, 1986. Which reads on the front "Participant in the clean-up campaign" The "4A3C" indicates "Chernobilskaya Nuclear Power Plant." This medal is unique as it is the only medal in the world awarded for participation in a nuclear clean up. That might explain his skin complexion and odd behavior.

6. The face on the dollar bill given to the mover for a tip is director, Henry Selick.

7. The Coraline shoot lasted over 18 months, following 2 years of pre-production.

8. To construct 1 puppet of Coraline, 10 individuals had to work 3-4 months. Overall, for the character of Coraline, there were 28 different puppets of varying sizes; the main Coraline puppet stands 9.5 inches high.

9. In a deleted portion of the table scene where Coraline's (real) father sings to her, he laments, "I think I have a virus." Coraline's father is voiced by John Hodgman, perhaps more famously known as "PC" in Apple's "I'm a Mac" advertisements, where he often complains of being susceptible to viruses.

10. One crew member was hired specifically to knit miniature sweaters and other clothing for the puppet characters, using knitting needles as thin as human hair.

11. The model of the Father was based on Ted Raimi

Dude what the.....

Remember, this is a kids film...NOT!!!