Imagine for a moment that you have discovered a door to another reality. This world would be extremely close to the every day living that you experience right now, except for one small difference. Every aspect of the world around you has improved considerably. Would you choose to stay in this pleasant replication of your known reality, or will you go home and tough it out despite the imperfections? This is the decision that Coraline Jones has to make in Coraline, now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
In an age when CGI screams at audiences from the screen in a desperate attempt to be bigger, better, and more realistic than the rest, Coraline sticks out like a Raggedy Ann in a sea of Tickle-Me Elmos. In argument there are those who would dismiss Ann right out. She can’t kick or vibrate or laugh at you, or even taunt you with her voice chip to encourage more tickles. She was not produced in a matter of moments by a team of robots overseas, and she has never sold out a Christmas show. Simply put, she is, and always will be, just a doll. Raggedy Anne is a doll that is sewn with care, filled with love, and cherished for years to come. She is not the doll that would be forgotten, or thrown away when the batteries ran out of juice. She can live through almost anything that a child can imagine, and goes on to become a cherished childhood friend. In Coraline I was able to find another window to my inner-child’s imagination, a new old friend, and through the bonus features found the irresistible urge to play with dolls.
Coraline Jones has just moved. Her family has rented a space in a sectioned house that leaves a lot to be desired. With parents who are too busy to be bothered, Coraline is left to explore the new surroundings on her own. She discovers a tiny door that leads to a world that is just like her own, only better. Her Other Mother cooks, her Other Father sings, and her Other Garden blooms around her with glowing flowers and dragonflies. The only thing that is not perfect about this other world is the somewhat disturbing fact that everyone has buttons for eyes. Coraline visits the other world several times, but reality sets in when the Other Mother tries to get her to stay forever by sewing buttons onto her eyes. Coraline recognizes the danger that she is in, and must count on her own resourcefulness and bravery to get home.
Coraline was filmed through a painstakingly slow but beautiful process known as stop-motion animation, or frame–by-frame. Stop-motion is the oldest form of animation, but is seldom used today because of the tremendous amount of awesomeness that has to go into every second of the film. Each second contains 24 frames of animation, in which the animators had to go in each frame and move the dolls just a little bit to create a contentious flow from one motion to the next. To top it all off, the animators had to take two photos of each frame, one slightly to the left of the first, in order to get the 3D effect. Classic effects can be seen implemented through out the film, including those two well-known favorites, smoke and mirrors. Dry Ice is used for the fog in some of the outdoor shots. The Ice was filmed separate and layered in as needed, giving the film a real-time environment feel. The gorgeous blue flowers in the garden scene were filmed as a single paper flower with a whole bunch of mirrors around it. The blossoming beauties were then placed in the frames as needed. To learn more about the complexity of effects that went into the production of Coraline, be sure to check out The Making of Coraline available in the bonus features.
Dragonflies and katydids, but mostly chewed up little kids… That is what Coraline is made of. Or was that tigers? It is never addressed in the film exactly what the Other Mother plans to do with Coraline, or what she has done to the unfortunate children who have caught her attention before. One of the highlights of this films experience for me has been the long and sometimes heated discussions at my place of employment on the topic of exactly what it is that the Other Mother does. Some of the creepier elements of Coraline are covered in Creepy Coraline available among the bonus features. Bug collections, Slugzilla, and a box full of rats each contributed in one way or another, and can all be experienced in this fun behind the scenes feature.
The opening credits begin with a lesson in doll making that is beautifully filmed and was a treasure to watch in 3D on the big screen. The finished product is a doll that resembles our heroine, but if you pay attention to the doll that was disassembled to make her, you will notice another character from the film. The opening credits danced and floated off the screen while needles and thread poked at the audience competing for their attention. Sadly the 3D play option at home leaves something to be desired. Because of technology’s current limitations we are unable to utilize polarization style stereoscopy at home. Therefore the 3D effect on the DVD and Blu-Ray is anaglyph, allowing kids the chance to wear the classic two-tone glasses. The effect is not as clear as it was in theatres, with images at times overlapping in the background or separating in the foreground. The color is sacrificed as well, and feels dull when compared to the richness of the 2D feature. I recommend the 3D feature to those who have children that cannot live without their 3D glasses, and individuals who are not prone to headaches.
Special Features
Deleted Scenes – If you have not sat through the final credits humming along to the beautiful creepy music all the way to the end, you might not know that a Samuel L. Jackson doll comes out with one button eye and invites Cor… I mean there’s a really beautiful 3D sequence with dancing ribbon mice. This is available at the end of the credits in both the 2D and 3D version, but the Deleted Scenes reveals the process that it took to create that scene. It was filmed stop-motion, all by one talented animator. Unbelievably beautiful work.
Additional features include The Making of Coraline, Voicing of the Characters, Creepy Coraline and Feature Commentary with Director Henry Selick and composer Bruno Coulais.
Overall
Everything in the film feels like it was created for and lives comfortably within the environment. Each puppet brings a unique characteristic to the film, and if you do not like them in this world you have their presence in the other world to choose from. My favorite creatures are the Scotty-dog-bats due to their creepiness and practicality. While rated PG, this film is definitely creepy for some younger audiences and may cause nightmares of buttons, spider-people, and rats.
ComicsOnline gives Coraline 4 1/2 out of 5 Jumping Circus Mice that go Oom-Pah!
