2/4  Review - Coraline (2009)
Nearly sixteen years after the long forgotten and then suddenly remembered again The Nightmare Before Christmas, director Henry Selick released another beautifully filmed stop-motion film: Coraline. He did make James and the Giant Peach an... (read full)

3.5/4  Coraline Review
I wanted to see this movie when it came out, finally got the chance renting it. The story is pretty complicated to explain, it's one about a girl named Coraline who has moved into a new house with her family and meets with a ton of colorfu... (read full)

  An enjoyable, escapist fantasy
Right from the start, the 3D experience was mesmerizing. During the introduction sequence, when a doll is being sewed, I thought I could feel the doll if I just stretched my hand out. This is one movie where the 3D experience was definitel... (read full)

3/4  Pretty good
A pretty good movie, entertaining enough for adults and for kids. I'd probably have a child read the book first before watching the movie, there are some images that can come off as frightening. The animation was great and the story had ju... (read full)

3/4  Creepy Lil Film
First off, excellent film. Can't complain. It's almost as good as 'Nightmare Before Christmas.' Which says something, but if this film was ment for little kids... Holy hell. It scared me a little and I'm 17, haha. It's a good film, the the... (read full)

3/4  Not Caroline
The book it more enjoyable than the movie, but the movie is great. I read one of Neil Gaiman's books a long time ago, 'Neverwhere' and loved it. So, I'm at Port Authority in NYC waiting for my bus and walk into the book store and notice ... (read full)

3/4  Coraline Quick Review
Wonderful stop-motion animation combined with a pretty good story. My only problem is the voice talent seemed off - not bad per se, just a little flat. Still, for the visuals alone it's worth a watch.

  Coraline Quick Review
It was an interesting movie to say the least. Me and my friends can only say that there wont be really another movie like it... I really wouldnt remeccommend it for children as it is to believed to be for.

3.5/4  Coraline Quick Review
Great 3D, great animation, so-so story. We were happy to see that there was no smoking in this film! Coraline got a SmokeScreeners rating of No Butts. For more information visit www.smokescreeners.org

3/4  Coraline Quick Review
I thought it was a very creative, cute, and highly entertaining movie.

3/5 Delightlfully Trippy Movie, But Don't Be Enticed by the 3D Feature Alone
  by K. Carlson
My husband and I rented the dual sided version of the film a couple days ago as well as bought two pairs of the dual color 3D glasses.

The film was absolutely beautiful designed and animated. It was also delightfully balanced between trippy and creepy. I'd definitely say that if parents have young children, they should preview the film prior to showing it and use their personal judgment. The narrative has the same threads of menace that haunts original Brother's Grimm tales. The film at times can be rather disturbing. My husband and I humorously traded off with the line, "That is messed up!" several times through out the film. My only critique with the film is that the resolution falls too swiftly and maybe too neatly into place.

The reason my review is three stars is that I fail to see the reason behind packaging the DVD with a 3D version of the film. Even on a HD plasma with unimpaired vision, the dual colored glasses just did not work for me at all. I knew going in that the home television would lose the incredible effect of what dual projection in a theater could create, so I didn't have high expectations. I was merely curious if the industry had gotten better at implementing it over time.

I went in to watching the 3D version expecting to at least get a sense of scene depth similar to an old school View-Master. Unfortunately, I didn't even get that. None of the 3D effects worked for me. Even with a darkened room, my eyes would water while they constantly fought to refocus and make sense of the dual colors. I had to stop watching after about twenty minutes in, because my eyes were just exhausted. The 3D versions also dulls the color scheme. This really doesn't do the original film justice at all. It was rather shocking to see the vivid color difference switching from 3D to the 2D version.

In Conclusion: Skip the 3D gimmick and enjoy the 2D version.

4/5 DVD & BLURAY specs
  by T. El-khateeb (JORDAN)
Universal Studios Home Entertainment have announced the US DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of Coraline on 21st July 2009. Based on the book by Neil Gaiman, this stop-motion animation written and directed by Henry Selick follows an adventurous girl who finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets.

Available on single-disc DVD, two-disc Collector's Edition DVD and Blu-ray Disc, all include both the 2-D and 3-D version of the main feature and come packaged with 4 pairs of 3D glasses. Features are outlined below...

Single-Disc DVD

* 2-D and 3-D Presentations
* 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
* English, French and Spanish DD5.1 Surround
* English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles
* Feature Commentary with Director Henry Selick and Composer Bruno Coulais


2-Disc Collector's Edition DVD - As above plus a bonus disc with the following content:

* Digital Copy of Coraline 2-D Version (Expires 07/31/2010)
* Deleted Scenes
* The Making of Coraline
* Voicing the Characters


Blu-ray Disc - This is a Blu-ray Combo release which comes bundled with a standard-def DVD that includes the 2-D version of the film (AV specs as per the DVD releases), audio commentary, and a Digital Copy of the film. Features include:

* 2-D and 3-D Presentations
* 1080P 1.85:1 Widescreen
* English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
* French and Spanish 5.1 DTS Surround
* English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles
* U Control - Picture in Picture (2-D Feature Only)
* U Control - Tours and Voice Sessions (2-D Feature Only)
* U Control - Picture in Picture Animatic (2-D Feature Only)
* Deleted Scenes
* The Making of Coraline
* Voicing the Characters
* Creepy Coraline
* Feature Commentary with Director Henry Selick and Composer Bruno Coulais
* D-Box
* BD Live - My Scenes Sharing
* BD Live - The World According to Henry
* Disc 2: DVD with standard-def 2-D version of the film, audio commentary & 2-D Digital Copy of the film (expires 31st July 2010)



4/5 Delightfully creepy
  by wiredweird (Earth, or somewhere nearby)
This uncommon animation starts with tween-aged angst, the kind that demands independence but still wants mom and dad close by. Her busy parents don't have much time for her, though, and her new, remote home doesn't offer much reward for her explorations (other than some rather kooky neighbors). So, even if it's not wholly conscious, Coraline wishes for a nicer place and parents that pay more attention.

As the movie's tagline says, "be careful what you wish for." Like Alice down the rabbit hole, Coraline finds a secret passage to a more magical place. Soon, however, the magic turns dark. That's where the brilliant animation really comes into its own. The stop animation (or at least the look of it) bring to mind Tim Burton with a macabre touch of Brothers Quay. You know your child best - skittish ones might find some of the imagery a bit much. Still, kids' stories (like Alice in Wonderland) have always had dark edges. That deliciously spooky sense, plus some great animation, really set this movie apart from the usual.

-- wiredweird

4/5 Another Stop-Motion Dandy!
  by E K Maxmias (Close enough to Detroit!)
As a big fan of stop-motion animation (using physical objects), any time a stop-motion film gets wide distribution I celebrate. Simply put, stop-motion animation is my favorite film making medium. I did it as a kid and I appreciate its unique place in the world of film art today. Unlike 2d cell animation (Disney style), 3d stop-motion animation seams to be finding a place in the computer driven world of feature films. Though not specifically advancing the art of stop-motion animation, Coraline dutifully keeps it alive for all the right reasons.

WARNING: RISK OF SEVERE GEEK JUICING BEYOND THIS POINT!!! PLEASE WEAR EYE PROTECTION!!

STOP-MOTION = CREEPY
If you want a fantasy to be creepy, inject a little stop-motion and you will be successful. If you look back at prominent films that employ Stop-motion it becomes clear: Corps Bride, Nightmare before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Wallace and Gromit, the Curse of the Were Rabbit, Chicken Run and everything Ray Harryhausen did. Stop-motion usually equates to creepy or fantastic. Most fans of the technique would agree that it's the slightly jerky and awkward movements that contribute to the surreal and eerie feel that is so effective in these films. "Coraline" is a very creepy film and even more so for employing stop-motion.

TAKING A STEP BACK FROM "CORPSE BRIDE"
In my humble opinion "Corpse Bride" was the best feature film done entirely in stop-motion. As the first film to use digital still cameras to animate 3d objects, "Corpse Bride" set the standard for character expression, meaningful movement and Stop-motion artistry. "Coraline" takes a slight step back from "Corpse Bride" in its animation technique. Things don't move quite as smoothly. Characters don't have the same sense of weight or expressiveness. All of that aside, "Coraline" is still an excellent piece of art and I enjoyed watching it despite not meeting "Corpse Bride" standards.

MOVING A STEP AHEAD OF "CORPSE BIRDE"
Where "Coraline" advances the art of film making may not be in stop motion particularly, but rather in its hybrid technique use. "Coraline" may well be the first film to combine stop-motion with CGI and very effectively in my opinion. Many people revile CGI due to over-reliance on it by many in the film industry. Very often films start to look like video games. In "Coraline" CGI is used strictly as a background device. Some might call this "cheating", but I can't imagine how this film could be achieved as effectively without it. As much as I love stop-motion, CGI has its place and this was a creative place to use it.

ACTORS WHO DON'T SING
"Coraline" is unique for a stop-motion film in that there are no extraneous musical numbers in the place of conversation. That does not mean there is no music at all, it just means that the music occurs when it might in reality: While someone plays the piano, in a theater, and at the Circus. I was taken aback when the characters broke out in song during "Corpse Bride". I never expected it and it took a couple of viewings to get used to it. In Coraline the music was natural and unobtrusive. Though I've never heard Dakota Fanning (Coraline) or Teri Hatcher (Mom 1 and Mom 2) sing, I'm not disappointed I haven't yet. They both did excellent work here with Hatcher being the surprise of the day. She personally made the "Stepford Wives" look downright inviting. I don't want to take the time to talk about all the actors, though I should mention all involved make significant contributions.

WHAT ABOUT THE STORY "GEEK-MIAS"?
I enjoyed the story quite a bit. The question is, will you? Here's how my family received this film.
WIFE: she doesn't like being reminded of her own mortality, so she was not too thrilled with a story that has dead children in it. She thought the movie was ok but didn't like the subject matter.
SON: as a sensitive 6 year old, he was somewhat frightened by it. He liked the format and the fantasy, but was less than thrilled with the bugs and scary stuff, same as my wife.
DAUGHTER: She liked it. As a 10 year old, she related a lot to Coraline because she's close to the same age and has awful parents just like Coraline... ...wait, did I say that? Regardless, I've raised her to enjoy scary stuff so she was with it. She thoroughly enjoyed it.
ME: I love stop-motion and the story was original enough to keep me guessing. There were dead children, so peril was well established. There are plenty of quirky (crazy) characters and plenty of creepy stuff too, so I was well satisfied.
THE 4 YEAR OLD SITTING NEXT TO ME: "Mommy, I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE THAT AGAIN!!" I guess she didn't like it. That warmed my heart.

LIKE THE CHILDREN OF "HAMLIN", I'M HOOKED
Though not reaching the heights that "Corpse Bride" did, "Coraline" immediately went on my DVD wish-list after leaving the theater. Seeing it in 3D was really not important and actually a distraction. Seeing it without the glasses is fine. The story is dark like many fairy tales and harkens back to the "Pied Piper of Hamlin" which creeped me out as a kid, so your kids might be a little disturbed. For fans of stop-motion, it's a reason to smile.

-Story...............4 Stars
-Animation..........4.5 Stars
-Characters..........4.5 Stars
-Family Appeal...3 Stars

Total.....3.87 Stars


5/5 The 3D Works.
  by Emad Khan (Chicago, IL United States)
I was let down when I saw the paper glasses that it comes with. I was expecting clear, transparent 3D glasses but the glasses that it comes with have Pinkish and Greenish lenses.
But after watching the movie with glasses I found that they worked pretty good. I haven't seen Coraline 3D in theatres, but I was blown away with some of the 3D scenes. The glasses do take away the bright vibrant colors (not too much though, Coraline's bright orange coat and Blue hair were still vibrant) but add a completely new feel and mood to the movie that's very appropriate for it.
Some people have said that only a few selected scenes are in 3d. I didn't feel this at all. The entire movie was in 3D. Maybe a couple close up scenes where there wouldn't be too much depth to begin with may be 2D, ( I don't know) But the rest was completely 3D.
I watched the movie on Blu-ray and on an HD TV. That's the only way to get the best picture possible.
There are almost 2 different version of Coraline. The 3D and the regular versions. They both create two completely different experiences. When watching in 3D, you feel like you've been transported into a different world that's gloomy and dark. In 2D Blu ray, you get to observe the same world with rich details that aren't visible in the 3D.
So this is defiantly worth buying. The 3D is not as good as the theatres but still works splendidly.