Review: Coraline

May 8 2009 by The Journal

LANDSCAPE: Coraline (PA: DO NOT REUSE)

THERE’S no place like home in Coraline, the first stop-motion animated feature created in stereoscopic 3D.

Adapted from Neil Gaiman’s best-selling novel by writer-director Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas), this colourful, yet thematically dark, fairy-tale has echoes of The Wizard Of Oz and Alice In Wonderland.

Many cinemas will be screening the film in 2D, but it’s well worth making the effort to catch Selick’s imaginative creation as he intended.

The story revolves around young Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning). One night, she uncovers a secret door leading to a parallel reality called Other World, where her Other Mother and Other Father provide her with all of the love she craves, so she considers staying there for good.

The film falls some way short of the genius of The Nightmare Before Christmas, but is still a hugely enjoyable escapade.