Coraline (2009) Movie Review

***Reader-Submitted Review***

By: Jinnelope Jay
(Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA)

Directed by: Henry Selick
Written by:
Henry Selick (screenplay)

Neil Gaiman (book)
Starring:
Dakota Fanning - Coraline Jones (voice)
Teri Hatcher - Mel Jones / Other Mother / Beldam (voice)
Jennifer Saunders - Miss April Spink / Other Spink (voice)
Dawn French - Miss Miriam Forcible / Other Forcible (voice)
Keith David - The Cat (voice)
John Hodgman - Charlie Jones / Other Father (voice)
Robert Bailey Jr. - Wyborne 'Wybie' Lovat (voice)
Ian McShane - Mr. Sergei Alexander Bobinsky / Other Bobinsky (voice)
Aankha Neal - Sweet Ghost Girl (voice)
George Selick - Ghost Boy (voice)
Hannah Kaiser - Tall Ghost Girl (voice)
Harry Selick - Photo Friend (voice)
Marina Budovsky - Photo Friend (voice)
Emerson Hatcher - Magic Dragonfly (voice)
Jerome Ranft - Mover (voice)
Christopher Murrie - Toy (voice)
Jeremy Ryder - Toy (voice)
Carolyn Crawford - Wybie's Grandmother (voice)
Yona Prost - Shakespeare Rascal (voice)



Coraline can only be described as a rollercoaster, hang on tight or be lost in the ride. This is a creepy, imaginative movie that gets your heart beating fast and your brain puzzled and excited for what comes next. The amount of suspense will literally make you spell bound but the light humor and whimsical attitude of the film should lighten things up a bit.

Coraline is a regular girl of this century and so people tend to get attached to the character quickly. This amazing movie is animated, but it seems so realistic. This movie almost looks like a dark, spooky comic book at times. The characters are so well introduced and the story starts out slow and becomes faster paced by the end, as any good movie should.

The story has a couple very important themes behind it. One falls under the saying "the grass is always greener on the other side". You see Coraline is not happy with her life since she moved away from her home town. Her school sucks, her parents are too busy to notice her and she has no friends. The "other" world created for her seems like a blessing, but things go down the wrong road pretty fast. The next is to be "careful what you wish for". Like the first phrase, most good things have a devilish tinge and that's why Coraline should be much more careful about her wishes.

Henry Selick created this magical movie based on the best seller book "Coraline" by Neil Gaimen. Coraline won many awards, of which they deserve beyond measure including the "Annie's awards" for best music, character design and production design. It also was nominated for a golden globe award and an academy award.

I believe that Coraline is one of the most creative, fantastic and visually appealing films that has ever been created to this very day.