Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, an 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she mu... Read allWandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, an 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, an 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 8 wins & 46 nominations total
- Coraline Jones
- (voice)
- Mel Jones
- (voice)
- …
- Charlie Jones
- (voice)
- …
- Miss Miriam Forcible
- (voice)
- …
- The Cat
- (voice)
- Sweet Ghost Girl
- (voice)
- Ghost Boy
- (voice)
- Tall Ghost Girl
- (voice)
- Photo Friend
- (voice)
- Photo Friend
- (voice)
- Magic Dragonfly
- (voice)
- (as Emerson Hatcher)
- Mover
- (voice)
- Toy
- (voice)
- (as Christopher Murrie)
- Toy
- (voice)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe character Wybie Lovat is not in Neil Gaiman's novel. He exists so Coraline would not have to talk to herself and so she would have a friend her age.
- GoofsThe house's living room changes places several times throughout the film.
- Quotes
Coraline Jones: How can you walk away from something and then come towards it?
Cat: Walk around the world.
Coraline Jones: Small world.
- Crazy creditsAt the very end of the credits, the words "For those in the know: jerk wad" appear on the screen. This is a clue that could be used on the Coraline website in order to get an entry in a contest that ran during the movie's US theatrical run.
- Alternate versionsThere are two versions available. Runtimes are: "1 hr 40 min (100 min), 1 hr 45 min (105 min) (extended cut) (USA)."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: Coraline (2009)
Before going in to see 'Coraline,' I had read the book on which the film was based. While many acclaimed it for it's storyline, I found it rather dull and predictable. I've been surrounded by fans of Neil Gaiman's work, though so far had never picked up a book written by him (though 'American Gods' did pique my interest).
Going into the film, I was not quite sure what to expect. I had had tastes of the film from the trailers, but the general consensus was that Henry Selick had tarnished Gaiman's story, turning it into 'Disney fodder.' The truth is: the film manages to be both charming and creepy.
For those not in the know, "Coraline" tells the tale of Coraline Jones, who moves to a new town and a house with several strange characters. As well, Coraline's parents just seem to have no time for her, and so she takes to exploring her new abode by herself. In her exploration, she uncovers a small door in the house, which seems to lead to nowhere. But upon revisiting the door late at night, it opens onto a parallel world that is much more whimsical and fun than the real world.
The one difference is that in the 'Other World,' almost all the inhabitants have buttons for eyes. But still, the other parents in this world pay attention to Coraline, and the rather blasé atmosphere of the real world is electrified with color and interesting flights of fancy. It seems just so perfect...or is it? Henry Selick manages to take Neil Gaiman's story, and crafts a world that just seems to take great advantage of stop-motion in a world where the obvious choice would be to go for a totally computer-generated world. Seeing minute details such as Coraline's clothing made of actual material makes the world seem even more magical, where invisible giants manipulate the Lilliputians in this miniature world.
Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, and a number of other vocal actors give voice to a number of wonderful characters, with Hatcher really doing double and triple-duty with her vocal talents. Fanning on the other hand, fleshes out a character that seemed rather dull in Gaiman's work. Her voice gives Coraline the life that I didn't think was possible.
One unsung hero (along with the countless animators who will be passed over in the press junkets) is the composer, Bruno Corlais. Mr. Corlais had never crossed my ears until the screening, but his music lends a touch of brilliance to the film, and makes it seem almost like a European production. Growing up in he US in the early 80's, I saw a number of stop-motion productions from Europe that played on the Nickelodeon show 'Pinwheel.' Corlais' music just transported me to that simpler of times when music didn't need to be 'commercial.' His score really helps to establish the world as well, and uses some instruments that may sound foreign to American ears.
And if anyone is questioning if the 3-D is worth it-it is! This isn't the fly-in-your-face #-D that was seen 2-3 decades ago. It's subtler, but gives dimension to the miniature world of 'Coraline.' I think if you showed this film to a child in 3-D, they'd go home dreaming of creating their own little worlds of stop-motion puppets.
For the year 2009, 'Coraline' so far (as of 2/6/09), is my first enjoyable film experience. I'm hoping my other upcoming film hopefuls (Watchmen, Up, Transformers 2) will also make me feel as positive.
- uruseiranma
- Feb 4, 2009
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Coraline y la Puerta Secreta
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $60,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $114,774,633
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $16,849,640
- Feb 8, 2009
- Gross worldwide
- $172,750,668
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1