Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite writers ever. When Coraline came out, I bought it immediately and really liked the dark childrens’ book. It was creepy and whimsical. I’m glad to say that Henry Selick has recreated all that was good in the book for an animated film that is pretty cool its own self.

Coraline tells the story of Coraline Jones, a feisty young girl who moves into a bizarre apartment building (well, it’s a converted house, really) with her workaholic parents. There she meets beyond eccentric neighbors and a scruffy, enigmatic cat. Further exploration reveals a small, mysterious door that leads to, well, that would be telling. Let’s just say that one should remember that old adage, “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side”.

The talented Dakota Fanning provides the voice for Coraline, and her mother is voiced well by Teri Hatcher. If I remember correctly, Michelle Pfeiffer was supposed to have that role. But Hollyweird is a complicated place. Also lending their voices are Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and Ian McShane. I guess he enjoyed working on KUNG FU PANDA enough to wanna do more voice work. Whatever the case, the entire cast is fine.
But obviously when dealing with Henry Selick, it’s the visuals that really shine. As far as I can remember, Selick sticks pretty close to original book illustrator Dave McKean’s art. However the book was in black and white, and the movie is full of vibrant colors and is in Digital 3D to boot! Very nice to look at.

Coraline is a kids’ flick, but it’s pretty dark and even kinda creepy at times. Maybe the younger kids should skip it, but overall, it’s great for the whole family.