Coraline at 10
argues for that respect while all the while being a movie about children but not only for children.
At the end of 2009, “Coraline” would be eclipsed by another key moment in 3D film when James Cameron’s “Avatar”y would premiere. Despite the billions it generated at the box-office, Cameron’s work has descended into an awkward punchline even though it and Coraline – for different reasons – emerged as essential parts in the rise of 3D. Both films are still, easily, two of the most dependent on 3D. They both reveal how 3D works so well when zeroing on production design as evidenced by world-building. Selick’s adaptation (he directs and writes the film) improves, in some ways, on Gaiman’s story. In the original story, Coraline realises early on that something is amiss but in the film her realisation is postponed. The number three becomes a key to her adventures as her journeys to the other world become more enchanting with each visit. The real world is marked by a straightforward dullness, the fantasy world by a dizzying and disorienting smorgasbord of colour.
There have been excellent films pitched for children in the last ten years. “Coco” was moving and earnest, “Moana” is a call to arms for young girls and Pixar’s “Inside Out” turns philosophical concepts to children in keen ways. The closest amalgamation of horror and animation happened three years later when Tim Burton (who worked with Selick on “The Nightmare before Christmas”) directed the sly fantasy “Frankenweenie”, but Burton’s interest in horror via animation is more self-referentially comedic than earnestly serious. Even when “Coraline” amuses, it is clear-eyed and aware of its depth both in story and form that distinguishes it. Coraline, our heroine, is a regular young girl. She is not cutesy or ideal or even idealistic and oftentimes is meanspirited,
grumpy and trying. Her parents mean well, but constantly ignore her. The film’s ethos is not to reach a perfect world but to instil Coraline with the realisation of her own limitations. It’s chilly stuff for children and yet feels essential, especially for its unusualness and for its message, which is distinct but not moralistic. More of thoughtful fable than a fanciful fairy story.
There’s a scene towards the climax when a spiderlike figure begins to combust, giving way to one of the most terrifying shots I’ve seen in an animated film. The shot is terrifying both for its animated skill but for the chilling way the combustion signals a jarring uneasiness
in the story it tells. That is the secret of this movie. From the inventive score of Bruno Coulais (punctuated by a children’s choir singing nonsense phrases) to the committed cast of performers (Teri Hatcher, as both Coraline’s Mother and her Other Mother, has never been better), “Coraline” leans into the fantasy but not into the easily digestible. This is complex and thoughtful filmmaking made all the better but its glorious animation. We’ve been lucky to enjoy to some great animation in the last decade, but “Coraline” is my easy pick for the best.