Earlier this year a short clip for stop motion master Henry Selick’s vision of Coraline.
Based on a book by Neil Gaiman and adapted for the screen by Selick, the story is that of Coraline, a bored girl who finds mystery and adventure when she enters a parallel world through a door behind her couch. This new world seems perfect except that her “other” father and mother have button eyes.
I’ve since read the novel that the film is based on and rather unexpectedly, it’s very dark and creepy and I was a bit mystified as to how it would translate onto the big screen but I think I’ve got my answer. From the trailer it looks as though they’ve capture the basic essence of the story but I’m not sure the creepy bits will translate as well (though it’s worth noting we don’t get to see any of those bits so there is still hope that they’re in there). This looks fantastic, more like computer animation than stop motion and Selick really is a master at what he does so yes, I’m rather excited to see it. My single complaint: the gimmick that this is being presented in 3D. I’m hopeful that there will also be a regular release.
Coraline, which stars the voice talents of Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane and Teri Hatcher, opens on February 6th.
Trailer is tucked under the seat!
Yeah, the 3D gimmick is overused. I’m sure it will come along in traditional format as well as many theaters don’t have 3D capability. This looks just alright to me. nothing spectacular or terribly original. I mean a little girl finds a hatch to an imaginative, alternate world. We’ve only seen that premise 624 times before.
Still, this is just the trailer and like you said, we probably aren’t seeing the darker, more creepy, parts. We’ll have to wait and see I guess. I’m sure it’ll make big bank at the box office but if I had to guess right now, we’ll see about a 65-70% at rottentomatoes when all is said and done. Which usually means, ho-hum.
This will be just darling even in 2D. I’m hugely looking forward to this and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. 2009 promises to be a good year for kid flicks, even if UP is as mediocre as it looks.
The trailer is ho-hum at best which is to be expected if they want to try and limit spoilers and not scare the bejeebus out of parents who will then not allow their kids to go see the movie.
That being said I’ve been lucky enough to see several scenes from the film and I think they’ve got something potentialy special on their hands. And Neil seems pretty pleased with it, which is a good sign.
This looks so interesting and good. I’m surprised with it’s calender placement…but who cares. hooray for what has been seen so far!
They were trying for a Christmas release but Selick decided he would rather make sure the film was in the best shape possible then rush it out simply to make money.
Well, I’m actually excited about the 3D, because its not simply a “processed” 3D look – it was actually shot stereoscopically, with two lenses ala what James Cameron is doing to shoot Avatar. Since it is stop-motion and they are photographing live subjects, it will be one of the first stereoscopic features to be seen.
Can’t wait to see the results.
Sweet Coraline Bribe. I want one. please bribe me mr. Studio Marketing Machine.
http://www.despoiler.org/2008/11/17/my-funny-coraline/
Trista DeVries over at 10 Movies to See before you Die managed to catch the sneak-peek of Coraline in 3D last night, I’ve cut a passage from her review that is simply music to my ears on many levels.
“It is actually this particular dichotomy that makes the movie so interesting. Almost ‘anti-Disney’ in its construction Coraline discusses ‘you’re okay just the way you are’ in a way that most filmmakers generally consider to be too complex for today’s children. Director and screenwriter Henry Selick doesn’t turn away from this idea and never dums it down. Wybie is much less fun when he can’t talk, even though Coraline thinks this is pretty great in the beginning. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible are so over the top when actually performing that Coraline prefers the ‘performance’ that is their life. Mr. B succeeds at his attempts with the mice, but loses his eccentricity and charm. This is the type of discerning eye that we want making our children’s movies. This is the type of discerning eye I remember making the movies of my own childhood so filled with wonder. It is this that makes their memory last for me. This is something that Kung-Fu Panda, while a fun movie, simply can’t achieve on the same level. We need to stop pandering to our children, and not pandering is what this movie does so well.”