Coraline

Written by i j

Sunday, 25 April 2010 09:21

Today I come with the first actualization after my Chinese adventure, I’m sorry to make you wait for so long but it has been a very bushy week, Thanks to Marissa Macabre for sending us this movie review, today we talk about…

Coraline by Marissa Macabre

(aka Marissa Jamieson)

If an animal looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, and poops like a duck, it might very well be a duck. In this case, I could have sworn from the opening titles that “Coraline” was a Tim Burton movie—yet it was not!

The 2009 stop-motion film “Coraline” has all of the inner workings of a Tim Burton family horror movie, complete with gothic trimmings. However, it was directed by a chap named Henry Selick, who adapted the screenplay from a book written by Neil Gaiman.

“Coraline” is about the name-sake young only child who moves to a new town with her parents. We’ve all be there before—trying to cut it on our own in a new neighborhood or in a new house when it feels like anything but home. The blue-haired Coraline, who has the voice of Dakota Fanning, nosily meanders around the apartment her parents are renting. She meets the three neighbors in the complex, Mr. Bobinsky, a Russian circus acrobat with a fondness for muschkas (mice) and two old lesbians, who are former actresses. The latter are primadonnas named Miss Forcible and Miss Spink, who have oodles of Scottish terriers running amok. Whenever a pet dog dies, they stuff it and knit an angel costume for its cadaver.

With such idiosyncratic hams in the apartment, you’d think Coraline would stay out of trouble. She also encounters the landlord’s grandson, Wyborne, who befriends her and introduces her to his precious black cat. “Wybie,” as the boy is called, likes Coraline so much, he leaves her a doll that belonged to his grandmother’s late sister. The doll looks strikingly like Coraline complete with blue hair and her yellow slicker, except for one thing—the doll has buttons for eyes.

Coraline finds herself ignored by her parents, who are workaholic gardening magazine writers/editors. When Coraline gets sent to bed without dinner for misbehaving, she takes comfort in the button-eyed doll, which she keeps by her bedside.

The next thing Coraline knows is that she sees precious button-eyed mice skipping from her bedroom to the downstairs living room. The mice prance to a tiny door, which was wallpapered over and has a key to keep it secured. The door opens and Coraline is whisked away into another plane of existence.

Without giving away too many spoilers from this point onward, I will interject that this movie was at times frightening, musical, didactic, and over-the-top in the best ways possible. As Coraline goes on her amazing journeys into the otherworld, the viewer can’t help but squint through the 3-D glasses and imagine oneself right there with her and all the button-eyed freaks.

Teri Hatcher does a great job vocalizing for Coraline’s real mother, as well as her Other Mother, an evil witch. Teri goes from a saccharine-sticky voice to the nefarious voice of a trifling soul-consumer.

Her Other Mother character reminded me so much of the ultimate villain in Stephen King’s “It,” Pennywise the clown. At first, Pennywise gives the façade that he’s around for the spoils and joys for all the girls and boys. But when it comes down to it, he’s really a diabolical spider who eats the souls of children who get lured into his web. The Other Mother turns into an arachnid, web-climber with a pointy back and spiked fingers. She ultimately wants to sew buttons over Coraline’s eyes, eat her soul, and turn her into a ghost. Coraline finally meets three children wraiths who warn her of the Other Mother’s plans; one of the children is Wybie’s dead aunt who was kidnapped years ago.

Of course, aside from the terrifying moments of “Coraline,” there exist magical ones as well. Mr. Bobinsky, the aforementioned circus performer, performs a song for Coraline and the otherworld’s Wybie. He has incorporated hundreds of circus band muschkas for a thrilling performance under a circus tent, each mouse more precious than the one before. And who could forget Miss Forcible’s and Miss Spink’s sea-faring show, complete with waves and scantily-clad mermaid costumes. Their Scottish Terriers, fly around with wings (and even turn into evil bats when they become angry). The two primadonnas literally sweep Coraline out of her seat and put her center stage in their musical act. Very much like Coraline, I too was swept out of my mundane seat and swept into this surreal film.

Gothic Checklist

1) Cemeteries- no

2) Blood- yes

3) Candlelight- yes

4) A Literary background- was a book first

5) A Sinister epic tale- yes

6) Vampires- no, but plenty of vampire (Scottish Terrier) bats

7) Ghosts- yes, three murdered children

8) Evil children- no, just an evil Other Mother, the spidery Mommy Dearest!

9) Victorian clothing- not really, but the three neighbors have elaborate stage costumes

10) High sexuality- none whatsoever. However, the Other Mother’s sales pitch to Coraline is quite seductive.

11) Gothic landscaping- yes, a dreary forest and yard, complete with fog in abundance