Curious young Coraline (Fanning) unlocks a mysterious door in her family's new home and is transported to an alternate universe that strangely resembles her own - only better. But when her Other Mother (Hatcher) doesn't want Coraline to return to reality, our heroine must summon all her courage and ingenuity to go home and save her family. The breathtaking stop-motion animation is based on the best-seller by Neil Gaiman. - (Alert)
Coraline Jones finds a magical world that is similar to her own, but when her "other parents" try to get her to stay, Coraline must look for a way to return to the real world. - (Baker & Taylor)
Video Librarian Reviews
Contrary to popular belief, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas wasn't directed by Burton, but rather by Henry Selick, an imaginative craftsman whose bizarre sensibilities are perfectly suited to this 3D animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's twisted YA novel. The story kicks in when the titular ‘tween (voiced by Dakota Fanning)—who lives a dull life in a dreary boarding house with her inattentive workaholic parents (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman)—discovers an entrance to a parallel dimension where the counterparts of her mom and dad are cheerful and engaging. Delighted with the "new" versions of her folks and other friends she makes, Coraline is entranced by this brave new world—until finding out that she's trapped and that her Other Mother plans to remove Coraline's eyes and replace them with sewn-in black buttons! A grisly prospect, to be sure, inspiring the girl to craft an ingenious but difficult escape. Beautifully executed in the manner of old-fashioned stop-motion animation, Coraline boasts a plot that seems simple in outline, but reveals multiple layers as this parable about a dissatisfied little girl looking for greener grass progresses. Earning its PG rating, the nightmarish, expressionistic imagery here may be too intense for very young children. Recommended. (E. Hulse) Copyright Video Librarian Reviews 2009.