coraline - a review

I officially love Neil Gaiman. (Aren't you proud of me emily p?)

For those who don't know, Neil wrote Stardust - which was one of my favourite movies of 2008. I have a soft spot for any movie that makes me feel like a kid again - but still manages to appeal to the adult in me intellectually/emotionally.

I then read Neverwhere, which is FANTASTIC - and the great thing about gaiman's work is that he manages to always keep the action going, and when you enter these fantasy worlds he's created; they feel real and within arm's reach.

And yesterday I had the pleasure of watching "Coraline" with the wombat. It's about a precocious young girl who moves into a new town...is bored out of her mind, has parents who barely give her the time of day...and is generally, unhappy. She then discovers another world from a sealed shut mini-door in her living door - and enters a parallel universe where she's given all the attention and excitement she desires. (but at a cost, as she would found out...you'll never look at buttons the same way again)

For a bit under two hours, I was mesmerized by the gorgeous stop motion work (puppets, frame by frame....MADNESS!!!!), which was also enhanced by CGI - making it an absolutely magical to look at. The music was also incredibly haunting and whimsical...creepy children's voices singing an unknown language and some crazy piano playing and string.

The best thing about the film is that it never tries to moralize - it could have easily gone that way and instead it just told the story. I couldn't help but think about the futility of dwelling in unhappiness - and the importance of working through the present, with a joyful heart and less complaining :) And of course - boy am I glad I don't have buttons as eyes...