Laika's Wonderful Debut

Rating: 9/10 (18 February 2018)

While there aren't really that many mainstream animation studios that specialize in stop-motion today, the one notable standout besides Aardman is Laika inc. This studio constantly keeps pushing the limits of what stop-motion is capable of while also telling powerful gripping stories with dark themes and intriguing characters. So when their first feature film came out in 2009, it was inevitable that it would get an Oscar nomination. Coraline, based off the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman, was directed by Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick, and what a bang up job he pulled off.
The story itself focuses on a little girl named Coraline Jones who moves into a new home with her family. Once in it, she discovers a parallel world hidden behind a secret door. While the world seems bright and cheery at first glance, it actually contains a dark and sinister secret that Coraline must face to get back to the real world. With a premise like that, there are bound to be some dark obstacles on the way, and the film never shies away from showing the true horrors from the alternate world. From Coraline's other mom and dad, to the buttoned eyes on everyone, to the neighborhood cat who might know more than meets the eye, this film creates a prefect contrast between the real world and the sinisterly dark surreal world.
As for the characters, Coraline herself does start off kinda moody like any child, but she still remains likable enough to sympathize with, and her encounter with the supernatural makes her become very brave and worth rooting for. Her real parents may seem rather moody and slobbish, but they're only looking out for what's best for her, and it's hard not to feel sorry for them given how hard they work to support themselves. Also, Coraline's other mother is one of the creepiest villains in cinema history, as she seems trusting at first, but then becomes one of the freakiest creatures ever conjured up in cinema. Other characters like Wybie, Mr. Bobinsky, April & Miriam and the cat support Coraline to help confront her fears in the alternate world (especially compared to their heinous alternate forms), and they're memorable enough to leave an impression from their eccentricities alone.
Even for a first time feature by a then brand new studio, the animation is very impressive. It's able to create a unique contrast between the gloomy real world and the alternate world. While the alternate world looks somewhat colorful, bright and creative at first, its true colors shine with many neutralized and grim backgrounds and colors that really help bring out the dark atmosphere to all new heights. The characters themselves look somewhat grotesque yet still look appealing, the character animation is very smooth and lively, and the sets look fantastically well crafted. Even the effects (which were either done by hand or on computers) stand out from how vibrantly sketchy and twisted they look.
When I think of a dark fantasy film for the whole family, this is what I think up of. A film where its creativity in visual imagery starts off sweet and charming, but then takes the huge risk of showing a whole new world with disturbing creatures to show kids the meaning of fear. And what really helps are the fantastic surreal imagery, the spooky voices, the spot-on music score and the film's message to appreciate what you have because the grass is always greener on the other side. This frightening yet well executed message can stick to any person for how simple yet effective it is, and for it's mature honesty, that is why this film remains one of my favorite movies of all time.