Coraline

Rating: 8/10 (5 May 2009)

Coraline follows the story of a young girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who has just moved into a new house with her parents (Terri Hatcher and John Hodgman). As her parents are too busy to spend time with her she goes exploring and comes across a doorway in the living room wall which leads her to an alternate reality where she meets her Other Mother and Other Father and a the usual morality tale ensues.
This children's movie is directed by Henry Selick, the genius behind The Nightmare Before Christmas the kids film that adults enjoy more than any child so although it is bright and colourful be warned that the plot itself is told in a really dark manner which is not suitable for young children. The Other Mother is a fantastically scary Character that even Maleficent would have nightmares about. There were a couple of five to six year olds that were not happy during some of the scarier moments of the movie and to be honest I was more scared during Coraline than I have ever been during an adult horror movie.
Unlike most children's films there is a very strong story being told on screen and there is something very unsettling about the buttons for eyes idea.
The version I watched was in 3D and there were some nice moments but this movie, although gorgeous to look at is all about the story so if you cant see it in 3D then do not worry.
There isn't the usual celebrity voice cast which is refreshing and the movie contains some very clever set pieces and characters.
I would give it an 8/10. It is a fantastically brightly coloured, dark in content story which is not suitable for children under five and adults over twenty-three.