The dullest animation ever made

Rating: 2/10 (5 July 2014)

Neil Gaiman isn't doing very well in regards to his film adaptations, with this following on from the disappointing MIRRORMASK made a few years ago. CORALINE is the most dull, uninteresting and downright annoying animation I've seen in recent years, which is a surprise given that it was directed by Henry Selick, who made THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE Christmas so endearingly odd all those years ago.
The problem with CORALINE is the dumb Americanised storyline and the irritating characters. The titular character, complete with Dakota Fanning's whiny voice, is the worst offender, but even the likes of the normally reliable Ian McShane come out of this badly. The only one who fares well is Keith David playing a cat, but then he's barely utilised.
The animation was apparently done with stop motion, but you can't tell. There's none of the endearing jerkiness you expect from stop motion, instead this looks and feels like just another soulless CGI monstrosity. In addition, the storyline is extremely slim and stretched to breaking point by an over-long running time, and the visuals just aren't there. CORALINE is a film I can recommend to nobody, unfortunately.