Disturbing & creepy animated feature...

Rating: 4/10 (14 November 2009)

1st watched 10/18/2009 – 4 out of 10 (Dir- Henry Selick): Disturbing & creepy animated feature from the Director who brought us "The Nightmare B4 Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach." This story is about a young girl who is not happy with her current life and the lack of attention she gets. She is given a doll that looks suspiciously like her by a neighbor's grandmother and then while asleep is introduced to another world thru a hole-in-the-wall where everything is the way she'd like it to be(except everyone has buttons for eyes). She likes this other world until she's told they have to give her buttons for eyes as well, and she would prefer this not to be done to her. At this point in the story, this alternate world becomes very evil and the other world's mother is revealed to just want to possess her(which she's apparently done to many other children). This is where the story becomes out of whack and never really recovers. I think the other problem with this movie is the lack of humor. There aren't any characters that provide this, so you're treated with this crazy girl's mixed-up reality that goes haywire but nothing brings you out of it. The animation is really well done and very unique at times but the story doesn't have much of a heart. What's lost is the "why" behind everything. The girl really doesn't learn any real lessons and no characters are very interesting except maybe the cat that talks in the alternate world. So basically, this movie is technically well made, but not a good movie.