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List Price: $29.98 | | Label: Universal Studios
Salesrank: 209
Released: July 21, 2009 |
| Our Price: $9.84 |
| Used Price: $7.04 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 07/21/2009 Run time: 101 minutes Rating: Pg
Description of Coraline (Single-Disc Edition w/ 3D):
A dark and creepy film about family relationships directed by Henry Selick of Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach fame, Coraline is based on the haunting book Coraline by Neil Gaiman. The first stop-motion feature shot in stereoscopic 3-D, Coraline features big-headed, stick-bodied animated characters with huge eyes and demonic grins set against menacing backgrounds and an undercurrent of spooky music. Coraline is a teenager who has just moved to an old house in the middle of nowhere with her writer parents and she is bored, bored, bored. Her only companions are an annoyingly talkative boy Wybie (short for Why Born), some eccentric neighbors from the theater and circus, and a strange, button-eyed doll with a marked resemblance to Coraline which Wybie found in an old trunk of his grandmother's. When Coraline finds an old door hidden behind an armoire and papered over with wallpaper, she convinces her mother to unlock it, only to find a wall of bricks. When Coraline revisits the door later that night, the bricks magically disappear and she discovers a strange pathway to another world where everything is just what she wishes for. In stark contrast to the real world where Coraline's parents just don't have time for her, her "Other Mother" and "Other Father" in this alternate world are the perfect loving, attentive parents who anticipate her every need and desire. Initially comforted and quite happy in this new world, suspicion that things may not be quite as they seem grows inside Coraline and her disquiet is furthered by the mute "Other Wybie" and a strange-talking cat that seems to move between both worlds. Eventually, Coraline discovers some dark secrets about her "other parents" and the seemingly perfect "other world," but it may be too late for her to escape back to the real world. Teri Hatcher is especially effective in her dual (voice) role as Mom and "Other Mom" and Dakota Fanning also gives a great performance as Coraline. Coraline is a disturbing, intriguing film that both captivates and frightens. (Ages 11 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
Stills from Coraline (Click for larger image)
Coraline (Single-Disc Edition w/ 3D) Reviews:
I Like it in 2D 
2009-11-09 - The story is attractive for me and my wife and I think this DVD needs to be reviewed. It's not PG, I would give it a PG-13, because it was creepy and scary with all those moves and sharp objects and dolls saying I'm your other mother ... etc
But really, I enjoyed it, except when I tried the 3D side of it, I got some 3D effects showing from my Sony W40 - 100Hz LCD screen, but it didn't show the original colors and got me lost in the story when I try to focus on the effects. Plus, there are no (Arabic) subtitles on this DVD.
It's a good buy, but not if you want to watch 3D effects at home.
Absolutely Stunning! 
2009-11-07 - I'm not a die-hard movie critic, but I do enjoy movies immensely. I'm 18 years old, and I LOVE Coraline. The theme is dark and wonderfully done, weaving both Neil Geiman's book and Henry Selick's genius. I won't leave any spoilers, although I would recommend parents view this before letting their younger children watch it, especially if they frighten easily. There are some pretty intense scenes at the end!
Oh, and the 3D version is wonderful too, especially in Blu-Ray! I hate when movies are overtly 3D, to the point that watching them in 2D is very choppy and contains unnecessary scenes (Journey to the Center of the Earth, anyone?) But Coraline delivers a beautifully flowing movie and no scenes jumped out to me as being too overdone for the 3D effects. EVERYONE needs to watch this movie!
Delightful!
2009-11-06 - I'm a middle-aged, grandmother-type lady. Animation of any sort is not my usual cup of tea. Having said that, Coraline totally drew me in from the beginning frames. The movie is filled with interesting, imaginative characters that make the story a masterpiece. Coraline struggles with her family and is drawn into an "alternative" family who lives behind the wall. The family behind the wall is wonderful at the beginning: I most love the father figure as he sings at the piano, and the beautiful garden he has made for Coraline. But things are not always as good as they first appear and Coraline comes to realize the treasure she's got at home.
Good family movie, even for young ones
2009-11-04 - Got it at Target, didn't know much about it beforehand but it looked interesting. Watched it with the kids (almost 4 and almost 2) and they loved it. The next day the older one even wanted to watch it again. It's the perfect level of scariness for toddlers/preschoolers, but adults won't be scared. A little creepy at times, maybe, but nothing that will traumatize them, especially if you are right there watching it with them. We went to the coraline web site and our daughter loves the create-a-flower game. Seeing on the website some photos and videos of how it was made might make it more fun for your kids. The single disc version has virtually no extras (and as a collector I LOATHE dual-sided discs).
Whose The Audience For This Flick? 
2009-10-31 - For starters the stop motion animation and 3-D effects are pretty darned good here. That's about it. My complaint with alot of 3-D movies is that they fashion the movies around the effects at the expense of the story. There's a story alright but the problem here is that when it's not confusing it's downright creepy. Who were they targetting for this flick? Little kids who might get the bejesus scared out of them? Disaffected adolescents who glory in unsavory imagery? Whatever! Ultimately "Coraline" is just a waste of time.
