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List Price: $29.98 | | Label: Universal Studios
Salesrank: 97
Released: July 21, 2009 |
| Our Price: $9.84 |
| Used Price: $6.09 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Genre: Family
Rating: PG
Release Date: 21-JUL-2009
Media Type: DVD
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:
Coraline... Everything's right in this world, kiddo. 
2009-11-29 - Coraline: 7 out of 10: Whom is this movie for is a question that dashed through my mind while watching it. It is too scary and adult for most children. The film is full of High Octane Nightmare Fuel and retired adult entertainment stars with naked elderly puppet breasts... come to think of it that is High Octane Nightmare Fuel as well.
As for the adults in the audience, I fear that in my case the film was too distant. I never felt emotionally attached to our plucky protagonist. In part because she is not a very nice girl (nor terribly plucky now I think about it) and partially because the film seemed to place her and her predicament at a distance.
On the other hand, I was floored by the sheer artistry of the film. Visually this is simply one of the most stunning films I have ever seen. Director Henry Selick who helmed such stop motion masterpieces as James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christmas has taken his art to a new level. Words simply cannot describe the visual delights that lie inside Coraline.
While I found the story somewhat distancing I also recognize the depth of the tale. Coralines two universes mirror each other in a complicated web rather than a simply black and white as one might expect. The ocean here may not be that wide but it is amazingly deep. To bad the water was a little cold for this swimmer.
I would give it zero stars 
2009-11-28 - Ok. I am going to get lambasted by other reviewers I am sure. However, I write this brief review as a parent of two girls (3 and 9) and not that of a self-purported film critic. THIS MOVIE IS DARK. I mean dark in a manner beyond mere creepy at the 9 year old level. This movie caused my 9 year old to start crying about half way through. My 3 year old wanted nothing to do with it about three minutes into the opening scene and left the room. She was apparently smarter than me. I had to stop the movie immediately when my 9 year old started crying.
The opening scene alone was designed in such a manner I associated the scene with a movie about a dismembering serial killer or filicide (killing of one's own child). However, I dismissed these thoughts as being overly protective or analytical. Big mistake on my part. I should have trusted parental intuition and I would caution you to do the same. Watch the movie yourself before you let your children near it.
Following our termination of the movie, I talked to my 9 year old about the movie for 10 minutes trying to prevent her from internalizing her feelings. She had issues with the opening scene as well but did not say anything. Her opinion is that the movie opened in a dark way but then became "pleasant." However, at the point where the parents were insisting they would sew buttons into the eyes of their child she believes the movie was portraying "something evil" (her words). The music is also noticably morbid in my humble opinion.
Then again, I could be wrong.
My daughter LOVES this movie 
2009-11-27 - I bought this for my daughter after she watched it at my mom's house and was facinated my it. She's watched this movie soooooo many times and is completely engulfed in it when it's on. She's 3.5 years old and does not scare easily, but I think it could be scarry for some kids that age. I've watched it a few times with her and also enjoyed it. The story line is very unique and the animation is very creative, we would definitally recommend this movie for kids that have creative minds.
Classic spin on "Be careful what you wish for"
2009-11-16 - What self-respecting kid hasn't, at one time or another, wished for a different set of parents - you know the kind who wouldn't make you brush your teeth or eat your vegetables, and who would let you play in the mud and stay up late at night and have every single thing your greedy little heart could ask for? Well, Coraline finds just such an alternate universe lurking in the corner of the rundown Victorian home that she and her consistently busy and utterly self-absorbed parents have just moved into - a magical world hidden behind a secret locked door where mice dance, cats talk and duplicate parents cater to a beloved child's every whim and fancy. But as the old adage says, "Be careful what you wish for" - and soon Coraline is discovering, much to her dismay, that this "perfect" world and these "perfect" parents may not be quite so perfect after all.
Based on the book by Neil Gaiman, "Coraline" is one of the most enchanting and visually arresting films to have come our way in quite some time. Prime credit for its success goes to writer/director/production designer Henry Selick and his team of 3-D/stop-motion animation wizards who have created a world that is rooted in both reality and fantasy at one and the same time. The triumph begins with the heroine herself, a feisty, naturally curious, no-nonsense kid whom any viewer, regardless of age, will be immediately drawn to. As voiced by Dakota Fanning, Coraline is skeptical without being cynical, and her yearning for a mother and father who might actually pay a little attention to her could not be more universal in its appeal. Like all good fantasies made for kids, "Coraline" finds its truths in its central character - in a lonely child who has been ripped away from her friends, and whose parents are so intensely focused on their own adult interests that they have no time to enter into the world of childish things that naturally concern her (people can`t even get her name right, since just about everyone insists on addressing her as Caroline).
But all is not sweetness-and-light even in the bright and colorful "other" world that Coraline visits - not by a long shot. For the movie taps into many of those primal fears - of abandonment, of being seduced by evil with promises of goodies - that loom large in many of our most cherished folk stories and fairy tales. Thus, since "Coraline" does venture into some pretty dark places, it might prove more than a little disturbing for very young audiences. Older kids, on the other hand, will likely enjoy the creepiness and will surely find themselves rooting on this imaginative and resourceful little girl as she uses her courage and intellect to outwit those who would cause her harm.
The animation is first-rate on every level. The characters, with their sharp angles and spindly protuberances, look at times as if they'd just stepped out of a Tim Burton production - and the somber, nightmarish setting, with its dark skies and gnarly trees, conveys that impression as well (not really much of a surprise, actually, since Selick was the director of Burton`s "Nightmare Before Christmas"). Yet, "Coraline" never feels derivative of other movies; it is instead a wholly original and beautifully crafted work in its own right - and one you would be foolish and improvident in the extreme to miss out on.
Does Not Play on All Blu-ray Players
2009-11-15 - I purchased this product to watch on Halloween and was very disappointed when (after watching preview stuff) nothing happened after clicking "Play Movie". I assumed the disk was damaged and returned it to exchange for another one. The same thing happened with the new disk. There was a message somewhere on the disk stating that it may not play on all blu-ray players. I have a Samsung Full HD 1080p player about 18 months old. I'm not about to buy a new Blu-ray player every year or so to keep up with new technology! If your player is able to view this movie, however, I found it very creative and interesting (I watched it on pay-per-view).
