Coraline: Is the Clay Worth the Dough?

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

With only a $5,252,000 weekend gross, Coraline looked like it was going to float down to the bottom of the box-office barrel, but then jumped to an impressive $61,145,000 in only a few weeks. What could have possibly taken Coraline from “I want my money back” status to “I’m naming one of my kids Coraline” status?

Legend and director, Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas), gave this film a lot to live up to. It broke out into the underground film scene with staggering hype and enthusiasm. Though the commercialism was nothing like “The Dark Knight” or “Lord of the Rings”, it made an impressive effort of getting word out about the clay-mation motion picture.

Coraline is about a girl whose family moves into a new apartment filled with strange people, neglectful parents, and lots of boredom. However, Coraline’s life is flipped upside down when she discovers a secret door in her living room wall that’s been hidden by wallpaper. On the other side of the ominous passageway is another world. Actually it’s the same world, just an alternate version. Here Coraline finds adventure and her wildest dreams come to life, but is it too good to be true?

Just the fact that Coraline is clay-mation and stop-motion was enough to make me cough up the cash to see it. Its detail and realism is simply mind-blowing, but it offers more than just a display of the creator’s impressive creativity and patience. Coraline’s creepy, dark characters and story gives a certain chill that is not found in most PG films. It is by no means just a “kid’s movie” and has enough excitement and mystery for any viewer. Viewing it makes the audience feel as if in a dream that is both perilous and exciting, bringing to life a certain part of your psyche that was dormant before. Plus, the 3-D glasses heighten the effect even more.

Coraline leaves the audience silent, because words cannot describe the shock and awe that fills the room. It is a true motion picture masterpiece that will forever be a favorite of its view audience.