Coraline

Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) and Wybie (voiced by Robert Bailey Jr.) cautiously take a look down an old well in Henry Selick's stop-motion animated 3-D adventure Coraline.

4 Stars
Rating: PG
Stars: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders

What's the story?
Coraline (Fanning) is incredibly bored in her new house, away from her friends and living with her ridiculously boring parents. That is until she finds a door to a perfect "other world" where everything is better than she could have ever imagined - the food, the people, the garden and the house are all improved by a magical force unknown to Coraline. Little does she know, this seemingly perfect world is all very, very wrong.

Why see it?
Based on the bestselling book by Neil Gaiman and directed by Henry Selick (A Nightmare Before Christmas), Coraline will astound viewers with amazing animation, fantastic settings, plots and characters. This is a movie for all ages to enjoy as it blends the curiousity and novelty of a children's movie with an unsettling feeling and underlying darkness usually present in scary movies meant for more mature audiences. The storyline is very engaging as well. All throughout the movie, you're left guessing as to what could really happen next. This movie also encourages you to think about how you should enjoy what you have rather than constantly looking for ways to make it better.

Problems?
Some people might not find delight in the bone-chilling, twisted scenes that are littered throughout the movie. Most of these scenes are filled with an eerie flair typical of Selick, which some people might find unsettling; others like myself, will find it enjoyable.

All in all:
Despite any misgivings you might have about cartoon animations or 3-D movies, Coraline is a fantastic movie that should be viewed by everyone and anyone. An instant classic.