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Coraline: Spooky and Awe-Inspiring

BuzzSugar — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 13:30:09 PST

It's pretty darn hard not to be impressed by the miniature, handmade world brought to life in Coraline. The painstakingly careful process of making the movie is mind-boggling when you think about it and the end result is extremely cool to watch on a giant screen in 3-D. Stop-motion animation is an art form all its own, and it's truly a delight to watch this strange and sometimes very scary story told using this medium. Whether it's the real-life objects that are moving and talking or the 3-D experience, the fact is that it's remarkably easy to become absorbed into this world. Basically, Coraline is immensely entertaining.

The story, from Neil Gaiman's book, is more intriguing - and way darker - than most animated movies that are ostensibly geared toward children. The look and feel of the visuals only further darkens the tone. Coraline is a clever, no-nonsense girl who just moved into a new home with her parents. Both parents are writers who work from home - but that doesn't mean Coraline has constant companionship as they shoo her away at practically every turn. But one night, Coraline opens a small door in the living room, which leads her to a warm, colorful alternate world in which everything about her life is the same - only better. She has all the food and sweets she desires, her mother and father are engaging and attentive, and they create spectacular things for her. There's always a catch, though, so

read more. If Coraline wishes to stay in this world, she must replace her eyes with buttons and promise to stay with her "Other Mother" forever. The ghosts of children who succumbed to the appeal of their "other" worlds haunt Coraline and warn her not to give in, but by that point, the Other Mother has trapped Coraline and she must figure out how to escape, while helping the ghosts of those children along the way. Admittedly, I'm not sure what the movie would be like if one were watching it on a small screen, or if the magic would be less potent if it weren't for the 3-D aspect. I wondered at times if I were so engaged in the story because of the visuals, or whether I'd find it so cool without the larger-than-life screen. I really don't know. Still, it doesn't take away from the accomplishment of bringing to jerky, spooky life this miniature world, all blown up. I spent the duration of the film enraptured by this tale, these characters, and the visual ride I was on, and I spent days afterward excitedly marveling at the wonder of it all. If you already dislike animation and stop-motion, then Coraline won't change that. But if you allow yourself to be pulled in completely, the reward is an eerie-sweet feast for the eyes.

Images courtesy of Focus Features

New Full-Length Trailer For Coraline!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:30:45 PST

Neil Gaiman's story Coraline is coming to the big screen courtesy of The Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick and now we've got a deliciously whimsical, cute, surreal trailer for the February release. Dakota Fanning voices Coraline, a little girl who discovers an alternate version of her life - a way better and more interesting version. But when "Other Mother" (voiced by Teri Hatcher) tries to keep her forever, "Coraline must rely on her resourcefulness, determination and bravery to get back home."

I just love this style of filmmaking, and I think Selick has a real talent for bringing these other-worldly tales to life. To check out the trailer for Coraline,

read more. Image courtesy of Focus Features

Creepy Sneak Preview of Neil Gaiman's Coraline

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 06:00:00 PST

Holy cow this is eerie. The animated movie Coraline, based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, is a bona fide ghost story, with Dakota Fanning voicing the main character. Now there's a sneak preview of the project and for such a brief clip of a project based on a children's book, it's very chilling.

Coraline is a young girl who becomes bored and unhappy in her new home - until, that is, she discovers a door that leads to a better version of her life, complete with an "Other Mother" who feeds and entertains her. Yet there's one small catch: there's something Coraline must do to remain in the magical world forever.

To check out the preview and tell me if you were as creeped out as I was,

Stardust: A Grand Adventure

BuzzSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:21:22 PDT

"This is the story of how Tristan becomes a man... To achieve it, he must win the heart of his one true love." From the beginning of Stardust, there is a distinct waft of The Princess Bride. The warm, old-man voice (Ian McKellan, of course) narrating the tale like a grandfather telling a bedtime story, the fantastical adventure dotted with romance and humor, and even the echoing words "his one true love" made me feel nostalgic for that magical love story of my youth.

As it happens, Stardust is a perfectly adequate Princess Bride-style tale, a bright and enthralling adventure with plenty of danger, magic and love. In the story, the aforementioned Tristan (played by the outrageously attractive Charlie Cox) is a lovestruck young man tasked with the challenge of bringing back a fallen star for the petulant, conceited object of his affections, Victoria (Sienna Miller). He meets the star, a luminescent woman named Yvaine (Claire Danes) who has landed near Tristan's sleepy village, and he determines to bring her to Victoria as proof of his adoration. That's just the tip of this fantasy iceberg, though, so

read more Meanwhile, there are others in hot pursuit of the fallen star. Lamia is (Michelle Pfeiffer) a cruel, vain witch who needs Yvaine's heart to remain young and beautiful. At the same time, the three living sons of Lord Stormhold (Peter O'Toole) seek out Yvaine in their competition to take over the throne. Together Tristan and Yvaine make their journey back to Victoria, with their followers close on their trail. They run into a supposedly cruel pirate captain (Robert DeNiro) who turns out to be quite a dandy, and a shady merchant (Ricky Gervais). During the scenes with the Lord Stormhold's living sons they are joined by the ghosts of their dead brothers, providing comedic relief in the form of a kind of haunting Greek chorus. In the end, Tristan must reexamine what it means to win the heart of his "one true love." Of course, Stardust has some advantage over The Princess Bride when it comes to special effects helping to prop up such a fairy-tale land. The mystical world brings us candy-bright colors and video game visuals to breathlessly sweep us up in this adventure. Lamia looks at times like a statuesque testament to youth and beauty, all soft, golden hair and glittering eyes, and at other times like she was dug up from a deep grave. The performances are satisfying enough, though DeNiro makes for a very odd gay man. He seems like a straight person making fun of gay people by doing an extreme impression of what he assumes a gay man is like. I could have watched Charlie Cox for several more hours, however, so adorable are those soft brown eyes and that sweet manner. The one annoying thing was a particular aspect of the ending, which I won't reveal here. It was as though everything could have been wrapped up quite nicely from the start if they'd just done one simple thing. It struck me as baffling, cheesy and ridiculous. I was somewhat surprised by it as well, having enjoyed the movie up until that point. Regardless of the ending, though, the movie is a splendid way to spend a couple hours in the starry, sparkly otherworld of Tristan and Yvaine. Photos courtesy of Paramount

Comic-Con Report: A Sneak Peek of Coraline

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:13:32 PDT

Before Phasekitty left Comic-Con, she got to see a special preview of Coraline. The 2008 movie is based on Neil Gaiman's book of the same name, which tells the story of a girl who opens a door into a magical dimension where she meets another set of parents who want her to stay in their world forever. Phasekitty got in on a Q&A with Gaiman and director Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach) and even won an autographed copy of the movie's poster. Here's some of her report from the session:

We were treated to some animation tests of characters Coraline, Mom, Dad, Miss Spink (whose face jiggles when she talks), and Miss Forcible (whose chest is so big she looks as though she should crawl on all fours). The characters are incredibly unique looking and had a personality to them even as they were simply walking along.

The footage we saw was from the beginning of the film. Coraline discovers a little door in her boring house and begs her mother to open it. When they do, it is boarded up with a wall of brick and Coraline is disappointed. That night, she is lured back to the door by some mice she follows and discovers that this time, there is a brilliantly colored corridor leading to another little door. She enters that door and finds her house, but bathed in a warm and welcoming light. Her mother is in the kitchen, humming softly and cooking dinner, but when she turns around, Coraline sees that she has large black buttons for eyes.

Gaiman talked a bit about the voice actors, whom he didn't at first love in the roles, until he saw the footage and tests. In the footage we saw they were complete chameleons; I didn't recognize Dakota Fanning as Coraline or Teri Hatcher as Mom/Other Mother. John Hodgman rounds out the cast as Dad/Other Father, and Brit voice actors Ian McShane, Jennifer Saunders, and Dawn French lend their voices to the supporting characters.

Wow. I hadn't known much about this project or the book before, but now I'm excited to check them both out. Has anyone else read Coraline? What do you think of the adaptation?

What Should I Ask Stardust Director Matthew Vaughn?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 07:15:00 PDT

The upcoming fantasy movie Stardust first caught my eye because of the stellar cast (Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert DeNiro, Peter O'Toole, Ricky Gervais, and many others), and because of the whimsical atmosphere conveyed in the trailer. Knowing it's based on a Neil Gaiman novel only makes me more interested in the movie, which opens August 10.

Having posted a few things about the movie, I know some of you are major Gaiman fans or are otherwise seriously anticipating the film. And now I might have the opportunity to interview Stardust director Matthew Vaughn - but aside from the obvious questions ("What was it like working with Michelle Pfeiffer/Robert DeNiro/Peter O'Toole/Ricky Gervais?"), I'm not sure what I should ask him. Help me out, Buzz readers: What are you most curious about with this project? What should I ask Matthew Vaughn?

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