Coraline
I know I am the only person who can’t stand watching the Nightmare Before Christmas. It puts me to sleep within 30 minutes (I have tried multiple times) despite its incredibly detailed and beautiful characters and sets. Corpse Bride has the same aesthetic but kept my interest with ease – possibly for the simple reason that Tim Burton (Corpse Bride, Batman, Ed Wood) is a better director than Henry Selick (Coraline, Nightmare, Monkeybone). I fell asleep at least in twice in Coraline, aka Nightmare Before Little Big Planet, despite my caffeinated soft drink and the matinee showtime. I was entranced by the beautiful visuals and the deliciously creepy overtimes. I was amazed at the craftsmanship and the teensy tiny knitting. I struggled to stay awake most of the film (but had no difficulties in the two films that followed that same day) because I wanted to see the beauty and because my companions were so obviously entranced.
I recognize how unfair it is to review something I missed such large chunks of, but the number of movies I have fallen asleep in the theatre to still number on one hand (out of over a thousand since 1995), so that is kind of its own indicator. I felt there was a definite pacing problem (which Nightmare shares). I have no doubt that it is incredibly difficult to feel the rhythm of a scene or a sequence (especially those lacking dialogue to keep up with – that may be the key, actually) when you’re moving your characters in teensy increments 24-28 times per second…though Aardman and others manage somehow. The handy preshow features in my local theatre told me that they actually do a full dry run before actually filming to make sure it’s flowing properly. How can they not feel it? The story is from the book by Neil Gaiman, who does have very British sensibilities, but the films lacked the dry British humor that might have sparkled in scenes.
The amazing figures, so smooth and colorful and delicate, your eye insists are computer graphics instead of stop-motion puppetry. They are so gorgeous and expressive and the lighting and depth is terrific. Rich textures and whimsical character design, a zillion things moving on one set, it’s all impressive as hell. In 3-D, fugeddaboudit. It’s immersive and beautiful. But I was nevertheless bored into a protective somnolence and tapping my foot at the very long-feeling 100 minute run time. One companion (the crafty one, it should be noted) was transported by the visuals while the other was just glad it didn’t condescend like so many other kid movies. Myself, I felt that at times it was trying too hard to be WHIMSICAL ™ and missing the point that whimsy is best taken unselfconsciously. By all means see it if you can also endure the tedious splendor that is Nightmare Before Christmas. They are both stunning to look at and lulling to experience.
MPAA Rating PG-13
Release date 2/6/09
Time in minutes 100
Director Henry Selick
Studio Focus Features/Universal Pictures
