Title: Coraline Director: Henry Selick Rating: PG Genre(s): Family/Horror Duration: 1h 55min Coraline is a 2009 American stop-motion dark fantasy animated film based on a novella written by Neil Gaiman of the same name. The main protagonist is Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning), a feisty and adventurous, eleven-year-old girl. Wandering around in her new house out of boredom, Coraline stumbles upon a tiny door that leads her to the ‘Other World’ where she encounters her Other Mother also known as the Beldam, and her Other Father who are seemingly an ideal version of Coraline’s parents living in a perfect world. Here, Coraline is treated to a life and a family she always craved. However, this facade quickly fades but not before she realizes that her life is in mortal danger. Director Henry Selick is no stranger to stop-motion animation and Coraline’s delivery is, as one might expect is a masterpiece. Delivering a minor-friendly animation while incorporating personal preferences of dark fantasy and gothic horror without completely terrifying the young audience is commendable. Coraline is able to balance elements of its two distinct genres by contrasting yet artfully blending the two worlds of horror and childhood innocence. One way the film does this is in the opening credits, where it uses composer Bruno Coulais’ ‘Mechanical Lullaby’ as an opening track for a sinister scene of the Beldam in her workshop using her embalming tools to create a mini Coraline doll. Cinematography creates a foreboding scene, while ‘Mechanical Lullaby’ eases its unpleasantness which in turn allows the audience to let their guard down, adapting the naivety of a child, unaware of the dangers they are in. The theme of family is prevalent in Coraline, in fact the only reason Coraline is lured into the Other World is because of issues with her family. While Coraline does make the choice to go back to the Other World, her parents are partially responsible for their daughter’s dissatisfaction. Their obvious dismissal and negligence of Coraline makes her an easy target to trap. The film is rated PG for a good reason as certain scenes feature partial nudity and images of horror are not suitable for children under ten years of age. Coraline brings a unique perspective to the animation experience. Personally, this movie is one of my favorites and I’d definitely recommend it, but only to suitable age groups.