For better or worse, in terms of entertainment this year is all about 3D. In a break from the blockbuster norm, the likes of Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog have made movies in the format, prompting new cries of its coming of age as a respectable art form. Elsewhere, advertising for Nintendos new 3DS games handheld has been ubiquitous, whilst Sky continues to tout its 3D TV subscription service with almost religious fervour. Meanwhile, consumer electronics companies are shouting increasingly loudly about their latest range of 3D capable displays and Blu-ray players. Before 2011 is over, the chances are that we may be closer to knowing whether James Camerons most recent claim - that conversion to stereoscopy will be total within five years is at all credible. In keeping with this theme, recent months have seen a great volume of stereoscopic Blu-ray back catalogue titles released in the UK, with none more interesting than the 2009 stop-frame animation
Coraline (the first film of its kind to be shot in the format), which has been available on Blu-ray for two years
and in 3D. Yet the contrast couldnt be clearer between the rubbishy anaglyphic 3D of that earlier release complete with cardboard red and blue tinted glasses and the brand spanking new stereoscopic version. The colours are sharper, the picture is brighter and the glasses are a bit more comfortable to wear. Whats more, the 3D effect actually works and, on a top-end display, arguably better than in the cinema. With the re-release of the film in this updated format comes the tacit admission from Universal Pictures of what we knew all along: that the anaglyphic 3D was a waste of time and, like last years 2D-only release of Avatar, a blatant stop-gap cash-in. Though for those with absolutely no interest in this improvement in home 3D (and I suspect there are plenty of you) this new release of Coraline should still be celebrated - if only because it has dramatically cut the cost of that earlier Blu-ray. And make no mistake this is a good thing, as it just so happens to be a cracking film to own in high-definition.
From director
Henry Selick, Coraline is an adaptation of a short gothic childrens story by
Neil Gaiman about a little girl who discovers an entrance to a world parallel to her own in which her greatest wishes are reality. In this world her parents are more attractive, they cook better meals and they shower her with attention, whilst her annoying neighbours also have duplicates who live up to their more fantastic real-world delusions. The crazy Russian upstairs has an elaborate circus of performing mice in the other world, rather than a squalid apartment and an over-active imagination, and the irritating boy next door has been fixed so he cant even speak. There is a snag, however, as Coraline becomes aware that something isnt quite right among her other parents, with the most obvious visible creepiness being that they have buttons instead of eyes. Its a creepy modern fairy tale which is reminiscent of the early work of Tim Burton, especially Beetlejuice which also features a girl moving to a creepy new house and discovering a hidden supernatural world. This similarity isnt entirely surprising though: after all, Selick found success as director of the Burton-devised The Nightmare Before Christmas and was a colleague of his during their tenure as junior animators at Disney in the 1980s. So given the eerie subject matter perhaps a certain amount of crossover was to be expected. Goth-friendly though it is Selicks film is not quite as dark as Gaimans book, with a colourful palette and some changes which tone more macabre elements down, though it is still a reliably scary story for a young audience. Along the way Coraline meets a trio of dead children and there is all manner of threat throughout. There are some unsettling concepts, at least compared with most childrens fare: for instance, the boy next door, who lives with his Grandmother, is named Wyborne a name which hints at a certain unwanted status as an infant.
For animation fans, Coraline is really something special, neither fitting in with the exaggerated work of Nick Park nor the self-consciously old school approach of Wes Andersons Fantastic Mr. Fox released the same year and which Selick was originally attached to direct. By contrast, Selicks film displays a subtlety and fluidity of motion not usually associated with stop-frame. At times it is hard to believe that the film isnt the result of CGI, though watching the discs making of documentaries confirms that even the most mystifying special effects shots were done using traditional techniques. Its a bind-bogglingly ambitious and complex work that doesnt readily invite comparison with what has come before. Without being at all post-modern or knowing, Coraline is a mature film which doesnt speak down to its young target audience. Its moral that you should be grateful for what you have and find beauty in imperfection is not imparted in an overbearing way and, even whilst retaining a sense of fun and childlike wonder, it doesnt mollycoddle children by rubber-coating all of lifes sharpened edges. It is only right that Selick has since joined Pixar, a studio famously unafraid to tackle adult themes in an entertaining, accessible way. Coraline feels like a very coherently realised film, with the contributions of every department including the excellent voice work of
Dakota Fanning and
Teri Hatcher combining to make this a very effective and memorable tale. Whether you watch it in 2D or 3D it remains a decent movie. But for 3D fans with money to burn, this is the definitive version. You can throw the cardboard glasses away.
Extras
This new version of Coraline retains its extras from the original 2009 Blu-ray disc. There is a ten minute look behind the scenes of the voice recording sessions, with cast interviews and some nice footage of Selick directing his actors on specific lines. There is also a more general making of which lasts just over half an hour, and which looks at everything from special effects and costumes, to pre-production history of the film. Eight minutes of deleted scenes are included, though these are short. As you might expect which such a time-consuming animation process, very little excess footage is created, however, what is here is nice to see, if mainly for Selicks introductions which explain the reasons behind cutting each sequence. A feature entitled Creepy Coraline looks at the films spookier elements, which consists of looking at how various rats and insects were created. Its the most forgettable extra, but what it lacks in content it makes up for in brevity, running at just five minutes. A Henry Selick feature commentary is also carried over from that first version, though it doesnt make for the most compelling listen. The director and writer often talks more generally about the production process than about the specific bits of the film you are watching and it doesnt feel as though he recorded it whilst sitting through the film. Its a little bit like hearing all his segments from the other features set over the movie and so youre probably better off watching the making of and ignoring this track. Over the end credits he is replaced by the films composer, Bruno Coulais, who talks briefly about scoring the picture, but it might have been nice to get other people in the room with Selick throughout the track, as these commentaries tend to work better when they come across as conversations. Over the commentary, Selick also neglects to comment on a few things I was really looking forward to hearing about. For instance, the film was originally supposed to boast several songs by the New York band They Might Be Giants, only for those to be scrapped and replaced by Coulais work. Though Selick doesnt mention, or even elude to, this shift from musical to non-musical once. Not even when a surviving segment of a TMBG song his sung by Coralines other father and the distinctive vocals of John Linnell are heard. This seems to me like a major omission, though maybe thats got something to do with me being a huge Giants fan.
Coraline 3D was released on
Blu-ray this week.