Well, this was certainly an interesting movie. It is based on a novel by Neil Gaiman, author of the graphic novel "Sandman", among others, and directed by Henry Selick, who also directed Tim Burton's "A Nightmare Before Christmas". The link there is immediately obvious as the stop-motion animation is very reminiscent of 'Nightmare'.
While this movie is rated PG, I found myself weirded out on more than one occasion (and I have a very high tolerance for weird or scary stuff), so parents, make sure you do some research before seeing this with your kids. The plot of the movie is simply 'Be careful what you wish for', as the main character, Coraline, encounters alternate versions of her parents after crawling through a doorway in her parents' new house. Initially, these 'other' parents seem to be the ideal versions of her real parents, but have buttons for eyes. As Coraline spends more time in this alternate world, however, things turn sour very quickly. The movie is fairly dark, with very few 'jump out of your seat' moments, but an undertone of suspense throughout.
As most animated films, this looks great on HD, and while I did not see this in 3D (which is how the movie was originally released), it is visually striking. The voice acting is great, with Dakota Fanning playing a great Coraline, and Teri Hatcher playing a creepy and loving mother both at the same time.
Final verdict: Very interesting, not for everyone, kids will either love it or have nightmares for a week. Looks great on hi-def, may have to try the 3D version on BluRay some time.
