The Buzz on Halloween

     One of my favorite holidays, Halloween, is right around the corner and with it not only comes trick or treaters and endless amounts of candy-but also the time old tradition of spooky movies on rerun. Thought not exactly considered a "Halloween" movie per se, I decided to review one of my favorites that seemed appropriate for the occasion. 

     Coraline is a stop motion animation picture directed by Henry Selick, which also combines CG effects to give the characters more realistic appearances. Not only does the storyline appeal to my attention, with mixes of fantasy, realism, and dark humor, the special effects really stand out. Even though the movie is animated, using stop motion creates a sort of human quality to each character in the film, which can also be seen in other movies by Selick like The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. Also, the movie is very detailed in every single scene, often adding whimsical touches and creativity along the way. A feature that really stood out to me was the stark contrast between Coraline's real world, and the "other" world she enters through a portal in the wall. Everything is the same in the other world as it is in Coraline's real world, except the real world is abnormally bland and gray. There is a constant state of winter and in Coraline's other world its as if everything comes to life; there is a vibrancy that is executed in the perfect way. At the end of the movie we come to realize that this "other" world is not all it's cracked up to be and the timeless motto "what shines isn't always gold" fits just right. Only when Coraline comes to grips with her own reality, does it regain its "color." As far as I'm concerned, the movie deserves two thumbs up and I can't wait to watch it when the holiday nears.