Coraline 3-D ***1/2

Cast (voices): Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saundes, Dawn French, Keith David, John Hodgman, Robert Bailey Jr., Ian McShane
Director: Henry Selick
Running Length: 1:40
MPAA Classification: PG

Coraline Jones (Fanning) and her family have just moved to an old mansion in the middle of nowhere. Her mother (Hatcher) and father (Hodgman) are writers with little time for her, so she spends her days exploring. She meets a lot of strange people that living in the area, including the next-door neighbor, Wybie Lovat (Bailey) and his cat; two sisters (Saunders and French); and the "circus man," Mr. Bobinsky (McShane). But, the most interesting thing that she finds is a hidden door that appears to lead nowhere, until one night it leads her through a portal to her “Other Mother” and “Other Father”. They only want to make her happy, but things may be too good to be true.

“Coraline” is the first stop-motion animated film made in 3-D, and it looks spectacular. It looks almost computer animated, but with rich textures that computer animation doesn’t provide. The animation is incredibly smooth, and everything looks amazing. Director Selick is known for his work with stop-motion animation, and has taken things to the next level here. The voice talents all do wonderful jobs bringing their characters to life. The story is for all ages and not predictable. I highly recommend “Coraline” for both children and adults, but be sure to see it in 3-D.