So Coraline was very nice and beautifully animated. The film uses 3D very well — this is apparently your last weekend to see it in that format; next week, a 3D Jonas Brothers movie will be inflicted on the world — but as a whole, that’s not a technology that’s much improved since its invention. It’s a little like saying someone uses semaphore very well. I’m sure there are things you could do with semaphore, even better than with the other options, but there’s a reason nobody uses it anymore.
While watching, I sometimes wished I could pay less attention to the techniques and more to just enjoying the story. I think, then, that I might have preferred the non-3D version, whatever depth and effect it might lend Henry Selick’s movie.
That said, Coralineis quite delightful and delightfully dark. Judging from the crowd of mostly youngsters (and their parents) my friend and I saw it with, it’s not for every child. Just like Neil Gaiman’s original book, it may be too scary for some. But I think A.O. Scott said it best:
There are many scenes and images in “Coraline†that are likely to scare children. This is not a warning but rather a recommendation, since the cultivation of fright can be one of the great pleasures of youthful moviegoing. As long as it doesn’t go too far toward violence or mortal dread, a film that elicits a tingle of unease or a tremor of spookiness can be a tonic to sensibilities dulled by wholesome, anodyne, school-approved entertainments.