Coraline 4K review by Bobby Blakey
LAIKA has been delivering some of the best and most beautiful animated films in years including The Boxtrolls, Paranorman, Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link. Before all this in 2009 they debuted their first feature film Coraline based on the book by Neil Gaiman and starring Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, John Hodgman, Robert Bailey Jr., and Ian McShane with Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick at the helm.
Coraline follows a young girl who walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life – only much better. But when this wondrously off-kilter, fantastical adventure turns dangerous and her counterfeit parents try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to save her family and get back home.
I love all animation, but these stop motion films are top of the list for me. I love the attention to detail and beauty that is created in this long and
impressive process. Part of what I love about the LAIKA films is the strange esthetic to them all that offers up a unique vision to the story they are bringing to life. This film is both beautiful and often times kind of disturbing visually in the most genius way possible.
The story and visuals are masterfully handled and complement each other to create the two worlds on display to perfection. This is a story that sucks you in as it floats between worlds while telling a story that is all too real. Selick has crafted a film that is powerful in its visuals as well as a visual treat for the senses. This is an amazing film to behold in not only the attention to detail it uses to bring this world to life, but in the unique stylings that it uses to make it stand out as something original.
I love this movie all on its own, but this new 4K release of it just looks amazing. It gives the film a crisper look than ever before and brings all the details of this great piece of work to the forefront in all its glory. This is one of those movies that holds up on every level to this day and revisiting it made me love it all the more.
In addition to this film on 4K for the first time ever it offers up bonus content including featurettes, deleted scenes, commentary, test footage and so much more. Grab your copy of Coraline on 4K as well as a limited edition Steel book edition that features new hand drawn art from Cancun-based illustrator and Art Director Cesar Moreno on December 13th from Shout Factory.
For more information or to order head over to www.shoutfactory.com
