Weird. How many people realized that Tim Burton didn’t actually direct Nightmare Before Christmas? That should probably be obvious to me, but for some reason, it never registered that Henry Selick was the actual director, he who was also responsible for the not-so-good Monkeybone.
Anyway, Selick directed and adapted Coraline, from Neil Gaiman’s book about a young girl who walks through a secret door in her home and discovers an alternate version of her life (full of buttons). The trailer — which looks brilliant, amazing, fun — has the same style and appeal as Nightmare Before Christmas. It’s animation for big kids — a little sinister, a little fantastical, and a lot eye-popping. Dakota Fanning provides the voice for the title character, and Al Swearingen is Mr. Bobinski, who doesn’t appear to have made the cut in the trailer. Hopefully that’s because of all the profanities he expels.
That looks amazing...is Terri Hatcher the voice of the Mom??
Posted by: The Pink Hulk at November 21, 2008 9:59 AM
It is Teri Hatcher! And OMG French and Saunders do voices, as well??
I am so there.
Posted by: The Pink Hulk at November 21, 2008 10:01 AM
You had me at "Al Swearenegn".
Posted by: PaddyDog at November 21, 2008 10:17 AM
I have five million reservations about this movie. Coraline is terrifically creepy, mostly because its tone is so deadpan, that you just know there's absolute horror lying underneath the surface. Her alternate world looks exactly like the real world, except that all the details are "off" in a very bad way.
I thought the trailers missed that completely. I got none of the can't-wake-up-from-the-nightmare vibe that I got from the book. My daughter felt the same way, and this is the book she recommends to all her Twilight-reading friends as something really scary. I'm praying the trailers are misleading.
Posted by: Wednesday at November 21, 2008 10:18 AM
Looks pretty rad.
Also: bit of a Freudian slip there, Pookie? Snatch? Tee hee.
Posted by: Sean at November 21, 2008 10:20 AM
OH. MY. GODTOPUS. WANT. WANT NOW!
Posted by: Jeremy Feist at November 21, 2008 10:20 AM
I have a friend who worked on the art work and original sketches for Coraline, so I'm really excited to see it... It looks amazing.
Posted by: b at November 21, 2008 10:25 AM
I'll take stop motion animation over 3-D computer animation any time. I love the jerkiness, and (in the case of Wallace and Grommit) the fingerprints.
Sean, I'm going to say Pookie knew what he was saying. The man's psyche is many things but Freudian slippery it is not.
Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at November 21, 2008 10:41 AM
LOVE this book! Already counting down to the movie!
THIS is the book that the kids in my life are excited about reading. Not poorly written crap that is okay to read, as long as you know it is poorly written crap. But I'm not sure if children can really make that judgment...
Posted by: VeinsRHiways at November 21, 2008 10:53 AM
Wednesday, your daughter gives me hope for the future of humanity. Which is sorely needed, if Pushing Daisies is really, truly, finally canceled.
Posted by: dsbs at November 21, 2008 10:58 AM
Yay! This looks cute and creepy and probably tons of fun. It also looks pretty smart.
And since it's not a TV show it won't get cancelled. It's a miracle!
Posted by: Kayanne at November 21, 2008 10:58 AM
I think more movies should still use stop motion. As good as a well done computer animated movie can look, nothing can quite match stop motion in terms of sheer coolness. I can't wait until this comes out.
Posted by: divergentbeing at November 21, 2008 11:06 AM
Sorry. I've read this book a few times (and I really never read children's books) and found it surprisingly unsettling. It almost reminded me, in parts, of the first time I saw 'Eraserhead' as a young teen and things seemed askew and frightening in a way that you can't quite explain, like someone else's bad dream.
The trailer conveys none of this. It looks 'cute'.
Posted by: slip at November 21, 2008 11:32 AM
Great...something else I'll have to awkwardly purchase before the movie comes out and be like "Oh THIS? Oh! I must have picked it up by accident! Well, I already have a copy, a very dog-eared tattered tear-stained well-loved copy, so I suppose I could buy it for a friend!" and then I'll chuckle heartily while the confused clerk rolls their eyes and takes my money.
Posted by: Annie_Reckson at November 21, 2008 11:43 AM
I've yet to read this book and I don't think I will until after I see this movie. Reading books before hand always make me even more extremely critical of book based movies.
I just don't want to ruin this one, it looks good.
Posted by: Wormer at November 21, 2008 12:11 PM
That looks so cool.
Posted by: Cindy at November 21, 2008 12:23 PM
I think I'm going to like the movie more than I liked the book! Even with Teri Hatcher's voice! (Actually, she's kind of perfect for the evil Other Mother, and not in a very flattering way.)
Check out the official movie web site if you get the chance. It's kind of cool.
Posted by: MoJo at November 21, 2008 12:38 PM
I am so ridiculously excited for this movie. The book is probably one of the my all time favorites, and I've read it probably five or six times. It's absolutely phenomenal, and still creepy every time. And based on this trailer and some of the teasers they released, this looks like it has a chance of actually not sucking. Fingers crossed at this point.
Posted by: Kat at November 21, 2008 1:11 PM
I don't apologize for reading good kids' and YA fiction. Some of it is awesome. I would re-read any of Nancy Farmer's (BUY HER BOOKS NOW) books over half the adult books I've picked up, and while I read my share of brain candy, mostly, I read more challenging stuff.
It helps that I can pass it on to my daughter, from a cost standpoint if nothing else. But good writing can transcend its intended audience.
Posted by: Wednesday at November 21, 2008 1:15 PM
You guys hate everything, but you *like* Terri Hatcher. What did she do that gives her a pass, play Lois Lane? Or is this one of those likes you just can't explain?
Posted by: phquaryn at November 21, 2008 1:39 PM
ummm, you're a miserable BASTARD, Dustin.
2:27 ago, I was perfectly happy in my ignorance ... NOW, I'm gonna have to wait THREE whole frigging months to see this.
Booooo!
Booooo!
Posted by: Soylent Green is Sheeple at November 21, 2008 2:04 PM
This is the light at the end of the tunnel, such a paradox really because it is one dark little animation movie. But it really is the only movie I look forward to in this past year of cinema. And it's not even coming out until next year. Boo hoo!
Posted by: ph at November 21, 2008 4:47 PM
I fully expected that door in the wall to lead into John Malkovich's head.
The kicker? Obviously, everyone in that world would be stop motion figures (as represented by the trailer) while the marionette that John Cusack (as Malkovich) "performs" with is...wait for it...A. REAL. PERSON.
Dun, dun, duuuuuuuuuuun.
Posted by: JapJay at November 21, 2008 6:18 PM
This book gave me nightmares at age 40. Seriously creepy.
Hope the movie lives up to the book....
Posted by: Jules at November 21, 2008 10:24 PM
Totally looking forward to this!!!
Posted by: allison at November 22, 2008 1:22 AM
I accidentally typed caraline.com and found something far creepier.
...and now I feel bad for making fun, I need pie to feel better.
Posted by: inthewolf at November 22, 2008 3:00 AM
...was anyone else waiting for that cat to call someone a cocksucker?
No wonder they have button eyes! Neil Gaiman was raised in the Scientology cult and this thing plays like his Freudian repressed memories. The really creepy thing is that Gaiman probably sat through a zillion auditing sessions while his Scientology parents tried to turn him into a zombie! I hope he gets out one day.
Posted by: John at January 5, 2009 8:57 PM
No wonder they have button eyes! Neil Gaiman was raised in the Scientology cult and this thing plays like his Freudian repressed memories. The really creepy thing is that Gaiman probably sat through a zillion auditing sessions while his Scientology parents tried to turn him into a zombie! I hope he gets out one day.
Gaiman is a genius and this looks phenomenal.