Coraline 15th Anniversary Remastered RealD 3D Review

MOVIE REVIEW

Well, it's been 15 years and the cult classic Coraline has been brought back to theaters for the first time since the last time (last August as part of a Fathom Event feature). This time, it's highly pushed for having remastered 3D. I believe that means either the 3D has been tweaked to allow for better depth or the image as a whole has gotten polished up to be more clear and colorful. Remastered or not, I personally don't care. Coraline is back!

It's been about a year now since I did my review of Coraline on 3D Blu-ray. And since that time, it's honestly kinda stuck with me. I've heard different people expressing different opinions on its themes and events, I've learned more about the painstakingly harsh stop-motion behind the film, and not to mention, it's story and visuals are just plain mesmerizing. I've also come to appreciate it all the more as not just a piece of art, but also a piece of pretty bold cinema. Nowadays, children's entertainment is in a very weird spot as parents are incredibly over-protective. If parents these days hear about a movie that might mildly disrupt their kid, they complain about it to the media and avoid paying for it (despite the fact that most parents grew up with films like the Indiana Jones franchise and The NeverEnding Story and still turned out fine). Because of that, it's not as lucrative to create children horror stories as they used to be. And that, I think is a shame because even in children's entertainment, there needs to be room to explore the unknown, the creepy, the mysterious, and the haunting. Not to an extreme degree, of course, but enough to give children a taste of the kinds of terrors the world has to offer and to show them how they can brave it. Despite that pushback, however, Coraline managed to find an audience regardless. The theater I was in was nothing less than packed, and it even had a couple of families with small children. So I think it struck a chord with audience members somehow.

When I reviewed Coraline the first time, I focused a lot on how the film worked as a film, story-wise and all. I think it was fair and all, but I don't think I focused quite as how much of an anomaly the movie is in something like today's entertainment environment. Back in the day, stop-motion films did come in the form of stuff like Pirates: Band of Misfits and Chicken Run, but even back then it was a very rare thing to see. And the studio behind Coraline, Laika, was the medium's life support in the 2010s when it brought us classics like The Boxtrolls and ParaNorman. It's not hard to see why no one uses stop-motion, though. It's an expensive, time-consuming process that requires meticulous planning and attention to detail, with even a solid 2 seconds of footage taking up a day to complete. Not to mention the addition of filming the movie natively in 3D. It's one thing to make sure to get the lighting, camera angles, and puppetry just right. But to do so while handling two cameras is simply mind-boggling. The results looking as good as they do seem like a miracle in and of itself. Still, even if you don't exactly "dig the style," it's difficult not to respect the hard labor poured into the production of Coraline.

In fact, this presentation by Fathom Events playing a featurette after the film that shows the Laika crew in 2024 trying to recreate the Coraline model. It's a must-watch for anyone who loves the film and it gives out some neat nuggets of information on how the creation of the Coraline puppet worked in the first place, how they would remove the mouth and replace it with another mouth in a slightly different position, how the skeleton operates, how they manage the hair, and all such as that. Even with that mess, that's just one character. To keep that going for nearly a dozen characters is just plain jaw-dropping. I get that all movies take time and effort to complete. But whereas the productions of most movies follow most of the same rules don't take too much to comprehend, Coraline's making is a rabbit hole that goes down deeper than that well at the end of the film. The end results still hold up, though. And it makes me a little bummed out that we don't really get stop-motion films anymore.

Especially in the children's horror genre. Once again, this is a medium films virtually never tap into nowadays because the last thing parents want, especially in this day and age, is for their children to end up upset. That's understandable, but when you look at the box office returns between Coraline and Despicable Me 4, one film with heart and soul poured into it and another film doing the same shtick as last time, it's a little disheartening. I will admit, the first time watching Coraline, I was a little taken off guard by how dark it got. Looking at it a second time, though, I noticed more how quite wondrous, and even slightly funny it could be at times. I think when it all comes together, it's a nice balancing act. It can be utterly delightful in certain moments, which helps give it a pass to delve into some disturbing territory later on.

And funny enough, I'd even say the horror is more effective in Coraline than it is in most feature films made for adults simply because of how little it has to work with. Rather than relying on grotesque body imagery, ok scratch that, rather than relying on disgusting acts of violence and gore, the disturbing quality comes down simply because of the story it tells. And yet, even with that, Coraline isn't just horrifying just to horrify. At its core, it's still a morality tale with something to say about how rather than seeking something for selfish reasons and making yourself vulnerable to others, instead take an opportunity to change your perspective on life and see the good in life you already have. Seek to build genuine relationships with others instead of seeking people who'll accept you for their own reasons. And who knows? Within time, you might even have your own beautiful garden growing in your own home. I know, I know, how well the morality tale works is really in the eyes of the Beholder. Coraline is a bit of a jerk, and her normal parents really aren't that kind to her for most of the movie. But still, most of us can agree that moral undercurrent is still there when you take the story at a fundamental level. I have heard some people state they view the film as a deconstruction of moral values or something because the Other Mother cooks and cleans and Coraline herself can be pretty nasty, but I don't see it.

Coraline is a film with so many little nuggets in its themes and animation that I really could go on all day talking about it. But this review is really only supposed to give you an overview of what I think about it on a surface level. There are plenty of YouTube videos and articles delving into all the small things that make this movie up to be what it is. That, I think, is the mark of a true work of art. Whereas most films give you the goods and little else more, Coraline is a film that you begs you to dive into its mysteries, into its message, into its characters, into its story, into its incredible visuals, into its "world" might I say. Whereas most films Hollywood are quickly forgotten about over time, Coraline is a film that anyone who dares to watch it will eventually build up a sense of profound respect for it. That's what makes this film in particular very special, and why 15 years later, it seems to have only further built up its audience. Unlike many children's films where many of its viewers eventually grows out of it, Coraline is the rare film where its viewers eventually grow into it, or as C.S. Lewis would put it, become old enough to start reading fairy tales again.

OVERALL FILM RATING: 4.5/5

3D REVIEW

But of course, The 3D Dinosaur wouldn't be here talking about this special piece of filmmaking if it wasn't for its re-release being in 3D. Now, by the phrase "Remastered 3D," Fathom Events doesn't give us a real grip on what "remastered" means, so I'll just have to assume it applies to cleaning up the video and making it look nicer than before. To me, the film did look clear and nice. But then again, it looked that way when I watched it at home just a year ago. However, I'm not here to discuss the image quality. I'm just here to describe the 3D effect and tell you whether or not its worth the ticket price. Spoiler warning, it absolutely is.

As for the actual details of the film, here is what I mentioned in my 3D Blu-ray review that holds up in the theatrical version: "The thing that really sets this movie apart from around 80% of most 3D flicks I've seen is not just how well-integrated the 3D is, but also just how naturally is works with the bizarre world this film creates. At the start of the movie, we get an opening credits sequence of needle hands stitching together a doll that looks exactly like our main lead. We get a small doll flying through a window and into the room before the needle hands grab it. The native 3D allows every piece of stuffing, thread, needle, button, and stitch in close up to not only look natural, but almost pop in 3D. There's even one very neat use of 3D pop out with a needle going through a button. When the Coraline doll is finished, the needle hands let it go back out into sky through the same window it came in. This scene is an excellent 3D highlight and it sets the tone for the 3D in the rest of the movie, or at least around 70% of it.

          Selick does a pretty interesting thing here with the 3D. When Coraline is in the real world, the field of depth is kept very shallow. But when she enters the Other-world, the 3D really ramps up. From a storytelling standpoint, that's a pretty neat creative decision. However, because the real world scenes are technically in 3D, they count towards how I rate the overall product. If it had been something like Tron: Legacy or even Spy Kids 3D: Game Over where the film is only in 3D when it needs to be and flat everywhere else, I would for sure call this a 3D tour de force. As it is though, I can really only say that most, but not all, of the movie impresses in 3D. That doesn't mean the shallow parts don't have any interesting 3D offer, though. Outdoors, the trees, plants, houses, hills, and characters all carry decent 3D shape, as well as some fog and structures like a metal balcony and stairs. And indoors, you can still look through windows, doors, and staircases. There are also some shots that are composed quite nicely for 3D viewing. One includes a character looking through a telescope, one involves Coraline talking to her father and her reflection comes through in a computer screen, and one character playing with a slug.

          When the 3D does kick up, though, the 3D really kicks up. And it starts when Coraline first opens the small door and the tunnel forms. Similar tunnel shots like this occur several times throughout the film. And in the climax, the 3D really helps to build up the tension when the reverse happens. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, let's start with the more delightful stuff. The depth throughout these portions of the movie is so extensive that even in settings as modest as dining rooms, things like candles, cakes, and a gravy train look more captivating with the added depth. But the 3D is used splendidly in places like a spinning piano with mechanical glove hands throwing themselves all over the place and a large garden with bright, vibrant plants and a flock of birds. There's also a mechanical mantis that gets some 3D time to shine. But in the grander moments, there's a mice circus where the creatures dance and jump around the screen in some fun 3D ways that even at one point involves a tower, and a trapeze act where the ladies are jumping in, out of, and around the screen and at such heights that the 3D makes ever evident, and that's not to mention large crowd shots of dogs in the audience of a show.

          In the second half of the film, though, the tone of the 3D switches from wondrous to terrifying. Eventually, the Other-mother starts to gradually becomes more horrifying and not only has a freaky 3D presence, but also has no problem protruding the screen often. My condolences to all the 6 year old kids who sat down and watched this film in 3D at the theater. But that's not the only are where the 3D adds an extra dimension of creepiness to the picture. We also get ghost children who float around the screen at a lower frame rate than everyone else, a couple of brief, but neat parts involving mirrors, and the same settings we saw earlier in a much more beautiful state such as the garden, the mice circus, and the theater are now twisted against out hero, leading to some scary action sequences. At one point in the movie, the cat takes Coraline to the ends of the Other-world where the world starts to dissolve into nothing but whiteness. And there are some shots of the moon that look genuinely far away. There's also some good 3D composition involving spider webs whether we're looking at them through windows or when Coraline is being chased by the other mother when the floor turns into one giant spider web. It's also around this point in the movie when almost anything that can reach out and try to attack you will. Among the perpetrators of that are the Other-mother (obviously), the trapeze artists busting out of a candy wrapper, flying bat dogs, a reluctant character with a giant mantis, plants, and more that I'm probably not thinking of now. Point is, this is probably the best I've seen 3D work with horror since A Christmas Carol."

That phrase about the 6 year old kids takes on a whole new meaning as I happened to be sitting in the theater while that was happening. The theatrical experience takes everything about the 3D that already makes it superb and makes it even greater. Not only is the depth more noticeable and the world of Coraline that much more immersive, but the pop outs pop out way more. If you're debating on whether or not to see Coraline in 3D at the theater, it's no question.

That being said, if you read my review last time, you'll notice how I gave the film a "great" rating overall mainly because I thought the shallow depth in the real world scenes took some points off for it. This time around, though, I'm gonna let this issue off the hook and give the film an "excellent" rating anyway. Don't get me wrong, the shallow scenes are still quite shallow and not as well-utilized as the rest of the film, making it slightly less impressive than it could've been on a technical level. But what makes Coraline the best of the best in terms of a 3D movie is how crucial it is to the film. Every frame was strategically placed in order to use the 3D not just as a way of making the film look nicer, but also to put you front and center into this small, colorful, imaginative, and terrifying world. And when seeing its best 3D sequences again for the second time, and on the big screen, I don't believe there's anything more you can ask for it on the 3D side of things. Plus, considering how labor-intensive stop-motion is combined with having to control two cameras simultaneously, we're lucky the 3D in Coraline even made it pass the bar of functional. I'd recommend seeing the film in 3D just to see all that hard work on display. But even if not for that, do it to experience the story the way the creators intended. It'll deliver people of all ages some to be thrilled at and something to be haunted by.

3D RATING: EXCELLENT

OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D

High-Def Digest's Review (3D Blu-ray version): https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/4324/coraline_3d.html 

Real Future Picture's Review (3D Blu-ray version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etstNCFXdD8 

Go Find Fun's Review (3D Blu-ray version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWGr7xrjn_U&t=37s

FINAL THOUGHTS

I still hold by my last review in which I said this film demands some caution for young kids or even sensitive older folks. But for everyone else, I highly recommend checking out Coraline in the theater while you can, and especially in 3D. This is really one of those few films in which everyone who leaves has something unique to talk about with it. It's peak entertainment, it's peak children's horror, it's peak stop-motion, it's peak storytelling. I think some of us might disagree on how well the story gets across its message against selfishness when Coraline herself and the people around her aren't perfect individuals. Personally, I think it's ultimately a good representation of how people in reality often are. And I think it helps show that even in the worst of circumstances, it doesn't pay to give up on those around us. We still must go through life searching for the good that's already around us, or even creating good for other, rather than chasing a fantasy world that will ultimately lead our own downfall. Man, even now in the conclusion I still have things to say about it. However, I'll seal my lips now and simply tell you that whether you have or haven't seen Coraline yet, this 15th anniversary re-release is the perfect opportunity to step right back into this kooky, but visually engaging film. Now, in my area, the 3D showings are being highly emphasized, so I think it would actually take some degree of effort to avoid a 3D screening of Coraline. But why would you even bother? This is a film that was made with 3D in mind from the ground up and even to this day, still remains some people's favorite 3D films. And it's no surprise. Along with the creepy, but stylized environment just lending itself to 3D, it also throws in so many interesting camera angles, freaky pop outs, and little details that solididy Coraline as a 3D tour de force. While I think Avatar 2 might still be the greatest 3D experience I've ever had, Coraline is none the less a film that everyone should get a chance to see in 3D at one point or another. So why not see catch it now while it's out on the big screen and see what all the fuss is about?