by Chris Riehl

Created on: March 26, 2009

Upon seeing previews for the movie, Coraline, one expects a fairy-tale-esque story about a young girl who discovers another world; however, the animation itself leads you to believe that the fairy-tale may be a bit more like The Nightmare Before Christmas as opposed to a traditional children's story , and maybe a bit darker than one might expect.

The story centers on a bored little girl named Coraline whose parents have just moved her to a new house from Pontiac, Michigan. The little girl misses her friends and her parents are so preoccupied with work, they don't take the time to do much more than scold the little girl for interfering.

To cure her boredom, Coraline takes to exploring and happens upon a tiny door covered in wallpaper. She convinces her mother to open the door for her only to find a brick wall behind it. Dejected and with a renewed sense of boredom, Coraline continues on with her day.

What she doesn't expect is that when she goes to sleep each night, amazing jumping mice lead her to the little door, and when she opens it she finds much more than a brick wall, but a portal to another world. The world is very similar to her own but everything is a little bit better. The food is better, her parents dote on her, she is allowed to be an individual. This is exactly what Coraline wants or is it?

Throughout several visits to the other world, Coraline starts to wish that she could leave reality behind and be a part of the seemingly better world. She has all but made up her mind when her "Other Mother" throws a twist at her, leading her to believe that maybe she was better off at home to begin with. She must then save her real family and end the terror of the world that threatens to destroy everything she cares about.

This film seems as if it could have a wholesome message, and I'm sure it could if it were not the creepiest movie I have ever seen in my life. I can't imagine being a child and not being absolutely terrified watching this film. There are scenes that I thought were absolutely inappropriate for children and I'm sure would have given me nightmares had I been a child. I absolutely disagree with the rating on this film and believe it needs at least a PG-13 rating.

Parents, I strongly suggest you do not take young children to see this film. Teenagers and adults may enjoy it, but viewing it under the pretense of it being an entertaining film for the whole family is absolutely the opposite of the truth.

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