Coraline by Neil Gaiman [2002]

Okay, so I'm not going in order with this reading list. I started LotR, but my copy has all three books in one, and as a result it's really heavy and hard to carry around so I decided to keep that one on the backburner. ... not like you were lying awake at night wondering what I'm reading, but I'm the president of this blog, so I call the shots. :P
So! Coraline then, yeah?
Well, despite the fact that I shrieked when I encountered my first Creeper in Minecraft, and cower behind pillows when my Dad and I watch The X Files, I wasn't actually that scared by this book. Creeped out and perhaps a little disturbed, but not terrified out of my wits. But before I start the review I should warn that this book is full of nightmare fuel. Chock full of it. I mean, just look at that cover. Yeeeks.
This book is about a girl (presumably somewhere between the ages of 10-12) who moves into a duplex. In an empty storage room she finds a mysterious door that leads to her 'other' house. It's where her Other Mother lives, with Other Father, and they've apparently been waiting for Coraline's arrival so that she can live with them and be their little girl. Of course, it doesn't take long for Coraline to realize that something is horribly, horribly amiss, yadayada.
I already reviewed the movie, and I just now got around to reading the book again. I had forgotten some of the things that happen, which is always nice when you're re-reading a book. Neil Gaiman's writing is nice and descriptive (though maybe a little too hung up on food. Seriously. Every meal gets described in great detail.) and paints a really good mental picture. Which is mostly a good thing, until you reach the part where Coraline gets sent into the cellar.
Allright, the last bit about the cellar makes things sound a little clichéd, but Coraline is actually one of the most original books I've ever read. As a writer I find it simultaneously inspiring and... not inspiring. Inspiring because it's possible to still write something with much originality. Not inspiring because well in all honesty, I don't think I'll ever write like Neil Gaiman. Saaaad...
Unlike the snotty reviewers on Amazon, I thought that this book did have something of a moral message. In the beginning of the story, Coraline was kind of a brat. Not going to lie. She was interesting, but she wasn't endearing. As the story goes on though, she learns to appreciate what she formerly thought was boring and normal. I thought it was a good message. I mean, sure. It's not Aesop, but why you would go hunting for morals in a horror novel is a mystery to me.

The Verdict: A-
I always have a hard time reviewing books that I really, really like, because I just kind of mindlessly ramble and never reach a point. In short, I like this book because it's quirky, scary, and an all-around enthralling book. It's also short, and you can read it in less than a day. ;)
I for one really like this book, but there are some distressing thematic elements that warrant discretion. If I had a kid, I would definitely screen this book before them and decide whether or not s/he could handle it.

Coraline [2009]

Making a good adaptation is weird. Just because the movie of the book isn't just like the book doesn't mean that it's a bad movie. Of course, this isn't always the case. The Tale of Despereaux movie was terrible, and The Hobbit trilogy is... well, it's a big enough problem that I had to say trilogy.

Coraline on the other hand, isn't just like the book, but it's an awesome adaptation.

Where do I start... well, the film is stop-motion, and it is gorgeous. The sets are so detailed, and I heard that a crewmember was hired to knit clothes for the characters on teeny-tiny little knitting needles! The character design was cool, too. Especially Coraline and The Other Mother. I like the versatility you can get in stop-motion when it comes to designing characters.

I love the music, it's got kind of a Danny Elfman feel to it, but the composer is actually Bruno Coulais. There's some very good use of pizzicato strings and a creepy kid's choir singing in nonsense language.

Wybie, as always, dressed like a fireman.

Anyhoo, there is a few things that they added that weren't in the book- but it didn't bother me at all. The biggest change they made was that there's another kid who lives next door to Coraline- the unfortunately named Wyborne, or Wybie. Usually, adding characters is not a good idea (Boldo from the disastrous, evil incarnate Despereaux movie), but I actually really liked Wybie. The book has a lot of inner narration and Coraline wandering around exploring by herself. So it makes story-telling a lot easier if they have a second character for Coraline to work off of.

Aside from the addition of Wybie, the story is kept mostly intact from the book. A little girl, roughly 11 or 12 years old moves into a duplex with her mum and dad. However, the other side of the duplex isn't occupied, and there's a little door in Coraline's house that's bricked off. Late one night, Coraline finds herself drawn to the other side of the door (now mysteriously opened up), and on the other side, she finds a world just like her own, except that everyone inexplicably has button eyes. There's another mother, another father, even another Wybie. Things seem way better on the other version of her life. Her parents now have endless amounts of time for her, and there's always delicious snacks around. However, Coraline soon finds out that this other world is actually quite sinister.

The Other Mother

The movie doesn't distill any of the dark or slightly disturbing elements of the book, and the story plays out very well on screen. It's always neat to see how a book plays out in movie-format, especially something as strange and unique as Coraline.

Well, as much as I love this movie even I have to admit that there are... problems. Well, one problem. See, two of Coraline's neighbors, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, are implied to be former burlesque dancers, and in the Other world, there's a scene where they are **ahem** scantily clad. The movie gets away with this because it's actually two younger women in old lady costumes. Before that gets revealed though it's um... more disturbing than the Other Mother in her spider mode.

My reaction to the above mentioned scene.

Oh, and speaking of The Other Mother... Coraline is a story written for all ages, children to adults, and the same goes for the movie. But there are a few things that you might want to know before you pop this into the player for the young'ns. Naturally, spoilers follow.

If Coraline wants to stay in the Other world, she has to let The Other Mother replace her eyes with buttons. Coraline refuses, and soon finds out that this has happened to at least three other children before. And the other children are kind of, well, dead now. It's kind of a disturbing twist, and it might freak out young children. My little sister is ten, and she wasn't scarred for life, but more sensitive kids might be freaked out. So you know, use your own judgment.

The Verdict: A

Coraline is a terrific adaptation of a terrific book. If you like the book, this is worth a watch, and vice versa. The sets are very well made, and the look/feel of the movie is kooky and whimsical while still being suspenseful and creepy. It's not perfect, you know, there's some suggestive humor in it. But if you like this kind of movie, I would totally recommend Coraline.
Age Appropriateness: Preteens and up, but it varies from person to person. I know some adults who would be uncomfortable with Coraline.

Awesome Music: Coraline End Credits [Bruno Coulais]

I recently saw the Coraline movie, and despite the fact that I was high on Benadryl (I was mucho sick) and was having trouble staying awake, I really enjoyed it! I'll have to write a review sometime, but I'd like to review the book first. Anyway, my sister and I just went nuts over the cool credits music, take a listen!

Creepy, mysterious, and bizarrely childish. This music is absolutely perfect for a movie like Coraline. I love the timpani boom at the very beginning, the crazy pizzicato strings, and the children's chorus singing that... strange gibberish language. I looked it up, whatever it is they are saying, it's total nonsense. I like that, it adds a lot to the eerie mood that you couldn't get if it were just a foreign language like French or Spanish. But you can pick out the occasional word, or syllable that sounds like an english word. Words like 'Twinkly', 'Faerie', 'Twilight', 'Freedom', 'Nearer' and 'Sing'. Pretty weird and random, but it gives me chills just imagining what they could possibly be singing about!

Adios Amigos,
-Monica