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While all the animated and Disney films getting released seem to be using this new 3D technology as a moneymaking gimmick it is refreshing to see 3D used this beautifully and masterfully. Coraline doesn't rely on gimmicks but rather visual and character-driven storytelling. This is an animated film for adults first and kids second. There are psychological subtexts and artistry that make the film far more worthy then just a charming “kids cartoon”. Coraline is masterfully directed by Henry Selick proving Nightmare Before Christmas was more then just Tim Burton’s vision. The imagination and wonder of this film (both for its realism and fantasy) establishes Selick among the very top of stop-animation filmmaking, and one of the great visionaries of contemporary cinema. Selick takes a simple, formulaic fairy-tale story into imaginative and hallucinatory cinematic depths. It is the feeling of this film that makes it such a joy to experience. Selick has a great understanding of fairy-tale storytelling and nightmarish atmosphere through the eyes of a child. It is difficult to describe the feelings this film evokes without sounding like an overexcited fanboy, but that it what this film does for me. I can not praise this film enough except to say that it is perfect in its own methods. This is the artistic peak of stop-animation filmmaking and really must be seen at a theater in 3D!!
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