Coraline

So I was really excited to see Coraline. I was impressed by the artistic endeavor, the desire to create a 3-d stop motion animated picture in the age of CGI. I thought it would be great and my husband and I loaded up the family. Then the disappointments began. First, the movie house where we chose to view it at was not showing it in 3-d. This bothered me because I wanted to see the film the way it was intended to be shown and the ticket seller did not make this clear until after the fact...after I had purchased the tickets, when I asked about 3-d glasses.

And then we were not able to sit together as a family in the tiny--I mean seriously small--theatre it was showing in. I push all of this aside; the movie begins and it's delightful. I can even imagine and see the scenes that would be 3-d. It is genuinely beautiful.

But then they introduce Wybie...And I wonder why would this film have this sort of subtext of an unwanted child; he was named Wybie which the character aptly explains is short for "why born?" Adding to that was the fact that he was the one of the few characters of color in the film. An unexpected delight that was quickly robbed by his name and the explanation of it that follows. And unfortunately my disappointment with the development of Wybie did not end with his name and continued as he plays the "Other Wybie" you know the one who is not allowed to talk but instead smiles and is just present for the entertainment of Coraline. (But the cat talks...)

And then there were the 2 female actors, Ms. Spink and Ms. Forcible, who lived in the bottom apartment underneath Coraline's family. The subtext being that they were former burlesque dancers which becomes all too real later in the film. The two busty older women perform a burlesque act for 9 year old or 10 year old Coraline and voiceless Wybie. The 60 year old women
gyrate practically nude, pasties and all, only to shed their older selves for younger versions in the finale of this performance... Uncomfortable laughter could be heard in the theatre.

There are elements of this film that were great. But for real--gyrating grandmoms, a voiceless black character named Wybie...What were they thinking? They ruined what could have been a great film for kids.

Is it just me?

Never narrow-minded,

Alegna