“Be careful what you wish for.”
With a descending doll all expectation is set aside at the start of author Neil Gaiman and director Henry Selick’s Coraline. Her punch-and-cut deconstruction is distressing; at her inversion you may feel a gastric tug. You may also dream of submissive needlepoint only to awake with new eyes.
To paraphrase the film’s series of alphabet posters, “‘C’ is for Coraline – brave little girl. Who unlocks the door to a whole different world.”
Extras
Coraline Alphabet Posters – Click to Watch Slideshow
Click to Watch SD | Click to Watch HD
Artist/Director Dave McKean and old friend author Neil Gaiman make like the creative trellis and vine team on the opening credit sequence to MirrorMask featuring the unadulterated sock puppetry of a boxed-in, 15 year old Helena who “wishes she could run away from the circus and join real life.”
Illustration, 3D and live action meld in a phantasmagoric menagerie with a big budget scope in a small budget reality. The depth and graphic style help to usher in The Dark Crystal & Alice in Wonderland sensibilities.
When asked about the opening McKean told Art of the Title, “I can tell you that it was not planned. The beginning of the film I intended didn’t work, so I had to improvise.”
Well done, sir.
UK/USA | 2005 | Color | 1.85:1 | English
Direct Link: 480p (QuickTime, 848×448, 65 MB, 04:55) + 720p (QuickTime, 1280×688, 155 MB, 04:55)
EXTRAS
MirrorMask – End Titles
Click to Watch SD | Click to Watch HD
Direct Link: 480p (QuickTime, 848×448, 20 MB, 02:44) + 720p (QuickTime, 1280×688, 30 MB, 02:44)
CREDITS
Title Designer: Dave McKean
Lead Animator and Effects Artist: Alexis Hall
