Primal fears are at work in Henry Selick’s Coraline and The Uninvited. From the days of fairy tales to Star Wars, abandonment issues have been a familiar theme in popular lore, as they deal with an issue none of us want to face, yet are destined to do so. The loss of our parents, whether we’re young or advanced in years, signals a transition replete with anxiety and has been a jumping off point for many coming of age tales, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet to the modern urban myth of Batman. The enduring popularity of these stories and others like them is that they provide examples of how to deal with this traumatic event either by presenting characters who find the strength to grow or cautionary tales in which despair is the order of the day.
Coraline (voice by Dakota Fanning) certainly fits the bill as a young lady to emulate as she possesses an inner strength that serves her well. While her parents are around physically, they’re absent in spirit as they’re swamped with work. Left to her own devices, Coraline explores the ramshackle country home they’ve moved into and uncovers a hidden door that opens to an alternate reality that looks like her own world, but is different in one respect: its much cheerier as her parents there do all they can to care for her. Any child would want to stay in a place where the weather’s fine, the food is great and the parent’s doting and our heroine is tempted. The only catch is that to do so, it will cost her soul, something she’d rather not part with. However, when her real parents are kidnapped, Coraline is forced to confront her “other mother,” (Teri Hatcher) having to complete a frightening quest in order to secure their freedom.
Coraline’s journey in this other world makes Alice’s trip to wonderland seem like a walk in the park. Selick maintains the basic plot of the Neil Gaiman book this is based on but puts his own spin on it by expanding the roles of many of the characters. Mouse trainer Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane) is a twisting, turning wonder who cautions our heroine to be wary of things that are too good to be true while the retired actresses Miss Spink (Jennifer Saunders) and Miss Forcible (Dawn French) distract her with candy that’s decades old and tales of their past theatrical triumphs, all of which symbolize the dangers of living in the past.
Selick also renders the alternate reality as one of wonder and delight. Cascading cherry blossoms, a garden that blooms to reveal a floral portrait of Coraline and Van Gogh’s Starry Night come to life are but a few of the stunning visuals Selick employs to sweep the audience away and heighten Coraline’s desire to stay in a place that she knows, to her very core, is a sham. That this is all done in digital 3D makes it all the more spectacular, and frightening once the other mother reveals her true self and our heroine must grow up quickly to save herself and her parents.
Selick has created a film that could wind up being this generation’s The Wizard of Oz, as it speaks to our desire to return home, even if it is a drab place where you might be ignored every once in a while, and gives us a plucky heroine who possesses qualities we can’t help but admire, namely courage, tenacity and good taste in gloves. Coraline is knockout in every way and should be seen on the big screen in 3D to fully appreciate the wonders it has in store.
If there is a fault to Selick’s film, it’s that it does begin to meander a bit at times, a charge that cannot be leveled at the Guard Brother’s The Uninvited. Like Coraline, Anna’s (Emily Browning) forced to deal with loss, as her mother was killed in a tragic accident that she witnessed, the trauma of which caused her to be institutionalized. Released after nearly a year, she returns home to her father (David Strathairn), sister (Arielle Kebbel) and Rachael (Elizabeth Banks), her mother’s former nurse who’s moved in to take her place. That there’s a bit of tension goes without saying as Anna resents Rachael’s presence and begins to suspect she might be up to much more than simply making dad happy in the bedroom and angling towards his money. That she’s also getting visits from her mother’s ghost, who must have passed Hamlet’s father on her way to delivering her message that Rachael is the one who killed her, only adds fuel to Anna’s desire to get rid of her.
The film runs less than 90 minutes and along the way, the Guard Brothers expertly build the tension, punctuating it along with a variety of shocking moments that will leave you rattled. Anna’s visions are disturbing and horrifically rendered, as her primal fears give rise to images that prey upon her guilt and rage. That these moments are so effective are due in no small part to Browning’s convincing reaction to them as well as her ability to get us to empathize with Anna’s plight. Thanks to the actress’ fine turn, we wind up rooting for her all the way, especially in the face of Banks’ work that renders Rachael as an evil stepmother who’s wandered out of a Disney cartoon. That she comes off as a stereotype is part of the fun, especially after the film’s satisfying twist ending is revealed. Turns out, nothing is quite as it seems in Anna’s world as we come to see that the source of her abandonment issues are a bit more complicated than we suspect. Suffice it to say, one should beware the fury of a daughter scorned. I’m not sure if all of the film’s narrative pieces fit together perfectly but I’m willing to give it a pass. The Uninvited successfully twists its fairy tale conventions giving us a tale the Brothers Grimm would have admired.