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Just got through seeing CORALINE for the third time (twice 2-d, once 3-d). It was a good crowd for the first showing on a Monday. Is Presidents Day a school holiday? Eh, it was cool, part of the movie takes place on Presidents Day (as a sign declares when Mom & Coraline are at the clothing store).
Three times is my limit, unless I really love it (I think I saw THE INCREDIBLES five or six times). I could probably sit through it again another couple of times (at least once more in 3-d, for sure, but I probably won't). Three times is good enough. I hope they include the 3-d version on the dvd. Tried to pick up details in the background, like three silhouette profile portraits on the wall in the dining room of Other Mother's three other victimes (I guess she really did love them, ha ha).
I had read the book, but that was years ago; all I remembered was the basic plot, not much in the way of details, so I was (initially) going in mostly fresh. I guess Wybie could have been named Basil Exposition, but if he didn't particularly add anything to the story, he didn't particularly detract from it either. The musical bits were completely organic to the story so I had no problems with them. I'm quite fond of the mouse band segment, which I take as a homage to George Pal's Puppetoons (though all I've ever seen of those are clips).
As for the horror aspect...I think that W&G:CURSE OFTHE WERERABBIT is more of a straightforward horror movie (I"ve read people splitting hairs about W&G and CORALINE not being the same claymation vs stop-motion; it's silly, same process, stop-motion, different media, clay/puppets). CORALINE is a dark fantasy, like LABYRINTH or MIRROR MASQUE (only there isn't anything that honorific in either), with elements of horror.
Obviously, I like the movie, because the more I like something, the more copy I produce. I guess in 10 years or so we'll know if it has the same kind of legs that NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS has. I think I'll probably be squeezing in a viewing every October.
9/10
