A dream come true.

Coraline: Back home, cats don't talk. So how are you able to...
Cat: I just can.

An adventurous girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets.

Dakota Fanning: Coraline Jones

Coraline is a surreal merging of new and old techniques. Utilizing beautiful stop motion animation and presented in luscious 3D, the film offers a time-honoured message in a state of the art package. 3D has advanced to the point where it actually serves the story as opposed to being an end unto itself. In the opening credit sequence, we see long, spindly iron fingers above the screen as they construct a button-eyed doll. There is menace in these metallic hands and the three dimensional effect adds to the sense of dread. The hands seem close and capable of reaching out to ensnare our vulnerable selfs. When the characters on screen stand outside a doorway, the viewers are tempted to lean forward in order to peak into the room on display. The 3D is effective and enriching, Coraline pleasingly is the first film I have watched in 3D, making it even more of a pleasure to behold.

Coraline (Dakota Fanning), the pre-teen heroine of the film, is moving into an apartment complex in the filled with eccentric neighbors. Her parents both write and leave Coraline feeling alone and neglected. She hates her dad's cooking and misses her old friends. And then she finds a mysterious door in the wall and while playing one evening chases a little mouse through the door and into a mirror universe that looks similar to her own, but seems better. The food is better, the world never boring, and her button-eyed Other Mother and Father give her everything she wants.

''You know, you could stay forever, if you want to. There's one tiny thing we have to do first...''

The film, based on an excellent novel for children by Neil Gaiman, has a strong message at its heart. Coraline posits that hedonism is both empty and dangerous. Also, in order to fully indulge you must become blind to the suffering your pursuits will result in. It's slightly surprising that in a package as aesthetic and mesmerizing as Coraline that we are essentially being presented with a traditional moral warning of wishing for more than we have. The film is not pummeling us into submission with learning this however, and possibly younger viewers will not quickly pick up on the deeper aspects on offer. In the context of the film, the message is completely viable.

The animation on display is excellent and smooth, but as the movie showcases its character design and animation set pieces the story sometimes loses some momentum and it's pace halted. Once Coraline discovers her quest, however, the movie becomes engrossing, tense and something of a horror/thriller. In fact, the film's extended climax will likely be too intense for the very young or squeamish. The voice work is delightful with Terri Hatcher surprising in two vibrant roles as Coraline's mother and the film's spidery villain. She is obviously enjoying the layers of her characters and it enriches the experience as a whole. The artistry on display is delightful and the film offers a unique animated experience. Go see this one soon, Coraline is up there with favourites, Monster House, Nightmare before Christmas, Corpse Bride...Coraline is unique enough to be an entirely new story, a thrilling twisting ride, and yet another fulfilling success to its genre and medium.

''You probably think this world is a dream come true... but you're wrong.''

8/10