Coraline

Coraline

2009

Directed by Henry Selick

I just saw this film during a preview weekend here in the UK. We have had to wait a little while longer to see this film here, but it was well worth the wait. Coraline is a film that everyone who has worked on it should be proud. 

I have always been a fan of Neil Gaiman's work and Henry Selick did a great job adapting the novel in a film. The film looks fantastic and there is such amazing detail put into every scene. Stop-motion involves such patience and hard work that it is hard to imagine just how many hours (well, days and years) it took to finish the film. 

The voice acting in this film was also very good. Teri Hatcher deserves applause for her chilling portrayal of the Other Mother... sweetness and light with little bits of dark and evil spilling through at just the right moments. I also enjoyed Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders performances as the old actresses, Miss Forcible and Miss Spink. They added just the right amount of eccentricity to their parts.

I did see this film in 3D and thought it looked great, but I could not see a reason just to see it in 3D. This is a film that would look great under normal viewing and I can't wait until I have it on DVD so that I can enjoy all of the little details that were added to this film.

Rustin Allison

Really clever stop-motion

Just saw this over on BoingBoing... a really clever 

animation!

Rustin Allison

A Century of Model Animation

A Century of Model Animation

2008

Written by Ray Harryhausen and Tony Dalton

This is a great book about the history of model animation, co-written by one of the masters himself. Obviously the book cannot cover the many different animators that have helped contribute to this fascinating form of cinema, but it provides a great overview. The great thing about the book is that it includes the thoughts and insight of Ray Harryhausen who has worked with Willis O'Brien, and then came into his own (and eventually inspiring others to pursue the artform).

I love model animation (or stop-motion). I have always been intrigued by these types of films. I remember being scared and enthralled by Clash of the Titans when I was a boy, and it is amazing to think of the dedication, concentration, and patience that went into making such great characters come to life. 

Rustin Allison

Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection

Just watched the first disc of this collection. If you are a stop-motion animation fan or Harryhausen fan, it is great viewing. Most of the shorts on the first disc are fairy tales and nursery rhymes. The shorts are entertaining on their own, but also stand up to closer viewing. Harryhausen is a master animator and the gestures and movements his models make are so fluid and life-like. My favorite out of the shorts was Little Red Riding Hood. 

One of the great things on this first disc is the inclusion of test films and abandoned projects. Oh, what might have been?! I was greatly intrigued by the test footage for both War of the Worlds and Baron Munchausen. Both sounded like great ideas and it would have been wonderful if they had been made into feature length films.

Rustin Allison