Coraline (Laika)

Discussion of non-Disney DVD and Blu-ray.
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ajmrowland
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Coraline (Laika)

Post by ajmrowland »

Pre-orders are available on Amazon and two giveaways are being hosted at gamewinners.com.
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Post by PixarFan2006 »

I will be getting this on Blu-Ray when it comes out. One of the best films of the year.
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Post by Disneykid »

This is my second favorite film of the year so far (after Up). I loved Gaiman's book and its sort of twisted Alice in Wonderland feel. The film made it even better by adding layers to it and tweaking certain plot points to give them better context. The Blu-ray will be a day one purchase for me along with Watchmen that same day. Here are the features according to the BBFC:

* Audio Commentary with Director Henry Selick and Composer Bruno Coulais

* Deleted Scenes (8:25)
-- Henry Selick Intro (0:41)
-- Henry Selick Intro: Dad Making Dinner (0:26)
-- Dad Making Dinner (0:28 )
-- Henry Selick Intro: Coraline and the Buggy Roses (0:25)
-- Coraline and the Buggy Roses (1:14)
-- Henry Selick Intro: Pizza Aftermath (0:25)
-- Pizza Aftermath (0:22)
-- Henry Selick Intro: Ghost Kid Angels (0:25)
-- Ghost Kid Angels (1:17)
-- Henry Selick Intro: Montage from the Cutting Room Floor (0:21)
-- Montage from the Cutting Room Floor (0:48 )

* The Making of Coraline (35:38 )
-- The Evolution of the Story (2:40)
-- Inspiring Design: Character Design and Art Direction (3:53)
-- Directing the Voice Sessions (3:11)
-- Making Puppets (4:26)
-- Coraline's Closet (4:46)
-- Setting the Stage: How Does Your Fantastic Garden Grow? (4:08 )
-- It's Alive (3:!6)
-- I've Seen Fire and I've Seen Fog (3:57)
-- The Eyes Have It (3:16)
-- Wrapping Up "Coraline" (2:00)

* Webisodes (18:03)
-- Meet the Cast (1:18 )
-- Numbers and Facts: The First Handmade Film Shot in 3-D (1:22)
-- Althea Crome: Knitter of Coraline's Sweater and Globes Size XXX (1:58 )
-- What's This Puppet Thinking? (1:29)
-- Bo Mustache: "I Love to Bring the Most Ordinary Objects to Life in an Extraordinary Way" - Bo Henry, Art Director (0:58 )
-- Brad Schiff: Ambitious Puppeteer (0:50)
-- Brian McLean and Martin Meunier: Department of Realistic Waterworks (1:05)
-- Jeanne McIvor: Professional Skeleton Maker (1:52)
-- Oliver Jones: Making Flowers Blossom and Puppets Fly (1:31)
-- Trey Thomas: Expert on Female (Puppets) (1:19)
-- Suzanne Moulton: Head of the Really Small Hair Department (2:13)
-- A Few Words from Neil (2:02)

* Voicing the Characters (10:44)
* Creepy Coraline (5:01)

The press release adds a "The World According to Henry" featurette that hasn't been passed by the BBFC. On the reverse side, the press release fails to mention the webisodes, leading me to believe they'll be a Blu-ray exclusive that's accessed via U-Control.
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Post by ajmrowland »

Awesome features list. I'll probably make this a day 1, if I can.
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Post by PixarFan2006 »

I hope all those features are true for the R1 release. I also hope they do not offer the film in 3D as it will most likely suck (as most 3D effects on TV do).
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Post by Arielle »

PixarFan2006 wrote: I also hope they do not offer the film in 3D as it will most likely suck (as most 3D effects on TV do).
I disagree. I would love for them to include a 3D version -- I don't think they've released one on blu-ray yet and I would be very curious to see what it was like! And, hey, if it sucks we can just flip the disc over and watch the 2D version.
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Post by Disneykid »

Actually, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Polar Express, and the concerts for Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers all included 3-D versions. Coraline will, too; I just forgot to list it in the bonus materials. Personally, while I love polarized 3-D found in digital 3-D theaters (the clear black glasses), I don't care much for anaglyph ones (the red and blue ones). The latter gives me a headache after a while, the color scheme is messed up, and the 3-D effects are few and far between. I have no plans on watching the 3-D version of Coraline on BD unless I hear it's some sort of miraculous accomplishment.
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Post by Arielle »

Disneykid wrote:Actually, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Polar Express, and the concerts for Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers all included 3-D versions. Coraline will, too; I just forgot to list it in the bonus materials.
Oh, whoops. Guess I better check my facts before stating something like that. However, I really dislike 3D that is not animation - I think it looks really bizarre. I rented Polar Express a while ago on DVD, but the story was so slow that I stopped it before finishing it. Guess that's why I didn't notice they released it in 3D.

Still, I'm glad they will be releasing a 3D version on the disc so we can at least see what it's like.
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Post by KubrickFan »

Arielle wrote: Oh, whoops. Guess I better check my facts before stating something like that. However, I really dislike 3D that is not animation - I think it looks really bizarre. I rented Polar Express a while ago on DVD, but the story was so slow that I stopped it before finishing it. Guess that's why I didn't notice they released it in 3D.

Still, I'm glad they will be releasing a 3D version on the disc so we can at least see what it's like.
The 3D version is the standard red and green version, not the newer type of 3D. You can't play the new type on the Blu-ray players or televisions you have now, if I'm correct.
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Post by ajmrowland »

At least the green and purple glasses that come with Journey are perhaps the best anaglyph you'll get.
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Post by Escapay »

WIST #60:
AwallaceUNC: Would you prefer Substi-Blu-tiary Locomotion? :p

WIST #61:
TheSequelOfDisney: Damn, did Lin-Manuel Miranda go and murder all your families?
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Post by Neal »

Might be a 'duh' question, but the Blu-ray WILL include EVERYTHING from the 1-Disc DVD and 2-Disc DVD, right?

I want to buy the DVD/Blu combo, but don't want to miss any features.
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Post by ajmrowland »

Yes, the blu-ray includes everything.

Plus, it has all the online webisodes, three picture-in-picture tracks, and a link to Universal BD-Live. I know some people would say it's not worth the price, but it's good enough for me!
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Post by ajmrowland »

I per-ordered my blu-ray from Amazon for $20, with free shipping. Should arrive tomorrow. I'm happy I'm getting this. Worth every cent, IMO.:)
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Post by Brer Brandon »

I got it from Netflix yesterday. Saw it in theater but I've been dieing to see it again. I want to buy the collector's edition but I will have to wait until I start my new job in a few weeks.
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Post by pap64 »

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I watched the movie a few days ago and wanted to express my thoughts.

While the movie was good I believe it was a tad overrated by the animation community and it seems most of its appeal lied in the visuals rather than the story and characters.

Yes, the film is a visual stunner. The use of color, set design, character design and animation is amazing, and the organic feel put it above most CG features.

That said, there's nothing else for me to say that this is an amazing movie. The story is good but I feel it was marred down by characters that are too eccentric, weird and un-sympathetic for me to truly emotionally invest on. This is just another case of a child lead being smarter than the adults, something that bugs me. Not because its unrealistic but because I believe that just because its a children's movie it doesn't mean they have to undermine the role of the adults in the overall story.

When the movie ends I feel as if none of the characters (especially Coraline's parents) have learned anything from the perils they went through. While its true that Coraline did appreciate her parents more they still remain the same and very proof was given to me that things WILL get better (I know that all of the neighbors have a big garden party at the end, but it doesn't give me enough reason to believe that things WILL get better).

This leads me to some of the story issues. I find it that some details were missing that would have rounded out the package better. Like for example, what caused Coraline's mother to be such a bitch (I know she had an accident, but there's still no better explanation as to why the sudden change in character), how did the neighbors have a vague idea of the danger Coraline was going to face and, most importantly, if they knew about the Witch why are they still living there?

Finally, and I am sure many will agree with me on this, I feel as if they didn't know what type of movie to make. It stars a child and it deals with children being in mortal danger, but the themes and concepts are too mature for it to be a family film. Yet they took many steps back and now we have a film that might be too colorful for adults and too scary for kids. There's no established balance between the macabre and the whimsy, something I believe Pixar has done well with the recent pictures (Up, in particular, feels very universal despite its adult themes of loss, the accomplishment of dreams and the desire of adventure).

So overall, while Coraline is a good movie with stunning visuals the unappealing characters, the somewhat spotty story and the confusion of themes make it a movie that is solid but far from the brilliant cinematic masterpiece many claimed it was during its theatrical engagement.
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Post by Neal »

I have to say it's overrated, too.

The stop-motion is gorgeous and fluid, best I've seen (compared to Wallace & Gromit, Corpse Bride, James/Peach, Nightmare Before...)

But the story has a slow build-up and the whole film has this sort of slow listlessness to it. It may be beautiful and wonderfully creepy for kids (too many kids movies are sissy these days) but it just drags along too slowly.

I still like it, though, and hope Selick and the crew at LAIKA figure out how to make their stories as fluid and wonderful as their stop-motion for their next film.
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Post by pap64 »

Yeah, the story doesn't move as fluidly as it should, creating moments of boredom.

Good to know someone agrees with me, since it seems that many are ready to call this one of the best films of the year, overlooking Pixar's amazing work with Up.

Not saying that it won't have fans since it is good enough to attract an audience. But it does have issues and I am surprised that very few critics noticed this when the film first hit theaters.
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Post by Neal »

Many people can be won over by the flash and fizzle, and forget that substance is equally important.

I mean, I knew this wasn't a musical like one of my all-time favorite films "The Nightmare before Christmas" - but this just had a lot of dead air, and the whole 'search for the stones' thing was like out of a video game in terms of how it was all set up.

And yes, Up was much better.

But I'd have to say I'm most looking forward to being blown away by "The Princes and the Frog" and "Where the Wild Things Are."
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