The most intense moments in “Coraline” introduce us to a shady territory that gains color as the film surpasses the crisis that dominates its dark plot.

 

In spite of the fact that one may initially take “Coraline” for an inoffensive 3-D animation, the production proves to be very insightful and complex, since it portrays a bleak idea of family life, making it look like a shelter one would like to break away from. In addition, the film directed by Henry Selick (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”) reveals the negative sides of imagination in an attempt to reveal what excesses bring about at some time. Although one can see with the help of the mind’s eye numerous incredible places and creatures, one should never find a refuge in that particular world. This is the lesson “Coraline” wants to teach us. Notwithstanding the pleasures of day dreaming, imagination is not a welcoming host. So don’t book a vacation or at least a lengthy one.

 

Coraline, voiced by Dakota Fanning, is an 11-year-old girl who has just moved with her parents into a huge ancient house called the Pink Palace. Her folks (Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman) spend all day writing about gardening, despite the fact that they are too engaged with their duties to plant flowers and dig up little holes. Coraline, however, is no ordinary girl either. She is very cantankerous and grouchy and lacks congeniality, since she acts officious with her friends and is very severe with her parents.

 

Coraline feels isolated in her big palace, since her parents concentrate all of their attention on work and neglect the little girl, who longs for affection or at least a bit of interest. One night, after she tucks herself in, Coraline is aroused by a mouse, who shows her an entrance to a different world. Our heroine soon finds herself in another house, which is actually a romanticized version of the reality she has been living in. The house is much brighter, her parents are very affectionate and sympathetic and all the people surrounding Coraline seem pasted from a magical world.

 

Nevertheless, there is something wrong about the new place. Coraline’s parents have buttons instead of eyes, just like old dolls, and their expressions seem unnatural. As the little girl tries to decide in which world to remain, the perfect alternate reality turns out to be packed with evil personas, while Coraline’s real parents disappear.

 

It’s her turn now to confront the beasts in her mind and try to save her folks, because imagination can take the wrong turn if one fails to keep it under control.