MOVIE: CORALINE

There is no squeak of Disney in this so-called ‘family film’. Darker than the witching hour, with more surreal flourishes than a Dali and a hard-knuckled moral lesson to boot (be careful what you wish for!), it’s a fantastical modern fable for all. Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) feels neglected by her mud-hating, ‘gardener’ parents, and so when she discovers a secret door leading to ‘other Mother’ (Teri Hatcher), she is all too happy to indulge in the ego-driven fantasy world complete with a table and wardrobe swollen with plenty. But when she refuses to have her eyes sewn shut with buttons, things take a turn for the worse , leading Coraline on an adventure ‘too weird for words’ … (AB)