Most animated fare that pitches up in cinemas these days is formulaic computer-generated stuff that looks much the same as the last, bringing the audience all the expected jokes and storylines.

So Coraline, with its stop-motion animation technique, is a breath of fresh air. Ditto its plot.

Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) gets fed up with people mispronouncing her unusual name but it is a symptom of a far deeper-rooted feeling that she is invisible.  Her busy parents have little time for her and she is made to feel like a pest, making constant demands on her time-poor parents.

When she finds a miniature door hiding behind the wallpaper of their remote, dilapidated new house, she can’t wait to get it open.

It leads her to a magical alternate reality, complete with seemingly perfect versions of her parents, who have all the time in the world for Coraline. 

Their sinister buttons-for-eyes give a hint that all is not as it seems. But as Coraline feels alienated at home, she is drawn to this peculiar other world, with her perfect Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) and perfect Other Father (John Hodgman).

Has Coraline made a huge mistake in allowing herself to be enticed by the promise of this parallel universe and, more importantly, will she realise before it’s too late?

From the director of the remarkable and brilliantly accomplished The Nightmare

Before Christmas, Henry Selick, and based on the book by Neil Gaiman, Coraline marries its traditional method of animation – the stop-motion technique beloved by fans of Wallace and Gromit – with the latest 3-D technology to create a visually-arresting film.  

The resulting movie is a beguiling fusion of nostalgic retro appeal and contemporary style.

Coraline is a nightmarish fairy tale. To all intents and purposes, it’s a horror film, with themes preying on the worst fears of children and some rather surreal sequences that wouldn’t look out of place in a David Lynch creation.

In fact, the entire film has an unsettling feel throughout. Even in the ‘real’ world, things seem a touch strange, with offbeat characters, such as the two old showgirls played by Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French, that slot easily into either reality.

It is refreshing to see a children’s film such as this that provides an antidote to the arguably more damaging sugar-coated Disney fare our youngsters are spoon-fed at an alarming rate these days. The fluffy world of High School Musical this most definitely ain’t.

Although it might spook more sensitive kids – the likes of whom have been raised on a predominantly Disney diet perhaps – it’s really no different to elements of classic favourites like The Wizard of Oz and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

Ultimately, this is an engaging and inventive fantastical piece of cinema with beautifully-realised animation that is a treat to take in.

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