# Coraline **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 7, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776 "2009-02-07T02:30:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/41 "2009-02-09T14:47:28Z")
I saw it and don’t have time to fully explain how awesome it was, but was impressed by how quiet the crowd was for an opening weekend (in which half the seats were full). Children are apparently a lot more quiet than adults (at least when they are watching their equivalent of a horror film: much than half the people there were families with children.) ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/42 "2009-02-09T15:34:02Z")
I really enjoyed _Coraline_, but was anyone else bothered by the seemingly made-to-be-a-videogame nature of the game she plays with the Other Mother? Each time she finds one, there’s that draining effect on the surrounding area, and I half expected to see a “Stage Complete” graphic to go with it. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/43 "2009-02-10T00:54:51Z")
I just thought that was an original way to show the dreamworld losing its magic. However, I did find myself thinking, “I sure hope the hidden-object part of the video game is a little more challenging than _that_,” so I guess something made me think of it. By the way, I was a few minutes late getting into the theater. (Since when do movies start on time?) The first thing I remember is Wybie and Coraline mocking each other’s names. Anybody want to tell me what I missed? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/44 "2009-02-10T02:14:22Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Saw it tonight and thought it was visually beautiful (visually _incredible_) but the story left me kind of baffled and put off. Kind of like my reaction when I saw “Spirited Away.” The characters and their interactions just seemed disjointed too much of the time. Have you seen [Mirrormask](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366780/)? Disjointed is the first word that comes to mind when I think of that one, and it was Gaiman’s too. ---
**Author:** ![wunderkammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@wunderkammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wunderkammer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/45 "2009-02-10T02:24:13Z")
… ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2009, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/46 "2009-02-10T02:45:19Z")
**TWDuke** , thank you for your responses to my questions. I’m not sure I agree with all of them, but it’s good to hear the perspective of someone who enjoyed the plot aspects of the movie. [QUOTE=elfkin477] Have you seen Mirrormask? Disjointed is the first word that comes to mind when I think of that one, and it was Gaiman’s too. [/QUOTE] No, and I don’t think I will, if Coraline is representative of his work. I guess either you get it or you don’t, and I clearly don’t. **Elfkin** , I’ll be curious to hear what you think if/when you see it. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/47 "2009-02-12T00:46:32Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > **TWDuke** , thank you for your responses to my questions. I’m not sure I agree with all of them, but it’s good to hear the perspective of someone who enjoyed the plot aspects of the movie. > No, and I don’t think I will, if Coraline is representative of his work. I guess either you get it or you don’t, and I clearly don’t. **Elfkin** , I’ll be curious to hear what you think if/when you see it. Coraline is representive about 1/2 of his work IMHO. I find him maddening because I absolutely adore some of his books, and hate others; Anita Shreve is the only other author I have these love-hate sort of feelings about their work. I wouldn’t recommend skipping American Gods or its companion Anansi Boys based on not liking Coraline because he’s _not_ a predictable writer. Not seeing Mirrormask might be a good idea, but don’t write him off completely based on one work. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/48 "2009-02-12T14:21:04Z")
> [@caveman](#): > > I really enjoyed _Coraline_, but was anyone else bothered by the seemingly made-to-be-a-videogame nature of the game she plays with the Other Mother? Each time she finds one, there’s that draining effect on the surrounding area, and I half expected to see a “Stage Complete” graphic to go with it. You’re right about that, and I didn’t notice the video game like nature of the draining when each task was completed. But I did notice the video game like nature of having a quest broke down into three parts and then a “boss fight”, plus when she completes the first part of the quest there is a funny/cheesy line that makes it all worthwhile, something like Thank you, miss, but there’s two more souls that need saving I see that as a callout to early console quest games. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/49 "2009-02-12T15:44:30Z")
Has anyone seen it in both the 2D and 3D versions? For those of you who have, would you say the 3D version adds enough to the experience to make it worth rushing out to see it before it’s too late? (I hear that some 3D Jonas Brothers thing is poised to grab all the 3D theaters for itself.) ---
**Author:** ![mariposalabrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@mariposalabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mariposalabrown)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/50 "2009-02-22T02:07:58Z")
Ok, I saw 3d, and saw 2d last night. 3d definitely is neat, but honestly, I was just as happy with the 2d version because those glasses never fit me and I have to adjust them all the time. Anyway, freaking mesmerizing movie, I haven’t read the book, but my question is, why can the cat go back and forth into both worlds? Cuz cats are cool and magic? That’s all I could guess. ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/51 "2009-02-22T02:18:52Z")
> [@mariposalabrown](#): > > I haven’t read the book, but my question is, why can the cat go back and forth into both worlds? They just _can_. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/52 "2009-02-22T02:36:59Z")
> [@mariposalabrown](#): > > Anyway, freaking mesmerizing movie, I haven’t read the book, but my question is, why can the cat go back and forth into both worlds? Cuz cats are cool and magic? That’s all I could guess. I can tell you’ve never owned a cat before. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/53 "2009-02-22T02:44:30Z")
I just saw this today in 2-D. My thirteen year old loved it, which is funny because he didn’t want to go see a “girl’s” movie as he called it. He thought it was creepy and funny. I was excited to go see the movie but I almost fell asleep during it. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2009, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776/54 "2009-02-23T15:35:12Z")
We were going to see the 3D version, but the glasses simply did not work for me – by the time the various 3D previews were done and I had tried every adjustment I could think of to position the 3D glasses either over or under my regular ones, it was clear that my choices were 1)leave or 2)suffer a splitting headache for the next day or so. I left and waited in the lobby. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coraline/484776.md?page=2)