Coraline -- huh?

[amelia_eve]

We just got back from seeing Coraline. Hmmmmm.

The film is beautiful. The two worlds were wonderfully realized, and the 3D effects were gorgeous. The music was haunting and atmospheric. And the plot? What plot?

Comments

[amelia_eve]

I haven't read the book, nor any Gaiman actually. I had thought this might be a good introduction.

Is all his stuff so anti-mother? Then I have a whole separate rant about male sci-fi authors who make their protagonists young women and girls and think it's hip and PC. But you are not the target of that rant, so I will wait until it's more coherent and post it elsewhere.

[p_j_cleary]

Hmm. The only Gaiman I've read beyond "Coraline" has been "American Gods" and "Anansi Boys," both of which were OBSESSED with fatherhood. I think Gaiman has issues around parenting, in general.

[enochs_fable]

Interesting observations about American Gods (which I thought would have been a better graphic novel) and Anasi Boys, which I loved. AG draws heavily from Norse (enuf said), but I don't know enough about AB to say if the mythology he's drawing from predisposes it or if it's really all just him.

"Neverwhere" had the female protagonist rendered an orphan and on the run.
The Sandman series... I'd have to go back and pick apart.

It's clear they changed things in the movie (added a boy? WTF? Wybie's grandmother was responsible? hallucination what?) since it was clearly a Narnia/Oz kinda thing in the book. Her parents aren't at all depicted negatively in the book - just busy, distracted and harried.