c, vt’s favorite author-cum-screenwriter was on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report earlier this week. They don’t talk about anything movie related, as their discussion focuses on Gaiman’s excellent and Newbery-award winning children’s novel, “The Graveyard Book.” Well actually, it is being adapted into a film by Neil Jordan, so I guess that’s sort of movie related. Either way, it’s Gaiman and Colbert, so watch the damn thing already!

Neil Gaiman has been responsible for some of the most imaginative and wonderfully entertaining novels to hit shelves in the last two decades. But plenty of authors who have been successful in book stores have been less lucky when their work has been adapted for the big screen. It speaks to Gaiman’s credit then, when all three of his adapted works (Stardust, MirrorMask, and Neverwhere, though technically that was a miniseries first) have all been quite excellent across the board.

Coraline certainly continues that trend, as The Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick gives us a thrilling and magical take on Gaiman’s story. The animation alone is reason enough to see this, as Selick masterfully conducts a fantastical stop-motion opus that both captures the imagination and then blows it away.

But technical aspects aside, Coraline also weaves a dark and creepily absorbing tale of one girl’s adventures when she finds a doorway to an alternate reality in her living room. The world she uncovers is much like her own, but instead of parents that are too busy with their professional lives to pay her any mind, her “Other Mother” and “Other Father” seek to fulfill her every whim. From delicious meals to wondrous games, the entire world has been crafted for Coraline’s amusement. However, the plucky girl soon discovers that there is an altogether more sinister nature to her newfound dreamland.

Boasting a bevy of charming and wildly weird side characters, Coraline juxtaposes the two versions to enchanting effect. There’s the retired circus performer Mr. Bobinsky, who lives above Coraline’s house and claims to be training a troupe of mice for a mouse circus. Then there is Miss Forcible and Miss Spink, a pair of retired gypsy actresses that live below Coraline, who speak mainly of their past prime and their love of Scottie dogs, of which they have had several (the past ones stuffed and on display). Their Other counterparts, on the other hand, can do what the real versions only dream of doing, putting on a bewitching Grand Guignol of marching band mice and high-flying acrobatics.

A special note must also be made for Bruno Coulais’s haunting and whimsical score. From the prancing harp strings to the sirenic refrain of the child choir, Coraline should be remembered as much for its music as its achievements in animation.

The world that Selick has created in Coraline is simply stunning, and it instills an exuberant giddiness that is reminiscent of when we heard the grandest of fairy tales for the first time. There are times when the film wanders a bit too much in its exploration of the world it has created for itself, but it is a minor blemish in an otherwise dazzling spectacle. Others have been saying it already, but I’m inclined to agree – this is the first serious Oscar contender of the year.

Ultimately, Coraline’s breathless visuals and engaging characters make this a film that will hold a generation of moviegoers’ imaginations, just as much, if not more so, than The Nightmare Before Christmas did.

“Stuck In A Banner”

“Bobinsky vs. Other Bobinsky”

And just for kicks, here’s a trailer for Coraline that was shot with Neil Gaiman (and in his own house, no less).

Pretty neat stuff, can’t wait to see what Henry Selick, Neil Gaiman & Co. have cooked up this time. Coraline hits theaters February 6th.

It may be rated PG, but Henry Selick’s Coraline will definitely be creeping out its fair share of kids, and probably adults, when it hits theaters in February. And having seen more and more of this world convinces me that this will, at very least, be a viscerally breathtaking film. We’ve covered Coraline to a good extent on this site, so our more loyal readers will know by now that we’re excited for this. Hopefully this trailer gets you guys excited, too. Based on Neil Gaiman’s book, the film hits theaters in 2D and Digital 3D on February 6th.