Coraline - B

On DVD and Blu-ray, 100 minutes

Coraline is a lonely 11 year old only child with distracted parents busy with their own careers. She finds a secret small door (like Being John Malkovich) that transports her to an alternate universe where her parents have all the time in the world for her, treat her lovingly, and even cook her dinner. Her talkative next door neighbor has his mouth sewn shut which is OK with her, but her alternate parents have buttons for eyes, which is kind of creepy. Of course, the dream world will not turn out as great as it first appears and Coraline will learn to appreciate her real life . . .

The stop motion animation is endlessly imaginative and each frame is carefully constructed. For awhile, the jaw-dropping visuals easily carry the familiar and predictable plot. But the third act gets muddled, drags, and repeats itself. And the eyes can only take so much beauty when a story so strange is attacking the brain. The movie would no doubt play better with troubled (female) adolescents with an interest in art. B