WRITER'S NOTE: The following is a collection of reviews posted on my Instagram page @film_freeq in the fall of 2022. They’ve been organized by their initial theatrical release dates.
Coraline (2009)
Many classic animated films (including those from Disney) have a long history of nightmare-fueling scenes that have traumatized kids and audiences for generations, despite redemptive themes in many of them. This 2009 stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman's bestselling YA horror novel (the first solo feature film from Laika Studios, and written and directed by Henry Selick) is one of the more recent cases in point.
Coraline is visually dazzling, imaginative, and well-crafted and -written. The story follows an unhappy girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who moves with her workaholic and dismissive parents to Oregon, and soon discovers a secret door that leads to an alternate, more idealized, world. Only too little and too late does she realize that this "dream" life comes at a terrible cost, becoming a cautionary tale that puts a new twist on the theme, "be careful what you wish for."
It's also one of the creepiest films in recent years, especially when we learn (and see) who/what the "Other Mother" really is. There's also a scene of gratuitous near-nudity that'll have many viewers gasping as much as any of the film's numerous jump scares. I even agree with one critic/reviewer that the titular protagonist, while engaging, isn't that heroic. Rather, it's more about her surviving and escaping this button-eyed, nightmare world, even though she does learn to appreciate her real parents a bit more. Perhaps there are some life lessons here after all, if only a few.
ParaNorman (2012)
The second stop-motion feature from Laika is one of their signature achievements, and one of their surprisingly deepest. Its titular character is something of a distant relative of Haley Joel Osmont from The Sixth Sense, as preteenage social outcast Norman Babcock can see and communicate with ghosts. Then, a horde of undead zombies (and a century's-old curse) threaten his small town, and . . . well, we know where this is going. Or do we?
Combining supernatural horror and coming-of-age comedy/drama, ParaNorman can be thought of as an effective and original cross between the genre-bending films of John Carpenter and the 80s-centered teen flicks of John Hughes, with themes of death, grief, neglect, and realizing there's more to people than we give them credit for; although those themes aren't always presented in the most positive ways. Again, it's a deeper story in more ways that one.
The Boxtrolls (2014)
In 2014, Laika successfully avoid being pigeonholed for specializing in contemporary animated horror films with The Boxtrolls. This Victorian-era adventure about a young boy named Eggs, and his relationships with a community of clever, cardboard-wearing critters (as well as the daughter of a wealthy aristocrat), as they go up against a sinister villain to prove the mischievous and creative creatures aren't what everyone has been led to believe, is a thorough visual delight, filled with steampunk whimsy. The vernacular and personalities of the titular characters alone is a testament to voice-acting veterans Dee Bradley Baker and Steve Blum. (The scene of lead troll Fish revealing a sad backstory is a triumph of emotional storytelling in stop-motion.)
But there's something askew when it comes to the film's central antagonist (the vile exterminator, Archibald Snatcher, voiced with gusto by Ben Kingsley), who hides a deadly-allergic reaction to cheese, as well as a crossdressing secret. (This latter element had been funny with past screen screen characters like Bugs Bunny and Mrs. Doubtfire. Here, it's just weird and creepy.) There's also, perhaps, a not-so-subtle message about gender identity, sexuality, and same-sex parenting, resulting in a case where animated features--or films marketed to kids and/or families--decide to throw in political or ethical statements to be culturally relevant (I'm looking at you too, live-action Disney remakes). Like the story's town of Cheesebridge, there's curd that is fresh while others are an acquired taste.
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Laika CEO and President Travis Knight made his directorial debut with this imaginative action-adventure in the style of David Lean and Akira Kurosawa. In fact, the celebrated stop-motion studio broke a lot of new ground in telling an emotionally-involving and captivating story about a young Japanese boy on a quest with a fierce monkey and quirky beetle warrior.
The titular Kubo vaguely resembles Rankin-Bass's Little Drummer Boy, while the film's tone is rich in mythology, epic in scale, powerful (sometimes melancholy) in drama, and deep in spirituality (mostly Eastern, that is). Other themes include the power of storytelling (and music), grief over (and remembering) loved ones, and the role of parental figures. This is one of the most amazing animated films I've ever seen, and arguably Laika's masterpiece.
TRIVIAL FACT: In 2017, Kubo became the second stop-motion animated feature since The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) to be nominated for its visual effects at the Academy Awards.
Missing Link (2019)
Laika's fifth feature film is an epic adventure about a daring-but-egotistical explorer (voiced by Hugh Jackman) who discovers a mysterious sasquatch (voiced by Zack Galifianakis). The unlikely duo embark on a quest to return time mythical creature to his own kind, with help from a reluctant old flame (Zoe Saldana) and skeptical socialites hot on their trail.
While Missing Link is undoubtedly ambitious in scale and has some laughs, it seems a little too low key for its own good, and not as exciting as it could have been. In addition, it's awkward that the titular character prefers to be called by a woman's name. Still, the film does have worthwhile themes of loneliness vs. community, proving one's worth for the wrong reasons, and learning to put others before our own misguided self-interests.
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