a careful birthday wish

Tomorrow is my 24th birthday, perhaps the most welcome-to-adulthood birthday I’ve ever had. No longer a grad student, on the threshold of paying my own taxes for the first time.

I’m not exactly sure what adults ask for their birthdays; I’m perfectly capable of buying my own books and symphony tickets. In These Economically Unstable Times I feel most compelled to ask for donations to charity and one cause comes to mind.

From you, dear readers, I beg one simple favor; go out and see “Coraline.“ It opens tomorrow and, like me, it was born in Portland, Oregon, from the novella of the same name by my favorite author, Neil Gaiman. While this animated film promises to be a bit reminiscent of Tim Burton’s dark and creepy visions thanks to director Tom Sellick who did “Nightmare Before Christmas,“ it also promises to be one of the most beautifully and lovingly crafted films of the decade. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the animators during my childhood, and I’m still impressed with their passion and talent. I’ve heard through the grapevine that the year and a half of production was due to the painstaking details the crew put into the scenes, such as moving the shadows of hundreds of animals every few frames.

“Coraline” holds all the promise of the great wildly imaginative films which came before, from “Star Wars” to Disney’s “Mulan,“ also richly animated by some acquaintances of my childhood. Gaiman’s involvement guarantees the writing will not disappoint alongside the visuals, and I can’t wait to see his rumination on the age-old “be careful what you wish for.“ But it also promises to be the make or break film for Laika film studio, owned by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Knight took control of the company, formerly Will Vinton Studios, and gave the company the financial clout it needed to survive in the growing market of animated films. Thanks to “Coraline,“ 300 immensely talented animators found work not only in These Times, but in Oregon, which had the highest unemployment rates years before the market crashes and mortage implosion. More than a few dreams rest on this film.

Sure, this film has been called dark, creepy, and nightmarish; that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But aren’t you just a little sick of cookie-cutter romantic comedies, stoner flicks, and teen-targeted horror drivvel? If you love film, good film that is an art unto itself, then go see it. Think of it as a donation to fund the imagination.

Watch the trailer on YouTube here!
Image courtesy of Laika