Those that are familiar with Neil Gaiman’s fanciful,
fairytale, dreamy, literary oeuvre are equally familiar with the
various cinematic incarnations of his work. But the most significant is
the upcoming Coraline, directed by The Nightmare Before
Christmas‘ Henry Selick, followed by 2007’s Stardust by
Matthew Vaughn (director of Layer Cake and a producer of Guy
Ritchie’s early films) and MirrorMask by longtime Gaiman
collaborator, Dave McKean.
The three films are differently executed, and yet remain true to
their Gaiman-inspired fantasy roots. Each film creates a fantasy dream
world in a unique way: Coraline is a mix of stop-motion
animation and 3D photography; Stardust is a live-action fairy
tale that gets the fantasy elements across in its art direction, while
featuring left-field performances from huge stars like Robert DeNiro
and Michelle Pfeiffer; MirrorMask relies heavily on visual
artistry to aid its story.
In his writing, Gaiman can be easily slotted into the science
fiction-fantasy genre, though he certainly covers a lot of ground
within that category. His novels like American Gods and
Neverwhere are lightly plotted yet vividly written, and could be
described primarily as adventure stories with elements of mystery and a
deluge of mythological allusions, whereas Gaiman’s landmark comic
series, The Sandman, is a dark fantasy.
The film adaptations of Gaiman’s work have trended towards his more
fanciful literary efforts. MirrorMask (2005) is a collaboration
between the book’s original illustrator, Dave McKean, and Jim Henson
Studios. The film is a visual treat, but somewhat lacking in terms of
plot and pacing. The story of Helena, who retreats into a dream world
when her mother falls ill, relies on too many visual set pieces in lieu
of story to tell its tale. A newbie to the world of MirrorMask would be hard pressed to describe what they just watched.
Roger Ebert described the experience as “Helena [wandering]
endlessly past one damn thing after another, and since everything that
happens in this world is absolutely arbitrary, there’s no way to judge
whether any action is helpful or not.”
More successful is Vaughn’s Stardust, a deft live-action romp
that works as much as a play on fairy tales as it does a sincere love
story between a peasant boy and a fallen star. Its jokes are as subtle
(Sienna Miller as a shallow princess) as they are obvious (Michelle
Pfeiffer as an evil, old hag), while the fairy tale elements—a flying
sailboat, falling stars and wicked witches—are beautifully executed.
The fantasy elements work so well because the recognizable stars ground
people in Stardust‘s setting. When a mouthy and irritable
pawnshop owner is played by Ricky Gervais, as an audience, you know
exactly what you’re up against.
Coraline is the most recent Gaiman adaptation, and in
sticking to the trend, is completely different in execution from his
other films. Voiced by actors such as Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher and
John Hodgman, and filmed in stop-motion animation and 3D,
Coraline utilizes a stylized aesthetic to convey its “be careful
what you wish for” message. Coraline Jones discovers a door in her
living room that acts as a portal to an alternate world, one that is
more inviting than her mundane existence, but one that subsequently
refuses to give her back to her harried, distracted yet loving parents.
The supporting voice-cast is the real treat of the film, with famed
comedy duo Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French voicing faded actresses
and Ian McShane as a kooky neighbour. There are elements of adventure
and light horror to Coraline, but nothing that could leave
lasting scars on the minds of impressionable youngsters.
Gaiman’s legions of fans means there is a healthy appetite for
adaptations of his works and, given his considerable talent with the
pen, there is a call for him to write Hollywood pictures as well. (He
co-wrote the screenplay for 2007’s Beowulf with Roger Avery.)
The Internet Movie Database credits six “in development” projects to
his name and Gaiman himself announced on the Today Show during
the Coraline press tour that veteran British director Neil
Jordan will adapt 2008’s The Graveyard Book. Given the range of
subjects in Gaiman’s stories, expect many more films to come, in a
variety of different looks and styles.
Coraline opens Friday, February 6.
See Movie Times for screening info.
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2009.