February will be an exciting month for Sci-fi and Fantasy.
CORALINE is an animated stop-motion feature film directed by Henry Selick, the director of the beloved THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. The film is based on the young adult/children's fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman, author of novels Stardust (also made into a movie, released summer of 2007) and American Gods and the popular comic book series Sandman. Coraline was one of Gaiman's first works for younger readers.
It tells the story of a young girl who discovers a magical world inside her family's apartment. This world presents an alternate version of her life which seems attractive, but is inhabited by the evil "other mother." Judging by the trailer, the film will capture the nightmarish fairytale quality that makes up the novel.
The film features the voice of well-known child actress Dakota Fanning as the character of Coraline. Teri Hatcher of "Desperate Housewives" voices the mother.
CORALINE was shot in 3D, a first for stop-motion animation.
Trailer from YouTube:
Other links:
Official movie site: www.coraline.com
Neil Gaiman (author): www.neilgaiman.com
CORALINE will be released in theaters on February 6.
In the world of TV, February will bring a new show from Joss Whedon, who created the widely popular shows "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," and also the short-lived "Firefly," which acquired a cult following after the show ended. "Firefly" resembled a western set in outer space in the future. The film SERENITY, released in 2005, was based on the series.
Whedon's new Sci-fi show, debuting on Fox on the 13th, is "Dollhouse." It will chronicle a group of young people known as "dolls" who continually have their memories erased so they can adopt new personas and be hired out for various jobs, crimes, and fantasies. Eliza Dushku ("Buffy," "Angel," and "Tru Calling") plays the main character, one of the "dolls" who begins to become self-aware.
News of this series raises a lot of interesting questions. It seems to carry a more serious tone than the romance mixed with the occult in "Buffy" and "Angel" and the quirky comedy of "Firefly" and SERENITY. How different will "Dollhouse" be?
Many "Firefly" fans are also a bit distrustful of Fox after it canceled the series in 2002 after only 11 episodes were aired. Will the new show even get a chance to blossom? It's also airing on Friday evenings - not the most popular slot. In any case, Whedon fans are excited to see the new series, and we'll just have to wait and see what happens!
Promo:
Links and other tidbits:
"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog": www.drhorrible.com/mushortio.html
Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris made this internet mini-series musical during the writer's strike. It's hilarious and definitely worth checking out!
