Coraline (2008)

Ohhh I love this one! It's like a horror movie for kids. Why is that not an official genre? Children's Horror? Marvelous.

Coraline Jones and her parents just moved into an old house, and she's frustrated because her parents don't have time for her. She's bored, despite visiting the other tenants in the house and exploring the woods. She discovers a portal to a world just like hers, but better. She has new versions of her parents, and everything is beautiful and magical. Everyone has button eyes. And then she realizes that there is a darkness lurking at the heart of this "other" world, especially in her "Other Mother."

This film is major eye candy for me. It's directed by Henry Selick (James and the Giant Peach, The Nightmare Before Christmas), so it's a given that the animation is superb. There are dog-bats, glowing flowers, cakes that frost themselves, a scandalous theatre act, performing mice, ghosts, ahh, so gorgeous. And scary! I would've been terrified had I seen this as a little girl. Coraline is drawn to the other world because it seems so magical, but it becomes SO freaky when it starts unraveling. I adore the soundtrack too...it's haunting, and strange and beautiful. It even features a track by "They Might Be Giants"! Oh, and did I mention that Neil Gaiman wrote the book that the film is based on? Awesome.

This one comes super highly recommended for all those who are young at heart, and are easily led astray by beautiful magical things. <3