I recently watched "Coraline" (again) on Blu-ray.  For some reason, I really 
enjoy this movie.  I wouldn't exactly refer to it as a children's film.  In 
fact, it's exactly the type of film that is almost certain to breed 
nightmares in young children.  But hey, maybe kids need to be scared now and 
then too.  ;-)  I read a review somewhere that described it as "delightfully 
creepy", and I would have to say that it fits better than any simple 
description.

It's visually stunning.  Because it's stop-motion, rather than CG, the 
camera picks up lots of tiny details that would otherwise simply not exist. 
In Blu-ray (and in theatres) this is perhaps more pronounced and might be 
lost without high definition.  The Blu-ray transfer looks so good I want to 
cry...  Perhaps it's due to the nature of stop-motion vs motion-film.  It's 
normal to see a lot of grain in most motion pictures, but it's largely 
absent here, similar to a CG movie.

The story really seems to pull the viewer in, as well.  It's one of only a 
handful of films that can make me feel like I've truly left reality.  I 
think part of the reason is that while it does have a simple musical score, 
the music does not pervade every scene.  There are places where the silence 
builds the suspense.  I don't see this feature in very many films, but more 
producers/directors seem to be catching on.  Music has it's place, but I 
think it's often over used in film.

Overall, I'm not sure if it's the story, or the art, or the plot.  I think 
it's mostly a combination of all of those.  One of my other favorite films, 
"Amelie", was often visually striking as well, with many scenes saturated 
with color.  I don't think I would have enjoyed either one nearly as much if 
they had not been so visual.

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