Two 3D Movies in two days! Last night a bunch of us went to see Coraline on the Upper West side. Given that it was the first night, an early evening show, and a big family neighborhood, the screening was surprisingly devoid of child fueled outbursts. There was one young lady behind us who was a little talkative, but really nothing too distressing.

And the film itself? I admit to being unable to do much evaluation because I am the target audience: I love animation, love stop motion animation, have been pretty impressed with Henry Selick’s other films, even Monkeybone, and love 3D photography. I was really pleased that there was no attempt to turn the story into a musical, that it made no attempt to be hip, that it was willing to be moody. So none to the current tricks that Movies employ to make sure that viewers are safely maneuvered from point to point with their lack of curiosity intact. There was even a subtle dig at digital culture (Coraline’s parents are “virtual” gardeners who spend their time behind computer screens and don’t like to get their hands dirty with real plants and mud).

So it’s got all the stuff I love, and none of the stuff I hate. If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy it, but I know I’m a niche market.

And I’m almost sorry that I saw it in 3D, because I know I’ll buy it when I can and I’m sure I’ll miss the added dimension. It took me back to when I used to sit at home as a kid and pore over my Viewmaster reels for hours, back when they were made by people building actual sets and photographing them. Between those and my family’s Stereoscope, entire afternoons would be lost as I lifted the viewer to my eyes over and over watching a world spring into depth from flat pieces of paper.