I thought this was an exemplary film. The adaptation of the source material was very strong (I didn't mind the addition of Wybie, and I felt the way the Other World was handled in the film was stronger than in the book. In the book, the Other World is already very creepy and arguably not very enticing when Coraline first enters it.)
The visuals and art direction were incredible, and I felt the voice acting was top-notch from all involved. Loved Keith David as the Cat.
The 3D was excellent. It wasn't used for gimmicky things leaping from the screen (except for the opening), but to give the idea of how the things on-screen actually exist. I really don't see how you could call the 3D "flat". Instead of extending into the audience like a Universal Studios attraction, most of it extended back, giving depth to the world and characters onscreen.
I think it is a superior film to Nightmare Before Christmas. Nightmare... benefits from a very original story (whereas the idea of an adolescent going into an alternate world is a tried fantasy formula), but Coraline's story is hardly weak.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
