A third dimension to storytelling

In The New York Times, John Clarke talks to Henry Selick, the writer and director of the new 3-D animation Coraline (based on the book by Neil Gaiman).

“Coraline,” which cost approximately $60 million to make, is the first stop-motion animated feature to be shot entirely in 3-D. And while that effect dates back at least to the early part of the last century, filmmakers are still learning how — and how not — to implement it.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about it and getting a sense of how to use it,” Mr. Selick said. “I saw that everyone that was doing 3-D was overusing the in-your-face things. They were playing very fast and loose with the technique, mainly just cranking it up as a gimmick, which is what killed it in the ’50s. So I wanted it to be part of our story, another world that seems richer, where you can breathe.”

Coraline is due to open in the UK in May.

Update: Here's an interview with Selick from Wired.com