Henry Selick steps out of Tim Burton's shadow to make 'Coraline'

Tim Burton often gets the credit for directing "Nightmare Before Christmas." He produced the film. Henry Selick directed it. Selick guided all of the creatures in that tale through stop-action filming to create the 1993 movie that critics and audiences loved.

So, with the new movie "Coraline," get it straight this time. "Coraline" is a stop-action film just like "Nightmare Before Christmas" but Burton didn't produce or direct it.

Selick found the Neil Gaiman book "Coraline." Selick worked with Gaiman to write the script. And it was Selick who directed the film that opens nationwide today. (Gaiman is executive producer and there are five other producers listed on the movie; Burton isn't one of them.)

Selick, the father of two boys, acts like a proud papa as he talks about making the movie about a curious young girl. He's calling from San Francisco as part of a lengthy promotional tour.

"Coraline is like a child of mine. The girl we never had. And I had to learn a helluva lot about girls to make this movie. That's why I feel like she and the film are a living thing," Selick says.

He knew stop-motion was the only proper way to bring "Coraline" to life.

"What happens is that there is a variety of sculptors who are creating onscreen actors. The animators are doing a performance through puppets," Selick says of the appeal of the filming style.

Selick had thought about shooting in 3D for years. He kept waiting until the proper format came along. He found it in a technique called Real D 3D, which uses one camera instead of two. Even then, there was a problem.

"It wasn't bad shooting in 3D. It just took a little more time," Selick says.

Usually in 3D, the filmmakers use two cameras that are as far apart as your eyes. But Selick could not find a set of cameras that would work with the small spaces in which he was shooting.

The solution was a method developed some half dozen years ago that uses one camera. A camera mover was created to work within the small spaces in which Selick was shooting. One frame was shot and then, through a computer program, the same camera shifted over to collect the additional image needed to create the illusion of 3D.

Selick had no trouble picking the actress to give voice to Coraline. Selecting Dakota Fanning was a no-brainer because she was about the same age as the character and has the voice skills. He struggled to find just the right voice for Coraline's mother because the character has a good and bad side. He listened to the voices of more than 100 actresses to find the right melodic match with Dakota. Teri Hatcher was the right vocal fit.

Hatcher had no problems playing the good mom. Selick says it was the other part of the job that gave her troubles.

"The real mom is tough and not warm or loving. Teri is a mom and the role was a mom she never wants to be," Selick says. *