Coraline via The Kilpacks

Dear Movie Maker (##research this),

Last Friday my husband took our two children, ages 10 & 7, to the movie Coraline. Yes, we knew it was not a Disney movie. We also knew it was directed by Henry Selick, the same guy that did The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach (##didn't he also do Corpse Bride?) (both movies that we quite enjoy). We expected dark, we expected edgy. What I didn't expect was for my kids to come home and report on the "Dancing naked fat women". After a few more questions, and a discussion with my husband, I understood that there is a rather long scene (about 2 mintues) comprised of fat circus women dancing and bouncing around. They are wearing bikinis, mostly covered by thier folds of fat, except for the one that likely coudn't find a top in her size and therefore had pasties on instead. At several points in the dance, the pasty woman has to hold up her enormous breasts, likely to keep from hitting herself in the face as she preforms. Occupational hazard, I suppose, and one more reason she ought to have worn proper CLOTHING. My husband, along with most of the theatre watched this in complete silence, punctuated with disgusted groans and looks toward the door wondering if they should leave. For what it's worth, the fourteen year old boys in front of them thought it was hilarious. My daughter covered her eyes.

The movie is PG, but it is also a cartoon and slated as a children's movie. It pushed the envelope plenty with a surly main character and detached parents, adequently making the point that families are horrible and parents don't love their children. Got it, and thanks so much for spending millions to share such lovely sentiments with my children. But I draw the line at bouncing fat women. We watch Biggest Loser, and we've been the the beach, we know what reality is, but it didn't work for the movie and it was not necessary. As a writer I understand the difference between plot and gratuitous scenes--the bouncing breasts we certainly gratuitous, and not well recieved.

And, the kids didn't understand most of the movie, which again makes me wonder why it was a children's film at all. I'm sure there is a target audience for this film, but it isn't us. We will not be purchasing the DVD to add to our Selick collection and we will not be recommending it to freinds. If Selick wishes to push the envelope to this extent, he can do it without our financial contribution. (## send this to the MPAA as well)

Sincerely,

Josi S. Kilpack

(this is my first draft, I fully intend to revise it before I send it out but I wanted all y'all to get the full picture before I talk nice)