Henry Selick, the acclaimed stop-motion animation director responsible for the Christmas/Halloween extravaganza Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D, is returning next February with a brand new feature film entitled Coraline. Based on Neil Gaiman's award winning children's novel, Coraline follows the adventures of a young girl that travels to a parallel reality where life is not exactly what it seems. Selick is very excited about his upcoming project, and he simply can't wait for all of us to see it.

Coraline

In honor of the upcoming holiday weekend, Selick delivered a delicious pecan pie to our doorstep. He also sent us good tidings and cheer with a special Thanksgiving note that he wanted us to share with you. Here is what the director had to say:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving approaches and my list of things to be thankful for keeps getting bigger.

I'm thankful that Neil Gaiman was inspired to write a story for his two young daughters about a clever, brave, and curious girl who loved to explore things, a story that evolved into his Hugo Award-winning novel, Coraline.

I'm thankful that Neil loved The Nightmare Before Christmas so much that he sent me his not-yet-published new novel to see if I thought it would make an interesting movie.

I'm thankful that former Fox Chairman Bill Mechanic responded as strongly to Neil's novel as I had and optioned Coraline for us to develop.

I'm thankful that Phil Knight, co-founder and Chairman of Nike, and his son Travis, a world-class animator in both stop-motion and CG, responded to my passion for Coraline and committed to make it the debut feature from their new world-class animation studios in Portland called Laika.

I'm thankful that nearly 300 of the most gifted artists working in animation today dedicated a couple of years of their lives to our "handmade" movie, the first stop-motion animated film to be shot in stereoscopic 3D.

I'm thankful for a superb voice cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Ian McShane, Jennifer Suanders, Dawn French, Keith David and Robert Bailey Jr.

I'm thankful for my very patient and supportive family (hope they recognize me when it is all over!).

And most of all, I'm thankful that the blue-haired girl that has been demanding almost all of my attention these last few years is finally ready to go out into the world when Focus Features releases Coraline nationwide on February 6th.

Hope you have as much to be grateful for...and Happy Thanksgiving.

Best regards,

Henry Selick, Director/Screenwriter

Coraline opens February 6th, 2009.