Coraline is the visually magical film that started it all for Laika back in 2009, and it’s safe to say director Henry Selick’s delectably sinister animated marvel hasn’t lost an ounce of its charm.

Of all of the Laika films that the studio has released since 2009’s Coraline, I think ParaNorman has aged the best.

Chris Butler’s (ParaNorman) marvelously entertaining Missing Link is a joyous absurdist frolic that’s nothing short of wonderful.

Not only is Kubo and the Two Strings an original tale, it is one that is both culturally sensitive to its Japanese origins as well as universally accessible to viewers the world over. It is a movie that works beginning to end, practically every piece one worthy of cherishing as events work their way towards their heroic conclusion.

The Boxtrolls is a divine, intoxicating fantasy, and in the end is a first-rate marvel of originality and inspiration.

The moral of this story is universal and, especially in a heated election season filled with double-speak, specious innuendo and outright lies, everyone everywhere should listen to.

Coraline is a treasure, and if families don’t take the time to discover it, they’ll be missing out on a creepy angelic sensation worth cheering.