British comedy duo DawnFrench and Jennifer Saunders will join Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher in LaikaEntertainment's stop-motion animated feature Coraline (pictured).

Focus Features has worldwiderights to the story of a young girl who enters a parallel universe and fightsto return to reality before she is taken captive by her counterfeit parents.

French and Saunders willvoice the roles of Coraline's eccentric neighbours, Miss Forcible and MissSpink.

Laika Entertainment'ssupervising director Henry Selick is adapting the story from fantasy writerNeil Gaiman's international bestseller of the same name.

Selick is directing andLaika Entertainment's director of story Mike Cachuela is serving asco-director. The Laika project is being produced in association withPandemonium Films, and Pandemonium president and chief executive officer BillMechanic and Laika's Mary Sandell are producing.

"It is a coup to haveone of the best comedy duos in the world lending their prodigious voice talentsto Coraline," Laikapresident and chief executive officer Dale Wahl and Focus chief executiveofficer James Schamus said in a joint statement.

"I'd like to say thatcasting [French and Saunders] was my idea, but the credit goes to Coraline'screative father, Neil Gaiman," Selnick said. "Spink and Forcible arenot the usual comic relief characters of animated films, but as performed byFrench and Saunders, they will be morbidly funny."

Production is currentlyunderway at Laika's Portland animation studio.