“Coraline” is the ideal movie for a night in. When the leaves start to change and you find pumpkins on your neighbors’ porches, it’s the perfect time to pop this movie on. “Coraline” is best paired with a delicious snack to go along with the lovely food shown in the movie.
When “Coraline” came out in 2009 audiences were shocked by the style of the film. The whole movie is claymation, which wasn’t a common way to produce a movie.
Watching this movie is just so magical because you can see all the work the team put into it. Every piece of clothing, food, furniture and blade of grass was handcrafted.
It was first published as a book by Neil Gaiman, and then later on brought to life as a movie directed by Henry Selick. I’d recommend taking in both of these versions of media and comparing them.
I really enjoyed reading the book and getting to see what Gaiman originally created and how Selick interpreted it into a film.
The story of Coraline was originally made for children to consume, but as I become a young adult, I still find myself obsessed with it. I love analyzing every detail, and continue to watch it to find more.
If you haven’t seen “Coraline,” here is a quick summary for you. No spoilers.
Coraline is a young girl who moves from Michigan to Oregon with her two parents. They arrive at their new home, the Pink Palace, which they share with three other residents.
Coraline finds herself playing outside and runs into a mysterious cat and a kid named Wybie. He warns her that his grandma, the owner of the Pink Palace, doesn’t rent to people with children due to her sister’s disappearance many years ago.
Later, Coraline adventures through her unit and stumbles upon a small door. Coraline is curious and begs her mom to open it, and they discover whatever is behind it is bricked over.
Little does she know, this door will lead her to a mystical world where things aren’t as they seem.
One of my favorite things to look for throughout the film is the contrast between the cool tones of the movie and the warm accents. I love it. Coraline’s hair is a dark shade of blue, and right away she’s dressed in a bright, yellow raincoat.
There are many examples of this, but another one that stands out to me is when Coraline is in the garden at night with her Other Father, and the whole scene lights up in vibrant colors.
You can tell throughout the film how much time and effort the crew put into every scene and interaction.
I’d highly recommend watching “Coraline” this fall. It’s such an on theme, childhood nostalgic Halloween movie. It never fails to be an enjoyable movie for any audience.
If you are really trying to impress whoever you’re with, come back to this story and reference it. I’m sure they’ll pay more attention to details throughout the rest of the film, and be entertained by it.
Yanez can be reached at [email protected].
