1. Coraline Film Analysis
Abbey Glancy
Context
Coraline is a dark fantasy horror animated film
released in 2009 and directed by Henry Selick.
Henry Selick is a well-known director most famous
for ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ (1993). He is
also known to work with Disney on films such as
‘Pete’s Dragon’ (1977) and ‘The Fox and The
Hound’ (1981). The element that Coraline has that
differs from other animated films is that Coraline
is a 3D stop motion animated film. Stop motion animating is building puppets and sets and
taking pictures. One picture is one frame of a sequence. Each frame you move a certain
object for the characters and objects to come to life. The filmis based off the novel of the
same name which was written by Neil Gaiman in 2002. It was the company: Laika’s first
feature film and is distributed by Focus Features. During opening weekend, Coraline made
$16.85 million. The stop motion animation toom under two years to create and used many
puppets for each character including 28 Coraline puppets. Each puppet had multiple spare
parts including around 208,000 facial expressions and hands. Coraline also has a memorable
cast from Dakota Fanning playing the role as Coraline and supporting characters such as
Jennifer Saunders and Teri Hatcher.
Coraline is about an 11-year-old girl who has moved to new house. Her parents are so busy
with work that they don’t pay attention to her, so she goes out around the house to explore.
During her exploration, she finds a small door in the living room hidden behind the
wallpaper. When her parents are around, when she opens the door, all she finds is a brick
wall. But when she is alone, the door leads to a tunnel that takes Coraline to the other world
where she meets the other mother. During her multiple visits, she is enchanted with magic
and everything she could only dream of. The other mother tempts her to stay but except for
Coraline letting her sew buttons into her eyes which Coraline refuses and demands to be set
free. Coraline learns from ghost children that the other mothers plan is to eat her soul for
survival. She finally escapes but finds out that the other mother has stolen her real parents.
Coraline must go back to save her parents and the ghost children, but to do that, she must
challenge the other mother. Coraline is successful and throws the key to the door down a
well to save future children from the other mother.
Themes
Courage – Throughout the film, especially in the climax of the film, the theme of
courage is shown. Coraline shows a lot of bravery throughout the course of the film.
When she goes back to the other world after finding that her parents have been
stolen, she faces her fears of the other mother to save them and the ghost children.
2. Coraline Film Analysis AbbeyGlancy
During the game that the other mother sets for Coraline she faces a lot of tasks that
have turned the wonders that she thought were magical into nightmares as dangers
occur. When she collects a ghost eye, the location turns to grey to symbolise the
world and the other mothers plan coming to an end and Coraline conquering her
fears.
Family – the idea of family is the main theme in the film. Coraline’s parents are the
reason for her to go to the other world as her parents ignore her to focus on their
work. The other mother uses this to her advantage by creating a perfect family
experience that Coraline has dreamed of. Coraline realises the importance of family
when the other mother snatches her real parents and at the end, Coraline is in some
ways reunited with her parents as she spends time with them and the neighbours at
the garden party at the end of the film.
Home – the theme of home is also a key theme in Coraline. The pink palace both in
the real world and the other world is two of the only locations we see in the film
besides the uniform shop and the well. The real and other house have major
contrasts. The real pink palace is dull looking for Coraline filled with over working
parents and weird neighbours whereas the pink palace in the other world is bright
and magical along with loving characters enchanting Coraline to stay. Coraline
realises however that a house is just a house and is not home without family.
Love – the theme of love is an important theme in the movie. At the beginning of the
film, Coraline in some ways doesn’t feel loved as her parents don’t pay attention to
her because of their work. The other mother sees this problem and uses love to trap
Coraline and the other children as she says she does everything for them because of
love. The quote that she uses is: “even the proudest spirits can be broken with love”.
It seems that the other mother breaks the children's spirits with love in order to feed
on their lives.
Representation
Mise en scene
Décor - the decorations of the pink palace can symbolise how long the other mother
has been trapping children. The dining room for example, is old fashioned looking
like Victorian dining rooms and hotel to either show a traditional family dinner
environment compared to the real world where Coraline and her parents sit around
a small table in the kitchen. It also reflects on how old the other mother is and how
long she has been stealing children. There are some pictures on the wall in the dining
room which are silhouettes of children foreshadowing the ghost children that
Coraline will meet later in the film. The décor also brings an enchanting and
whimsical effect on Coraline that real her in such as the enchanting toys in her room
and the dining room cutlery such as the gravy train and the mango milkshake
chandelier.
3. Coraline Film Analysis AbbeyGlancy
Costume – costume and appearance are a very big the black buttons are the key
element that differ the real parents to the real parents. The buttons, especially for
the other mother, act like masks to hide their identity in the other world. In the real
world the use of colour of character and costumes separates Coraline from the other
characters. Coraline has bright blue hair and wears a yellow raincoat and boots
whereas other characters, such as her parents and Wybie wear basic hoodies and
jumpers with washed out colours such as white and even black. This is to show that
Coraline is different. The design of the ‘other’ characters also contrasts with the
‘real’ characters to make the other world more pleasing to Coraline. The other
parents look better dressed and have better quality hair and style. The other mother
does not have a neck cast unlike the real mother. The other Wybie has his mouth
sewn shut as Coraline believes the real Wybie talks too much. The other Miss Bink
and Forcible’s unattractive looks are just a disguise in the other world and the other
Mr Bobinski is well dressed unlike the real Bobinski who wears a white vest and
shorts and is rough looking. The other mother’s appearance is the character that
changes the most. The first scene that we see her is when Coraline first visits the
other world. The other mother looks like a mirror image of Coraline’s real mother to
make her feel comfortable in this new strange land. During Coraline’s visits, the
other mother becomes more desirable with choice of clothing and makeup. The
scene in which Coraline demands to be set free, the other mother starts to change
into her final form which is a spider like creature. This can be said with the other
characters as they become undesirable when Coraline discovers the truth about the
other mother and her true plot.
Props – The key: when thinking about keys in films, we think that keys unlock
something enchanting and magical. For example, in Alice in wonderland, Alice uses a
key to unlock the door to wonderland. This can and cannot be said with the key that
unlocks the door to the other world in Coraline. The key has a button shape for a
handle which is foreshadowing about what is to come. The first encounter we see
with the key is when Coraline opens the door for the first time to see a brick wall.
This scene represents Coraline’s curiosity. When Coraline discovers the other world,
the key has unlocked a magical world for Coraline where everything in her life is
better. There is only one key to the other world and both Coraline and the other
mother want to control it at the climax of the film, for Coraline, to lock the evil away
that she is now discovered for the benefit that no more children get lured into the
other mother’s trap. For the other mother, it is to lock Coraline in the other world so
that she can eat up her soul and carry on with the plot that she has been doing for
hundreds of years. Mirrors: although there is only one mirror in the pink palace, the
idea of mirrors is used a lot in the movie. The mirror in the other world is a secret
door to a room where the ghost children are trapped and where the real parents are
kept when the other mother steals them. In the real world the mirror is used to
communicate with Coraline from the other world and tell her that her real parents
are trapped. As well as mirrors being used physically, mirrors are also used
symbolically. the other world is a real mirror image of the real world. All the
characters are also mirror image to make sure that Coraline is comfortable in the
4. Coraline Film Analysis AbbeyGlancy
other world by being around people she knows or recognises. The Doll: besides from
the key, the doll is the main prop used in the film. the first scene of the entire movie
I is of a mysterious character with needles for fingers taking a doll and changing it to
look like Coraline which we find out a little later is the protagonist. The doll is what
starts Coraline’s journey when her new friend Wybie leaves it on the porch as it
looks like her. Coraline explores her new house with the doll and the doll is the
reason Coraline finds the small door. It is said that the doll is an object that the other
mother uses to spy on the children to see why they are miserable so that she can
lure them into the other world for them to see that her world is better, persuading
them to stay.
Characters – Coraline: Coraline is an 11-year-old girl from Michigan who has been
dragged along to live in the pink palace with her parents. The introduction of
Coraline shows that she is an explorer but seems down and quite miserable because
she has had to move away from her home and her friends. The other mother sees
this, so she uses it to lure Coraline. She is a curious child as she loves to explore. The
first scene we see with her is her going off to explore a well. She explores the pink
palace meeting the neighbours and finding the little door. She also explores the
other world during her visits and finds that the world only consists of the pink palace
because the other mother created it that way because see thought that would be all
to please Coraline. Coraline is also courageous as she goes back to challenge the
other mother to save the ghost children and her real parents. At the end she Is
happy as she has been reunited with her family. The Real and the Other Parents:
Coraline’s parents work for a catalogue. The subject is gardening even though they
do not like getting muddy and planting. At the time Coraline is placed, the parents
are only bothered about the catalogue and do not pay enough attention to Coraline,
leaving her miserable in a big new house with no friends. The real parents however,
are the opposite to benefit Coraline. Their only job is to entertain her and give her
everything that she wants. Although the other father is only a puppet and the other
mother is controlling him. The other father sings, plays piano and makes an entire
garden to look like Coraline to please her. The other mother creates this whole
world, cooking Coraline all her favourite meals, makes clothes for her and arranges
spectacular shows for Coraline to watch, presented by the neighbours. When
Coraline recognises the truth about the other world and challenges the other mother
to a hide and seek challenge, the other father sinks into the pond and turns grey. The
other mother gets trapped in the other world when Coraline locks the door and
throws away the key in the well along with the other mother’s needle hand. At the
end of the film, the real parents change their tune and are happy in the garden at
the final scene with Coraline and the neighbours.
Location – the plot of Coraline is set in Oregon USA. There are 4 main locations
shown throughout. The pink palace in the rea world and the other world, the well
and the uniform shop. The book is originally set in England. The only other location
that is mentioned in the film is Michigan USA which is where Coraline is originally
from.
Editing - there aren’t a lot of editing skills for Coraline since the film is stop motion.
