“Coraline”(2009), is a widely known and very loved movie. It’s a movie based on the story by Neil Gaiman and directed by Henry Selick. It was produced by Laika Studios in Portland, Oregon.
Comprising 144,000 photos, this stop motion film took an entirety of four years to complete with a team of over 500 people. Made out of clay and sculpture, Coraline is a marvel to watch even if you aren’t interested in the story.
The premise of the movie is a family moving to a new house in Ashland, Oregon. The main character is a little girl named Coraline who is having a tough time transitioning to the new place. She meets her neighbor Bobinsky, who is a very strange and profusely rotund man. His character is both a comedic relief and a vessel for eeriness, such as when he tells her, “Do not go through that little door,” even though he shouldn’t know about it in the first place. Her other neighbors are two women named Spink and Forcible who treat her to tea.
The horror element of Coraline has two sides: visual, which has more of an effect on younger viewers, and the underlying meaning behind it, which makes more sense as you grow older. Although it’s definitely up for interpretation, it seems that the consistent theme of the story is of a little girl who wants to escape the way her parents and life make her feel, which comes into play when her ‘other parents’ seem to be the perfect mother and father for her. However, as the story progresses, we find that the other world is not as perfect as it seems. In fact, the other mother turns out to be a monstrous version of who Coraline thought she was.
The level of detail that the movie goes into is seemingly endless, which is even more impressive when you consider that the entire thing is filmed in stop motion. There’s foreshadowing hidden in the opening of the movie and the smallest details throughout the rest of it. And when you think about it, if everything is made by hand, then everything has to be thought about when placed.
Not only is the animation incredible, the voice acting is as well. Voice acting is a crucial part to any animated movie, and the quality of it can easily tilt the scale on how successful the film is. Dakota Fanning voices Coraline, and her voice has become immediately recognizable.
Even if you think that the plot of the movie is boring or mediocre, the pure experience of watching this work of art is enough for anyone to love it.
