Coraline (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coraline |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Henry Selick |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Henry Selick |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Bruno Coulais |
| Cinematography | Pete Kozachik |
| Editing by |
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| Studio |
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| Distributed by | Focus Features |
| Release date(s) | February 5, 2009 (premiered) February 6, 2009 (United States) |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $60 million |
| Money made | $124.6 million |
Coraline is a popular 2009 American stop-motion animated dark fantasy film. It was written and directed by Henry Selick. The movie is based on a book called Coraline by Neil Gaiman, which came out in 2002.
This film was the first big movie made by Laika studio. It features the voices of famous actors like Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, and Ian McShane. The story is about a girl named Coraline who finds a secret door in her new home. Behind this door is a world that seems perfect, but it hides a scary secret.
Coraline was first shown in the United States on February 6, 2009. It was released by Focus Features after its first showing at the Portland International Film Festival. The movie was loved by critics and did very well at the box office. It earned over $124 million worldwide. This made it one of the highest-grossing stop-motion films ever.
The film won several Annie Awards for its music, character design, and production design. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Contents
The Story of Coraline
Moving to the Pink Palace
Coraline Jones and her parents, Mel and Charlie, move into an old house. This house is now split into apartments and is called the Pink Palace Apartments. Coraline often feels ignored because her parents are very busy working on their gardening catalog.
Soon, Coraline meets Wyborne "Wybie" Lovat, who is the grandson of the landlady. She also meets a black cat that follows Wybie around. Later, Wybie gives Coraline a rag doll with button eyes. It looks a lot like her! Coraline then finds a small, bricked-up door in the living room. It can only be opened with a special button-shaped key.
Discovering the Other World
One night, a mouse leads Coraline through the secret door. It's now a magical tunnel to a much brighter and happier version of her house. Here, Coraline meets her Other Mother and Other Father. They look like her real parents but have buttons for eyes. They seem much more caring and fun than her actual parents.
Coraline goes to bed and wakes up back in her real home. Wybie tells her a spooky story about his grandmother's twin sister who disappeared in the house a long time ago. Coraline's neighbors, Mr. Bobinsky, a Russian gymnast, and Misses Spink and Forcible, two retired actresses, also give her strange warnings about the door and danger.
The Other Mother's Trap
Coraline visits the Other World two more times. She has fun with the Other Wybie, watches the Other Bobinsky's mouse circus, and enjoys shows from the Other Spink and Forcible. She also sees the cat, who can talk in the Other World and travel between both places.
The Other Mother asks Coraline to stay in the Other World forever. But there's a condition: Coraline must let her sew buttons over her eyes. Coraline is scared and refuses. She goes to bed, but when she wakes up, she's still in the Other World. When Coraline demands to go home, the Other Mother turns into a much scarier version of herself. She traps Coraline behind a mirror.
Meeting the Ghost Children
Inside the mirror, Coraline meets the ghosts of children who were trapped by the Other Mother before. One of them is Wybie's great-aunt. They explain that the Other Mother, whom they call the "Beldam," used a doll (like Coraline's) to spy on them. She tricked them by making their lives seem perfect. When they agreed to have buttons sewn on their eyes, the Beldam stole their souls.
The ghost children tell Coraline that the only way to free their souls is to find their eyes, which the Beldam has hidden. Coraline promises to help them. The Other Wybie then helps her escape from the mirror and get back to the real world.
Saving Her Parents and the Souls
Coraline finds her real parents are missing. She realizes the Beldam has kidnapped them. She asks Miss Spink and Miss Forcible for help, and they give her a special adder stone. That night, Coraline goes back to the Other World with the cat.
She proposes a game to the Beldam: if Coraline can find the ghost children's eyes and her parents, everyone goes free. If not, Coraline will stay and let the Beldam sew buttons over her eyes. Coraline bravely explores the now-dangerous Other World, using the stone to find the hidden eyes. As she collects each eye, parts of the Other World disappear.
The Final Confrontation
Finally, Coraline faces the Beldam in her true, terrifying form. She looks like a humanoid arachnid with sharp, needle-like fingers. Coraline is warned that even if she wins, the Beldam will never let her go. Using this advice, Coraline tricks the Beldam into unlocking the door. She finds her parents trapped inside a snow globe.
Coraline throws the cat at the Beldam, who scratches out her button eyes, making her blind. Coraline grabs the snow globe and barely escapes through the door. With help from the ghost children, she manages to close and lock the door, cutting off the Beldam's right hand in the process.
Aftermath and Safety
Coraline's parents reappear in the real world, but they don't remember anything that happened. That night, the ghost children visit Coraline in a dream. They thank her for freeing their souls but warn her that the Beldam will keep looking for the key as long as she is alive.
Coraline decides to drop the key down an old well near her home. But before she can, the Beldam's severed hand attacks her! Wybie arrives and helps her. After a struggle, he crushes the hand with a large rock. Coraline and Wybie then throw the key and the hand's remains into the well and seal it shut.
Soon after, Coraline's parents finish their catalog, and they host a garden party for their neighbors. Wybie introduces Coraline to his grandmother, and Coraline gets ready to tell her amazing story. The cat is last seen walking away behind the Pink Palace signpost.
Who Are the Voices?
- Dakota Fanning as Coraline Jones, an 11-year-old girl with blue hair who loves to explore.
- Teri Hatcher as Mel Jones, Coraline's mom, and also the Beldam, who is the evil Other Mother.
- Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French as April Spink and Miriam Forcible. They are two funny retired performers.
- Keith David as The Cat, a mysterious black cat who can talk in the Other World.
- John Hodgman as Charlie Jones, Coraline's dad, and the Other Father.
- John Linnell sings as the Other Father.
- Robert Bailey Jr. as Wyborne "Wybie" Lovat, an 11-year-old boy who is a bit shy. He was created for the movie so Coraline would have someone to talk to.
- Ian McShane as Sergei Alexander Bobinsky, also known as "Mr. B." He's a neighbor who runs a mouse circus.
- Carolyn Crawford as Mrs. Lovat, Wybie's grandmother and the owner of the Pink Palace Apartments.
- Aankha Neal as Sweet Ghost Girl, Wybie's great-aunt, who was one of the Beldam's victims.
- George Selick as Ghost Boy, another victim of the Beldam.
- Hannah Kaiser as Tall Ghost Girl, the first victim of the Beldam.
Music from Coraline
The music for Coraline was created by French composer Bruno Coulais. There's one special song, "Other Father Song," written by the band They Might Be Giants. The singer for the Other Father in the movie is John Linnell, who is part of that band.
The music was played by the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra. It also features songs sung by the Children's Choir of Nice in a made-up language. The director, Henry Selick, mentioned that the main singer, a young girl, is also named Coraline! Bruno Coulais won an Annie Award for the best music in an animated movie for his work on Coraline.
Here are some of the songs from the movie:
- "Sirens of the Sea" – Sung by Michele Mariana
- "Other Father Song" – Written and sung by John Linnell
- "Nellie Jean" – Sung by Kent Melton
- "Dreaming" – Sung by Bruno Coulais, The Children's Choir of Nice, and Teri Hatcher
See also
In Spanish: Coraline (película) para niños
