Coraline Film Analysis

874 Words2 Pages

The Door, the Girl, and the Button Eyes In an old house on a hill somewhere in Oregon, there is a little door in the wall. During the day and to the casual observer, this door leads to nowhere. But at night, if the right person opens it, the door leads to another world. A world where everything appears perfect. A world where mothers make dinner every night, where fathers create spectacular gardens and spend time with their daughters, where there are gravy trains and talking toys, and where jumping mice perform tricks and stunts for children. A world with button eyes. This is the world created in 2009 by director Henry Selick in the 3-D, clay animation film Coraline. Based off the children’s novel written by Neil Gaiman, this intricately created …show more content…

Where most children’s movies start with a narrated backstory, like in Beauty and the Beast, or a tragedy like in Frozen, this film begins with the creation of a doll. The doll is not ordinary, nor are the hands that build it, as they are almost mechanical in origin. The doll created by these strange hands is revealed to be an exact replica of the film’s protagonist, Coraline, who has recently moved into an old house inhabited by rather strange neighbors. Feeling neglected by her busy parents, who are barely able to tear themselves away from their computers long enough to pay attention to her, Coraline explores her new home. After a short time, she discovers a small, hidden door that seemingly leads to nowhere. That night, the door magically opens. She crawls through into a surreal, parallel world whose occupants mirror those in her own world except for one small detail; they have buttons for eyes. Her “other parents” are the exact opposite of her real ones, as they listen to Coraline and care about her opinions. Their attention keeps drawing Coraline from the real world to the parallel one. She is offered a place in this “perfect” world, but she must become like the other inhabitants. She must replace her eyes with buttons. Horrified by the Other Mother’s offer, Coraline does all she can to escape the parallel world and return to her true home, dull as it may …show more content…

Though it is simple to follow, with little in the way of twists, the film is still very enjoyable. What the movie lacks in complexity is made up for in quality, as the story line intrigues the viewer from the start. The creation of the doll in the opening sequence sets the tone for the movie and creates a connection between the viewers and the characters. It holds the viewer’s attention by creating a sense of unease surrounding the different character’s motives and choices, leaving the audience with numerous questions. Though most are answered by the end of the movie, these questions help the viewer remain invested in the plot. The only complaint that the plot of the film may obtain is the pacing of the conclusion, which progresses almost too quickly to be

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