Coraline (2009)

An adventurous 11-year-old girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets.

Director:

Henry Selick

Writers:

Henry Selick (screenplay), Neil Gaiman (book)

Stars:

Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 45 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dakota Fanning	...	Coraline Jones (voice)
Teri Hatcher	...	Mel Jones / Other Mother / Beldam (voice)
Jennifer Saunders	...	Miss April Spink / Other Spink (voice)
Dawn French	...	Miss Miriam Forcible / Other Forcible (voice)
Keith David	...	The Cat (voice)
John Hodgman	...	Charlie Jones / Other Father (voice)
Robert Bailey Jr.	...	Wyborne 'Wybie' Lovat (voice)
Ian McShane	...	Mr. Sergei Alexander Bobinsky / Other Bobinsky (voice)
Aankha Neal	...	Sweet Ghost Girl (voice)
George Selick	...	Ghost Boy (voice)
Hannah Kaiser	...	Tall Ghost Girl (voice)
Harry Selick	...	Photo Friend (voice)
Marina Budovsky	...	Photo Friend (voice)
Emerson Tenney	...	Magic Dragonfly (voice) (as Emerson Hatcher)
Jerome Ranft	...	Mover (voice)

Storyline

When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. When the Other Mother invites Coraline to stay in her world forever, the girl refuses and finds that the alternate reality where she is trapped is only a trick to lure her.

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Plot Keywords:

parallel worlds | button eyes | character name as title | stop motion | one word title | 

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Taglines:

An Adventure too Weird for Words

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, scary images, some language and suggestive humor

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though not mentioned by name, the setting of the film is Ashland, Oregon (Laika Entertainment is based in Oregon). The stage performers and performances are references to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival held in Ashland.

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Goofs

When Coraline first meets Other Father, after Coraline tells him that the dinner is ready, he raises his hands in the air but the bottom of the puppet's neck clearly comes apart for a second.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Coraline Jones: [after hearing a creature while exploring the hills] Hello? Who's there?

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Crazy Credits

After the credits there is a short part where some jumping mice spin in a circle as previously done then they seem to unravel.

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Connections

Spoofed in Mad: Doraline/Monster Mashville (2013)

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Soundtracks

Sirens of the Sea
Performed by Michele Mariana
Written by Henry Selick
Copyright (c) 2007 Henry Selick

User Reviews

Dark, Stylish, Visually Amazing .... and not really for young kids.

First - if you see this movie, try to see the 3D version - not all presentations are in 3D. Second, know that this movie is way too dark (IMHO) for kids under 10. Not only could the visuals be too intense, but the pacing is not that of a children's show.

OK - that said, this movie is great. The strength is in three areas: visuals (scenery, characters, and little 'details'), style (this is movie is simply a work of art - a very dark and offbeat style) and emotional impact (the film visually evokes a lot of childhood feelings about growing up).

The basic setup: A little girl and her parents move into a big, mysterious old home. One night, she learns that a little door in the house opens into a passageway to a parallel world. In this world, there are alternate versions of her parents, friends and everything ... as she journeys back and forth, she learns more and more about this world ... and the story progresses from there.

If that sounds a bit too simplistic, there's more to it in the full story. Plus, it's presented in a serious and dark tone - which adds to it's mystique. The only area I can knock it is in a tame use of 3D. There are definitely some spectacular 3D parts, but the way it's used in general makes it fade into background

If you're drawn to the visual aspects of movies, then this is must-see movie for 2009.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

6 February 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Coraline

Filming Locations:

Ashland, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,849,640, 8 February 2009

Gross USA:

$75,286,229

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$124,596,837

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Laika Entertainment, Pandemonium

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 105 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1