2HISTMO RESEARCH PAPER

Summary

For this research paper, I have decided to study the special effects that were used in

the 2009 film “Coraline”. This film incorporated the use of stop-motion animation, but

not the traditional stop-motion we are used to seeing. In this paper, I will be talking

about how stop-motion animation was used in the context of this film and how this

award-winning film was created.

VFX in ‘Coraline’

My research topic is on the movie “Coraline”. “Coraline” is a 2009 American 3D stop-

motion horror film that was written and directed by Henry Selick from Laika and

released by Focus Features. According to Selick, this classic film took 20 months to

shoot, excluding the time spend on pre-production and post-production work. The

entire time taken to complete this film was roughly 4 years.

The film was based on Neil Gaiman’s 2002 Novel “Coraline”, which is about a girl

named Coraline who moves into a new home, in which she finds a secret door which

leads to an alternate universe that very closely resembles her own. The storyline of

this film is a very unique one, hence, Selick believed that if this film were to be done

in live-action, as it was originally planned, it would not do this film justice. Sources 1

quote that Selick felt as if the film would seem too ‘fake’ if done in live-action; for

example, the scenes in which the black cat was talking or in the scene that had over

500 Scottish terriers seated in a theatre. He also believed that since the film was to

be directed towards a younger audience, live-action would make this film too scary

for children to sit through. Therefore, stop-motion animation was used to create this

film.

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Stop-motion animation is a technique that involves animating physical objects,

making it seem as though these objects are moving on its own. This is done by

taking many still photos of static objects and putting them together, hence creating

an illusion of these objects in motion.

Stop-motion goes back a long way. The creation of stop-motion can be credited to J.

Stuart Blackton. The first film that incorporated the use of stop-motion was 1898's

“The Humpty Dumpty Circus” but this technique became more popular after films

such as “King Kong” (1933) and “Mighty Joe Young” (1949) were released.

Over time, stop-motion animation evolved. Traditional stop-motion animation was

combined with computer-generated imagery (CGI) and 3D printing technology to

create 3D stop-motion. Laika was the first animation house to do this, hence, this is

one form of stop-motion used to create “Coraline”. Another form of animation used in

this film is ‘replacement animation’. Replacement animation is just like regular stop-

motion animation; the only difference is that instead of using one object or ‘puppet’,

many different faces with different expressions are printed of each character.

Within the context of this film, each replacement head was digitally sculpted and then

printed using a 3D printer. 3D printing uses a UV-sensitive resin and support material

that is sprayed down in a layering process that builds objects in 3D space. This is

how each character’s facial expressions were made to seem so realistic, which is

truly incredible as such naturalistic performances can be created using inanimate

objects. Quoting Brian McLean, director of rapid prototype at Laika, "Henry [Selick]

really wanted [the character] Coraline to be able to be very subtle at times but also

have broad expressions," 2 At that time, no other special effects technique allowed

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this to happen. Hence, this is another reason why stop-motion animation was used

to create this film.

Sources state that 6,333 heads were printed for Coraline alone and up to 20,000

heads were printed for every character in the film. This was done by layering liquid

glue in white powder. These heads were then hand-painted and hand-sanded. When

combined, these heads could create up to more than 200,000 different facial

expressions. As for the entire puppet, it took 10 people approximately 3 to 4 months

to build just one puppet. As the smaller parts of the puppet tend to break easily, each

puppet had gone through around 13 pairs of hands. The people in charge of

constructing the puppets were so detailed when it came to creating these puppets for

the film and the evidence is that Coraline’s puppet had 42 different wigs. The

puppet’s hair was created using everyday products such as ‘Got2be glued hair

cement’, which allowed animators to make the hair movement look realistic.

Aside from 3D printing different heads for each character, Laika went to the extent of

hiring a professional knitter, Althea Crome, to hand-knit all the sweaters that were

worn by Coraline in the film. In an interview 3, Crome said that it had taken her

anywhere between 6 weeks to 6 months to design and knit a sweater. She also

mentioned that the needles she used to knit these sweaters were as small and fine

as a strand of human hair.

Puppets weren’t the only objects they had to create for the film. Miniature versions of

the “Pink Palace” and the forest had to be built for the animators to be able to shoot

a scene. Not to mention that two versions of the same set had to be built; one for the

‘real world’ and one for the ‘other world’. When it came to filming this movie, matte

painting was also incorporated. One example of a scene that added the use matte

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painting was when Coraline and her family drove up to the “Pink Palace” at the

beginning of the film.

http://coraline.wikia.com/wiki/Pink_Palace_Apartments

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-coraline-animator-chris-tootell-readies-coraline-

to-cross-a-snowy-157169569.html

According to representatives at Laika 4, ‘The Fantastic Garden’ was the hardest set

to build for the film. Hundreds of flowers were handcrafted and most of them had

their own light source. These flowers had to be build in a way that they could be

moved for the shot of Coraline entering the garden.

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https://www.laika.com/our-films/coraline/videos

Animation rigger Oliver Jones shared an example of how he created some of these

flowers in an interview 5. Jones used parts of a dog toy to enable the flower to open

and close realistically. Thin sheets of foam were used to create the petals and the

leaves.

“Coraline” was a chart-topping blockbuster, and up to this day, it remains as an

iconic film which is still many peoples favourite. “Coraline” set the standard for stop-

motion films all around the world and has inspired many filmmakers to delve into the

world of 3D stop-motion animation, so much so that traditional stop-motion might as

well be a thing of the past.

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References

Stopmo. (2016, June 4). The History of Stop Motion – In A Nutshell. Retrieved from

http://stopmotionmagazine.net/history-stop-motion-nutshell/

2
Giardina, C. (2016, February 12). 'Coraline' Makers Reveal How They Sculpted

6,333 Faces Fast. Retrieved from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-

screen/coraline-makers-reveal-how-they-863155

JEANMENDOZA. (2011, November 17). Stop-Motion Animation: Coraline. Retrieved

from https://www.lomography.com/magazine/119725-stop-motion-animation-coraline

Wikipedia. (2018, July 21). Coraline (film). Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coraline_(film)

4
Laika. (n.d.). Coraline. Retrieved from https://www.laika.com/our-films/coraline

1
Vivona, V. (2017, October 4). 15 Things You NEVER Knew About Coraline.

Retrieved from https://screenrant.com/coraline-facts-trivia/

Nakaya, R. (2016). Laika’s Head of Puppetry explains how stop motion puppets are

made. Retrieved from http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/laikas-head-of-puppetry-

explains-how-stop-motion-puppets-are-made

BermudaOnion. (2009, March 6). The Making of Coraline. Retrieved from

https://bermudaonion.net/2009/03/06/the-making-of-coraline/

McLean, T. J. (2008, September 16). On the Set with 'Coraline': Where the Motion

Doesn't Stop. Retrieved from https://www.awn.com/animationworld/set-coraline-

where-motion-doesnt-stop

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Digg. (n.d.). How 3D Printing Is Revolutionizing Stop Motion Animation. Retrieved

from http://digg.com/video/3d-printing-stop-motion-laika

YouTube Videos Used

LAIKA Studios. (2017, July 11). LAIKA | Coraline | Creating Worlds. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In-OqrC5GJs

Kdlmd243. (2009, July 8). The Making of Coraline - It's Alive. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUqMfKbV4ho

Academy Originals. (2016, April 18). Credited As: Head of Puppetry. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kll7aLqgDpE&t=219s

Focus Features. (2008, December 19). "Coraline" - The Biggest Smallest Movie.

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cayVMHSRHZI&t=18s

3/5
LAIKA Studios. (2017, July 11). LAIKA | Coraline | Behind the Scenes. Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXqqd0ZBEMA