Coraline is a fantasy horror animated film that was adapted from Neil Gaiman’s novel in

2002. The film contains elements of gothic, horror, and suspense that nothing likes the other
common fairytales and children’s movies the young public is used to. It was directed by Henry Selick
—a well-known and famous director of the movie ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas in (1993)’ and
also known to work with the Disney films like the ‘Pete’s Dragon in (1977)’and ‘The Fox and The
Hound in (1981)’.

The story is all about the 11-year-old girl named Coraline from Michigan who has moved to
an old house—the pink palace. Both her parents are workaholic and don’t ever pay attention to her,
so she goes around the old house to explore. During her exploration, she finds a small door in the
living room that is hidden by the wallpaper. She convinced her mother to open the small door and
when it is open, all she finds is a brick wall. When she sleeps, she was disturbed by the rat and the
rat runs into the small door. When she opens the door, she saw a small tunnel which is then, she
meets the other mother. Coraline was visited the enchanted and magical world multiple times
where everything is perfect including a perfect parents that she ever dreamed of. The other
impostor mother tempts Coraline to stay with her forever, but in exchanged, the mother will sew
buttons into Coraline’s eyes, but the girl refuses and demands to go back home and set her free. She
was then told by the ghost children that the impostor mother wanted to eat her soul for survival.
When she escapes, she found out that her true parents were stolen. Coraline go back in order to
save the soul of the three children and her true parents, but to do that, she must challenge first the
impostor mother. Coraline is successful and throws the key to the well to save the future children
from the impostor mother.

When someone watch this movie, it would be ideal to those people who admires the film art
itself, assuming that such people exist. The movie shows how kids nowadays become brave at the
very young age and how they respond when they are exposed to all sorts of horror films. The movie
“Coraline” is unique from the other fantasy movie, however, the way it delivers is very disturbing—
not for the gory images it shows but on how the story it tells. Coraline Jones is somewhat not a nice
little girl. She complains, unpleasant, and attitude girl which is why she makes friends reluctantly.
Also, her parents are not that good—they are busy all the time, distracted, and always facing to the
computers. Her parents also hardly hear Coraline when she talks to them. That’s why she always
goes back to the other mother and father. Further, the impostor mother’s anger and power is not
seen as her being angry woman and the real mother is not seen as emotional, and manipulative
roller coaster which is then, an excellent job of the author in eliminating stereotypes.

Coraline is genuinely strange and creepy movie. The imagery, magical and colorful world
that’s also dark and disturbing, the violence and the scary scenes have made this film on the thin line
between those beautiful children’s stories and the horror ones. Coraline’s story seems both artful
and troubling. All the elements of horror, mysterious and fantastical, and the gasps of amazement
and disturbance made by the audience add the dimension to the story and thus, takes beyond a
simple fairytale.

R E G A R D S K O!