Coraline Film Analysis PDF

Title Coraline Film Analysis
Course Studying Media
Institution Staffordshire University
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Summary

starter lecture notes for Coraline analysis
Main Essay topic: Feminism...


Description

Coraline Film Analysis Coraline is a dark fantasy horror animated film directed by Henry Selick and released in 2009. Selick is well known for directing "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) and "Pete's Dragon" (1977). Coraline's initial distinguishing feature from other animated films is that it is a 3D stop motion animated film, which means that puppets and numerous sets/pictures were created in order to bring the world to life. A frame of a sequence is one photograph. For the characters and things to come to life, you must move a certain object every frame. The film is based on Neil Gaiman's novella from 2002. It's the first feature film from Laika, and it's distributed by Focus Features. Coraline grossed $16.85 million over the weekend. The stop motion animation took less than two years to make and featured a large number of puppets for each character, including 28 Coraline puppets. Coraline is an 11-year-old girl who has moved to the Pink Palace, an old house transformed into apartments, with her parents from Michigan to Oregon. Coraline's parents are often too preoccupied with work to pay attention to her and spend time with her, so she explores the house. Coraline discovers a tiny door hidden beneath the wallpaper in their living room during her exploration. Coraline, with the assistance of her mother, opens the small door to find nothing but a brick wall. This immediately changes when the door to a tunnel going to the 'Other World' opens at night, away from her parents' gaze, and she meets her 'other' mother and father. During her several trips to the 'Other World,' she is enchanted with magic where all her dreams/wishes come true and the false belief that the other world is much better than her current world. Coraline is enticed to stay in that realm by the other mother, but only if she enables the other mother to sew buttons into her eyes. When Coraline refuses and demands to be released, the other mother locks her up in a hidden room behind the mirror. Coraline discovers, with the help of the previous children's ghosts, that the other mother intends to swallow her soul in order to survive. Coraline finally makes it out, only to realise that her true mother and father have been kidnapped by the other mother. Coraline challenges the other mother in order to save her own mother and father, as well as the ghosts of the past children. Coraline defeats the other mother and tosses the other mother's final item (the key to the small room) into a well.

Themes: Courage - The topic of courage is shown throughout the film, particularly at the climax. Coraline displays a great deal of bravery throughout the film. When she returns to the other world after discovering that her parents have been kidnapped, she must confront her fears of the other mother in order to save her parents and the ghost children. Coraline is put through a series of duties by the other mother, which have turned the wonders she believed were magical into nightmares as dangers arise. When she collects a ghost eye, the area goes grey, symbolising the end of the world and the other mothers' plans, as well as Coraline's triumph over her anxieties. Family - The film's central theme is the concept of family. Coraline's parents are the reason she must travel to the other world since they ignore her in order to concentrate on their business. The other mother takes advantage of this by producing the ideal family experience that Coraline has always desired. When the other mother kidnaps Coraline's real parents, she realises the value of family, and at the conclusion of the film, she is in some ways reunited with them as she spends time with them and the neighbours at a garden party.

Home - A significant subject in Coraline is the concept of home. Apart from the uniform shop and the well, the pink palace is one of the only sites we see in the film, both in the actual world and in the other universe. There are significant differences between the genuine and the other houses. For Coraline, the real pink palace is drab, with overworked parents and strange neighbours, whereas the pink palace in the other realm is vibrant and magical, with loving characters enticing her to stay. Coraline, on the other hand, realises that a house is just a house and that it is not a home without family. Love - The theme of love is a major theme in the film. Coraline doesn't feel loved at the start of the movie since her parents are preoccupied with their work and don't pay attention to her. The other mother recognises the issue and used love to entrap Coraline and the other children, claiming that she does everything for them out of love. She uses the quotation, "even the proudest spirits can be shattered by love." The other mother appears to be breaking the spirits of the children with affection in order to feed on their life.

Mise-en-scene: Décor - The pink palace's decorations could represent how long the other mother has been enslaving children. In contrast to the actual world, where Coraline and her parents sat around a little table in the kitchen, the dining room, for example, is old fashioned looking like Victorian dining rooms and hotels to either represent a typical family dinner scene. It also shows the age of the other mother and the length of time she has been kidnapping children. In the dining area, there are some silhouettes of children on the wall, foreshadowing the ghost children that Coraline will see later in the film. The décor also has a fascinating and whimsical influence on Coraline, such as the enchanting toys in her chamber and the dining room table, which draw her in. Costume - The black buttons are the crucial aspect that distinguishes the genuine parents from the real parents in terms of outfit and appearance. The buttons, especially for the other mother, serve as masks in the other world, concealing their true identities. Coraline is distinguished from the other characters in the actual world by her use of colour in her character and attire. Coraline has bright blue hair and wears a yellow raincoat and boots, whereas her parents and Wybie wear plain sweatshirts and sweaters in washed-out colours like white and even black. This is to emphasise how unique Coraline is. To make the other world more appealing to Coraline, the design of the "other" characters contrasts with the "actual" characters. The other parents are better dressed, and their hair and styles are of higher quality. Unlike the genuine mother, the other mother does not have a neck cast. Coraline believes the actual Wybie talks too much, so the other Wybie has his mouth stitched shut. In the other universe, the unpleasant looks of the other Miss Bink and Forcible are only a masquerade, and the other Mr Bobinski is nicely dressed, unlike the real Bobinski, who wears a white vest and shorts and is rough-looking. The appearance of the other mother is the one that changes the most. Coraline's initial visit to the other realm is the first time we see her. To make Coraline feel at ease in this strange new place, the other mother is a mirror image of her own mother. During Coraline's visits, the other mother's attire and makeup become more appealing. The other mother begins to transform into her final form, which is a spider-like creature, during the scene in which Coraline requests to be let free. This is also true of the other characters, who become unlikable once Coraline learns the truth about the other mother and her true plot.

Props – The Key - When we think of keys in movies, we imagine them unlocking something enchanting and magical. In Alice in Wonderland, for example, Alice uses a key to open the door to Wonderland. This may and cannot be said about the key in Coraline that unlocks the entrance to the other realm. The key's handle is in the shape of a button, which is a harbinger of what is to come. The first time we see Coraline use the key, she encounters a brick wall when she unlocks the door for the first time. Coraline's curiosity is represented in this scene. The key has unlocked a magical realm for Coraline where everything in her life is better when she discovers the other world. There is only one key to the other world, and both Coraline and the other mother want to control it at the film's conclusion, so that no more children are enticed into the other mother's trap. The other mother's plan is to imprison Coraline in the other world so that she can consume her soul and continue the plot she's been waging for centuries. Mirrors - Despite the fact that the pink castle has only one mirror, the concept of mirrors is prevalent throughout the film. In the other world, the mirror hides a secret entrance that leads to a room where the ghost children are imprisoned and where the real parents are kept when the other mother kidnaps them. The mirror is utilised in the real world to speak with Coraline from another realm, informing her that her true parents are trapped. Mirrors are not only utilised physically, but they are also used figuratively. The other world is a true reflection of the real one. All of the characters are also mirror images, ensuring that Coraline feels at ease in the other world because she is surrounded by individuals she recognises. The Doll - Aside from the key, the doll is the most important prop in the movie. The first scene of the entire film features a strange character with needles for fingers altering a doll to appear like Coraline, who we learn is the heroine later on. Coraline's adventure begins with the doll, which her new friend Wybie puts on the doorstep because it resembles her. Coraline is exploring her new home with her doll, and it is the doll who leads her to the little door. The doll is claimed to be an object that the other mother uses to spy on the children to learn why they are unhappy so that she may draw them into the other world to show them how much better it is, encouraging them to stay. Characters – Coraline - Coraline is an 11-year-old Michigan girl who has been dragged along by her parents to live in the pink palace. Coraline is introduced as an explorer, yet she appears depressed and unhappy because she has been forced to leave her home and friends. When the other mother notices this, she employs it to entice Coraline. She is an inquisitive child who enjoys discovering new things. Her first appearance is in a scene where she is exploring a well. She goes on a tour of the pink palace, meeting the residents and discovering the hidden door. During her visits, she also explores the other world, discovering that it is just made up of the pink palace since the other mother thought that would be enough to delight her. Coraline is also brave in returning to confront the other mother in order to save the ghost children and her true parents. She is glad in the end since she has been reunited with her family. The Real and Other Parents - Coraline's parents are catalogue workers. Even if they dislike getting muddy and planting, the topic is gardening. Coraline's parents are only concerned with the catalogue when she is placed, and they do not pay enough attention to her, leaving her unhappy in a large new house with no friends. The real parents, on the other hand, are the polar opposite in order to help Coraline. Their sole purpose is to amuse her and provide her with everything she desires. Despite the fact that the other father is nothing more than a puppet controlled by the other mother. To please her, the other father sings, plays the piano,

and creates a Coraline-themed garden. The other mother builds this entire world for Coraline, cooking all of her favourite meals for her, sewing her clothes, and arranging amazing shows for her to witness, all of which are put on by her neighbours. The other father slips into the pond and turns grey when Coraline recognises the truth about the other world and challenges the other mother to a game of hide and seek. When Coraline locks the door and throws the key, along with the other mother's needle hand, into the well, the other mother is stuck in the other world. The real parents change their tune at the end of the movie and are happy in the garden with Coraline and the neighbours in the last scene. Location - Coraline is situated in the state of Oregon in the United States. There are four primary locales depicted throughout the film. The pink palace, the well, and the uniform shop in the rea world and the other world. The storey is set in England at the start. The only other location addressed in the film is Coraline's home state of Michigan in the United States....


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