Coraline is the animated dark fantasy adventure adapted from Neil Gaiman‘s 2002 children’s novella.
It tells the story of the young title character who’s just moved to a new block of flats and is increasingly neglected by her loving but work-obsessed parents. One night she discovers a doorway to a livelier parallel universe called Other World, thanks to a doll that strangely resembles her. However, life isn’t always better on the other side of the mirror, and Coraline soon discovers the high cost of remaining in this new fantasy world. The once lonely girl soon becomes the only hope for her parents and the souls of countless other children, but will she be able to stop the mysterious Beldam?
The 2009 movie was directed by Harry Selick, the visionary animator behind A Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. Gaiman met Selick just as he was finishing the novella. As a fan of the director’s previous work, he invited him to develop an animated feature, although the final film would add several new story elements to reach its 100-minute runtime.
Following Selick’s previous films, Coraline is a stop-motion animation that took a crew of over 450 to bring to life. Where Coraline differs from Selick’s other animations is in its art design. The director invited Japanese illustrator Tadahiro Uesugi to develop the film’s look and he ended up working on the movie for a year. He introduced the color palette changes, which split the muted real world from the more colorful Other World.
This modern fairy tale thrilled parents and children upon its release, becoming the third most successful stop-motion animated film of all time. Its mystery, fantasy horror, stunning art, and adorable main character proved to be a compelling combination. It’s no wonder the film’s distinctive look has been influencing Halloween costumes ever since its release. Just watch out for those buttons…
Where can you watch Coraline right now?
In the United States, you can stream Coraline right now if you have an account with the Roku Channel. Otherwise, you can rent the movie on several streaming services, including Vudu and Redbox.
Additionally, Coraline can be rented or bought in SD and HD on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, and Microsoft in the US and the rest of the world.
It’s also available to rent or buy on regional streaming services, including Sky Go, Now TV Cinema, and Virgin TV Go in the UK.