Coraline was released on February 9th, 2009. Laika's first movie turns ten years old this year. I am surprised that many people have yet to see this dark children's film. A movie that I remember begging my dad to see as a child, only to realize the movie freak my dad out more than my eleven-year-old self.
Here are a few cool reasons why you should check out Coraline on its ten year anniversary.
1. Based off a book
Now, this is not the number one reason I would suggest it, yet it's still a cool fact about the movie. It is based on Neil Gaiman's 2002 novel untitled "Coraline" This only adds another level of depth to this movie. I personally have yet to read the book to compare it. But I plan to in the near future.
2. Stop Motion Animation
The entire movie is created by stop motion animation. Which is really cool when you watch this psychedelic movie. Every outfit was hand-knitted by at artist and took six weeks to six months to create. Each one of the characters has over twenty sets of hands that were all crafted by hand. This is probably my favorite part about this movie because unless you did research about the movie you would never know.
3. The Story Tho
This movie revolved around Coraline and her family moving into the Pink Palace. Her mom and dad are both gardeners and are very busy working on a plant catalog. It is made apparent to Coraline that her mom and dad do not have time for her. She meets a boy named Wiby who gives her a doll that you watch the assembly of during the opening credits. The doll looks just like Coraline and she is instantly suspicious of Wiby who's Grandma owns the Pink Palace and lived there before her. Soon Coraline is awoken in the middle of the nice by mice that lead her down to a little door in her living room that was originally "blocked" by bricks. When Coraline now opens the door it leads her through a magical crawl space that leads her back into her house. She sees her mother cooking in the kitchen, her mother had informed us beforehand that she does not cook. This not only throws us off but Coraline when she asks her mom what she is doing the cooking in the middle of the night. She quickly realizes this woman is not truly her mother when she sees her button eyes.
4. It on Netflix
If you're not a huge fan like me and don't have your $5 Target copy of the movie. You can watch it on Netflix and check out the wild adventure for yourself. I would highly suggest it.