Before I start I'm going to tell you right now that the film we're about to discuss is NOT a Tim Burton film. Yes, it is made in the black, or dark, stop-motion animation style of Tim Burton but it's not a production of Tim Burton himself. The film that ETF is about to look at is none other than Coraline. Based on the novella by author Neil Gaiman, Coraline arrived to the theaters in 2009 as a stop-motion animated film adaptation by Henry Selick, the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Years later, a great number of the people I've talked to about this film have described it as "creepy". I don't blame them, but maybe there's more to Coraline than just a creepy film.
Once upon a time, a girl named Coraline Jones and her family move into a large house in Oregon known as The Pink Palace. It's been divided, so that means that there are neighbors in the house. Apart from making friends with the owner's grandson, Wybie Lovat, Coraline is generally unhappy. Her parents are busy writing a garden catalog, the food her father makes is unappetizing, and she misses her friends in Michigan. One day, Wybie gives Coraline a doll he claims to have found in his Grandma's trunk. The strange thing is that the doll looks exactly like Coraline. Of course she finds it weird, but isn't too bothered by it. That night, she sees jumping mice in her room and follows them to a small door in the living. Earlier, Coraline and her mother opened the door only to find a wall of bricks. But now there's a passageway. She crawls through and comes to a room identical to the one she just left. Not only that, it turns out that she's come into a complete replica of the Pink Palace. Moments later she runs into a woman she thinks to be her mother. This woman looks pretty similar to Coraline's mother, except for one thing: She has buttons for eyes. The woman tells Coraline that she's her "other mother." By the end of the night she's also met her "other father" and finds this new world to be better than the one she has left behind. But soon Coraline receives different warnings from the people in the real world which say that the other world is dangerous. Is it the best thing that's ever happened to Coraline? Or is she walking into something she may not be able to escape from?
Let's talk about color. Like most, if not many, Tim Burton-style films, the fantasy parts of the film are the most colorful. With Coraline, this concept is similarly applied. In the real world, much of the world seems gray, even her parents. Coraline stands out with her blue hair, orange shirt, and yellow raincoat. And yes, Coraline dyed her hair blue. In the photo she has by her bed of her and her parents in Michigan, her hair is brown. If you look at some comic books, people who have black hair tend to be illustrated with blue highlights in their hair, which indicates the color black.
Other than the concept of "Be careful what you wish for," Coraline also shows the importance of appreciating one's family. Bad times within the family don't last forever. Efforts can be made to make things better. Even if your dad's food isn't that great, even if your mom isn't always cheerful, and even if your own child has a mind of their own. When moving to a new place, someone you may look at as "weird" can turn out to be your new best friend, including a new neighbor. Look for the great things that are already around you. STRIVE to do that, and avoid the little doors in the wall that can lead to awful things.
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