I'll Never See Coraline the Same Way Again

as an avid Coraline enthusiast ever since watching it as a kid, i can testify that i do not indeed shut up about it

It's ALL in the details. This was my favorite movie growing up, and I've seen it at least a few dozen times. Most of them were when I was a kid. I NEVER noticed this detail until this video. The clip you have at 2:24 features Coraline putting up the seeds she wants to plant in her garden. Her mother tells her it's not the right time to make a garden. These exact plants are not only what's in the magic garden, but theyre the three plants used to make up the garden-drawing of Coraline's face. It's pretty obvious the Beldam was watching Coraline through the entire beginning but it's borderline terrifying when you actually see all the details during the plot that the Beldam spied on and then used in her world. Also from the video alone: the dresser by the fireplace is shaped a little like a heart, with a small box on top of it. This dresser is the giant beetle the Beldam uses to block the door. The windows in the house are shaped like beetle maws. There are two animal skulls on the wall, each representing the Beldam and the other father. When her other father says "the piano plays me", that's because the computer "plays" her real father in the same way. The Beldam is just making what he's doing more about Coraline - literally that's THE ACTUAL LYRICS. She doesn't actually change anything about Coraline's world. She just makes it more spectacular than reality, and entirely revolving around Coraline. He also only plays one key at a time. This is because when Coraline walked into his room, all the beldam saw was him typing away on his computer one key at a time. So she has other dad do the same thing on the piano before Coraline enters, and then the spectacle occurs. And just like how her real father engages her while he's typing, the other father engages her while he's playing. All the "fake" scenes literally mirror all the "real" experiences we saw in some way. And every detail is taken from the real world and placed into the fake one, but with more spectacle that might dazzle a child. ALSO: When they're about to try and convince Coraline of the buttons, there are three murals for each of the children on the wall.

What you said about her perspective changing, and how she started seeing the world around her differently and started seeing people as actual individuals rather than extensions of her. Really blew my mind because it makes perfect sense.

It’s really refreshing to see someone analyze coraline in terms of meaning and not just the possible lore and in-universe theories. Sincerely, a Gaiman fanatic who does not, in fact, shut up about any of his books or their adaptations. Great video as always!

One of the most effective ways abusive parents trap their children into always obeying their wishes is by trying to shift their perspective. They try to disguise their manipulative and hurtful acts with a falsely friendly nature. In a sense, the abusive parent plucks the eyes of their own child and changes them into a lens that will be more subservient to the parents' wishes. This is precisely what the Other Mother has tried to do with Coraline, but in a more literal sense (taking her eyes and replacing them with buttons to have Coraline more helpless any inevitable demise). But who knows, maybe I'm looking too deep in it.

This and a few Tim Burton movies changed my taste in media all together. I was scared of literally everything as a kid, but I was OBSESSED with Coraline when it came out. It made me interested in horror. I will always adore this movie

I appreciate this perspective! This is really outside of the box to think about! She is just a kid and I think that most people do not take that into account.

Ill never get tired of anything Coraline😂 no matter how many commentary tracks, reviews, reactions, theories. I love getting to see it through new eyes

as a young teen watching this, i got that not everything you desire is genuinely what you desire. Coraline loved the other world but then realised she actually didn't. the button eyes made them all seem like dolls and because dolls aren't real, neither are they or the things they offer. so if your selfish desires were to be satisfied, you would find the result to feel shallow and worthless to the point of inner death.. which is portrayed by the ones who the other mom devoured. crazy good movie

Fine, I'll watch Coraline again

i saw it in 3D in the theater and it was pretty amazing. the piano musical scene was insane. i might have been on drugs. but still. great film.

To me Coraline feels like a coming of age story in a way. Every kid goes through a developmental stage where they realize other people have their own thoughts, feelings, wants and needs that are different and have nothing to do with them, and that can be a very difficult time in a kids life. Theres usually a large power struggle that happens at that time, as kids learn to let go of the idea that everyone exists for them, and learn that everyone exists for themselves. Its the idea that we believe we are the only playable character for a long time and everyone else is an NPC is our game, when in reality we are all our own playable characters. This feels like a story of coming to that realization, and coming to accept it.

Coraline always had a more intense effect on me because I read the book as a child before the movie was made, and it was the first book to really give me the creeps and scares. It was one of the very first big kid books I read

It traumatized me when I was little, but as I got older I really started liking it. The theories and lore really helped it’s appeal to me. The Beldam scared the crap out of me when I was little, and still does creep me out today, but as a character I think she’s an amazing horror villain. Also just the general visuals and aesthetic of the movie are fantastic.

i like this perspective way better than "she never left the other world one" !! very eye-opening and overall a good message (though i still love the details that hint the "she never left" theories)

The film is excellent, the book is otherworldly. I read it every year around Halloween.

One thing I will add to this, which is all fantastic, is that coraline is also a warning for children: beware of the things that call out strongest to you. Especially people. Usually it's the kids who feel neglected that are targeted by sleezy monsters. It's that desire to be center of attention that requires a careful eye when someone gladly gives that attention

For me it was like an escape from reality. Kind of like Wonderland but more personal. Being in a world where you get everything you wanted and then realizing it’s not gonna make you happy. There’s cracks in the frame of “perfection” and that’s ok.

I just watched this movie for the first time a couple of weeks ago and I’m so glad I did. It reminded me a lot of Monster House which was my absolute favorite movie as a kid, so it was nice to be hit with that feeling again

I think its worth it to note, the other mothers hand comes up a lot and when you don't have EYES and cant see you see by your sense of touch.