Want a
fun, but kind of creepy, family Halloween movie to watch? Then the stop-motion
film Coraline is the one for you! Coraline Jones, voiced by Dakota Fanning, is a 12-year-old girl who just moved to rainy Pontiac, Michigan,
with her mother, Mel Jones, voiced by Teri Hatcher, and her father Charlie
Jones, voiced by John Hodgman.
Coraline
is lonely in her new house, and her parents are too busy writing their garden
articles for work to do anything with her, so she goes out exploring. During
her adventures, she meets her upstairs neighbor Mr. Bobinski, voiced by IanMcShane, her downstairs neighbors, Miss. Spink and Miss Forcible, voiced by Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French, and a young boy around her age Wybi (stands
for why be born?...sad huh?), voiced by Robert Bailey Jr., who in Coraline’s
opinion talks way too much. During her explorations one day, Coraline finds a
little door, and with much pestering her mother finally unlocks it, and
Coraline discovers the little door leads to another world! The other world
looks just like her real one, just...better. Her other father plays the piano,
sings songs about her, and tends to a garden where the plants glow at night,
and all together make up a picture of her face. Coraline's other mother cooks
her delicious meals and wants to play games with her, no matter the weather
outside, her neighbors want her to come over and watch the shows they perform
for her,
and the other Wybie can not talk, which Coraline likes. In the other
world, Coraline has found everything she wants and does not have in her real
world. Sounds cool huh? Just remember, nothing is as it seems.
and the other Wybie can not talk, which Coraline likes. In the other
world, Coraline has found everything she wants and does not have in her real
world. Sounds cool huh? Just remember, nothing is as it seems.
One aspect of making a stop motion
film, such as Coraline, is a technique used to physically manipulate the
objects to make them appear as if they move on their own. The objects and dolls
are moved in small increments between individually photographed frames. The
dolls, or clay figures, are made with moveable joints, so the photographer can
make the dolls easier to move and bend the way they need them to.
Another aspect of making this film is the
costume designs. Coraline is one of the only dolls that have a full wardrobe. Coraline
changes clothes often, so the costume designers had to make several numbers of
the same outfit. All the costumes were hand made; all the stitching, buttons,
zippers, everything. The costumes had to have little wires in the sleeves and
pant legs and hoods, so that it looked more realistic and did not just hang
there. Since the set designers were still working when the costumes were being
made, the costume designers had to be careful with what colors they used, so
the characters did not blend in the scene background. The faces on the characters come off in two pieces, so that way the photographer can change her mouths expression, without changing her eye expression.
Coraline was a great movie. It is
a little odd, but it is very creative and has a good story line. It makes a
good family movie, though it may not be suitable for little kids, it might be
freak them out a little too much. And remember kids; be careful what you wish
for. 
