A very unique film and story. The animation was fantastic. Shoutout to the cast and crew for this one. What was your reaction? What did we miss? Early Drops & Full Reactions on YT Memberships & Patreon: www.patreon.com/baddmedicine Backup channel Subscribe here th-cam.com/channels/1CLUwA27dz-94o3FR0o3xg.html
There's so much to unpack in this film. I enjoy how at first glance the parents seem inattentive. When you look closer you see they're really just over stressed and worked, and Caroline is a bored child. The medal on the Russian neighbor's chest is a real medal, it was given to those that helped with Chernobyl.
There’s also the detail of how the Beldam calls herself as Coraline continued to visit the other world. Mainly from “your other mother” to simply just “mother” on the letter
This movie was an astronomical undertaking. It took over 500 people around 4 years to make. They averaged about 90 seconds of animation each week. Dakota Fanning celebrated 3 birthdays over the course of recording all of her lines. 1 Coraline puppet took about 3-4 months to make, and they made 28 Coraline puppets with 48 wigs and over 6,000 backup faces-all of which had to be sanded and painted by hand. Laika Studios made a behind the scenes videos. It's really interesting!
My friend's dad worked on this film, which I thought was so darn cool! To explain their family struggles more, the mother was in an accident. That's why they mentioned her wearing a neck brace a lot, she hit a truck in their vehicle. Basically, because of medical expenses they were struggling financially and had to relocate to the Pink Palace. As indicated when they could only tip $1, and they emphasized the lack of food, not being able to afford the gloves, etc. It made the parents stressed and overwhelmed because they were trying to push out work on the catalogue. So they could get back on their feet financially. Unfortunately, their relationship with Coraline suffered as a result. So she wished for everything that the "Other Mother" gave her. It was a "the grass isn't always greener on the other side." Type of film as well as, of course, "Be careful what you wish for." I will share some links for you all if you want to read more about even more themes found in the film. It is based on a book by Neil Gaiman which would clarify more if you want to understand it further. I personally still need to read the book though, I've only seen the film. I will post the links in a message response to this. Sorry, you'll just have to delete the (spaces) so the links will work and not be flagged by TH-cam. There will be 2 in each link by the www and the .com
Your dad is cool! Coraline is still within the top few movies in my opinion. I’m the type to watch every Coraline theories/behind the scenes and can tell that the parents are financially struggling. I just wish there’s more infos about the 3 children, whats their date of births. What’s their stories. How they get caught by the Beldam. That’d be nice.
fun fact: neil gaiman wrote coraline (book) with no structure/plot planning/etc. it was a stream of consciousness and i think he wrote it in like a month, i don’t remember exactly the amount of time but it is startlingly short. he’s a real talent.
The Other Mother is very much a spider like creature, with all the imagery of insects around her. The Other World is her web to trap the children. And the cat was right on both counts. She wanted something that wasn't herself to love, but the nature of her "love" is that she will eventually consume the children she lures in and need another child to sustain her. She's like Pennywise, except instead of catching children with fear, she catches them with love and greed. She basically love bombs them and then feeds on their souls until they die/fade away, then uses the souls to power the illusions she uses to lure in the next fly to her web. Something else that I noticed on rewatch/after reading reviews, is that she made the Other Father and Other Wybie too well. She made them to love Coraline and they loved her so much that they were trying to get her to escape, even from the beginning. The Other Father's song is even a warning. "She's a peach, she's a DOLL... She's as cute as A BUTTON IN THE EYES... Our EYES WILL BE ON CORALINE". They wanted her to leave and be free of the trap because Other Mother made them to actually love her.
They even give us hints throughout, the first being “he must be hungry as a pumpkin by now!” Followed later by “squish squash pumpkin sauce”. In the book, the other father was not made from a pumpkin. He was…quite a bit more terrifying. Good that they changed it maybe lol.
@@kohaiame2691 sorry for being a few days late, but from what I remember other father turns into a giant glob of melted looking flesh that resemblance a human then being one. the Coraline book Is way more horrifying than the adaptation that it makes it surprising that it was originally a chapter book for children. Though people later found out it that the kid beta readers lied about being scared of the book and I quote, “I was terrified. But I wasn’t going to let on that I was scared, because then I wouldn’t have found out how it ended.” Its a good read if you love a good horror book.
The reason Coraline didn't get oak poisoning on both hands is because when Wybie shook her hand when they met, he had that same mud on the glove that the other mother used to smear the wound with later. Pretty detail.
Something I believe they left out of the movie that Oak would like, a nice lesson of bravery which is central to this whole story. Coraline tells the cat about a time she went exploring a trash dump off with her dad. While there, they were attacked by wasps. Her dad first saw them and told Coraline to run, taking most of the wasps and stings so she could get away with only a few stings safely. As they ran, her father dropped his glasses and had to return to the site of the attack to retrieve them: “It wasn’t brave because he wasn’t scared: it was the only thing he could do. But going back again when he was really scared. That was brave. When you’re scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave"
This needs to get bumped to the top, so that Oak sees it! I read the book a few years back, and had forgotten that scene until you mentioned the waps and then it came rushing back! Heads up though for The Oak (or anyone else interested in the book) Wybee is not in it! He was created for the film, and is a great addition.
One of the quotes well applied to this movie is "Kids can handle anything, so long as there's a happy ending." I think Don Bluth said it. As a parent or an adult, you really worry for Coraline and feel for her (and her parents who seem very stressed), and think more about the danger associated with crawling through a magic hole and meeting a predator, but as a kid watching this, it's spooky but you know she's gonna be okay and that everything is fine at the end. There seems to be two very different perspectives!
Um...as an adult we know things like PTSD exists. Kids dont think about that. As adults we know coraline will need to go to HEAPS of therapy sessions and is in for a potentially hard time
So the stone thing is more than just a reference! It's a Seeing Stone, which in folklore were sometimes called "Hag Stones" and they were said to ward off bad spirits and witches. It usually had a hole created by the passage of water wearing away the stone. People hung them over their doors, wore them as talismans, and brought them on ships to help keep their boat safe. Somewhere along the way the myth got added that looking through the hole could reveal secrets or spells cast by the fae.
The oak missed the message completely. Just because someone is giving you the best or doesn’t mean they have the best intentions for you.The author even talks about this in the how it’s made.
@@AriaIsara exactly. From a kid’s perspective the other family is more fun and flashy, but that’s not real love. Real love is what her real parents are doing. But because it’s from Coraline’s point of view her parents don’t give her enough. In reality they moved for better work, making sure she takes her vitamins, and even locking the door for her safety. It’s the silent sacrifices are what shows what true love is.
@@jessicamorgan763Personally, silent sacrifices are nice but it’s also difficult for children, especially young children to know they are loved if you never communicate it well. It’s a balancing act. I’m not saying that her parents were bad or unjustified, but just like many of us thought her parents were dismissive when we were younger, it’s important for the guardians in our lives to show us they care because it’s difficult for children get a sense for this. Of course, I’m also thinking about this from my own experiences
@@silentaria3241 complete agree this is just a snap shot into the life of Coraline and we like to just assume that her parents are just in the middle of a stressful situation. In real life it’s a lot more complicated and emotional neglect is a real thing. The book and the movie can only cover so much. But as far as a quick lesson through storytelling I like how the author focused on a different lesson than the traditional the grass isn’t always greener lesson that we have seen a million’s times. However, definitely doesn’t cover all the traumas that can come from childhood. I don’t think the author really aimed for that though, cause it all started with his daughter begging him to tell her a bedtime story, and Coraline was born. And he did originally name her Caraline but he made a typo and kept it.
The perfect story of overindulgance vs neglect, or at least percieved neglect. Love how you can see the Other Mother slowly revealing her colors, her dresses becoming more arachnid like. And this is kinda dark, but I don't think I'm reading too much into it to get hints that the movie is a warning against the signs of grooming. Of course the Other Mother wanted to eat her, but she employs a lot of similar tactics that real world adults do when trying to gain the trust and favor of children when they have nefarious purposes.
A thing I learned is that the opening sequence is "the other mother preparing Coraline for her funeral" as the tools in her "sewing kit" she used to make the doll are actually embalming tools, and the fact that she put sawdust in the doll, which is sometimes used in the embalming process
my two favorite fun facts about this movie are 1) spink and forcible are actually married and 2) all the knit wear was done by hand with single strands of embroidery thread and two sewing needles, the amount of dedication to this movie makes me love it all the more
Neil Gaiman and Roald Dahl are two writers who don't pull their punches when it comes to "children's" horror. But there's always something to learn if not a moral.
I’m sure by now you guys have put it together, but I wanted to point out that the book this was based on was written by Neil Gaiman, ie- the same man that wrote Sandman. His writing is generally more focused on vibes than hard plots, hard world building, etc. He’s a writer that is more interested in how YOU interpret and interact with his work than what point HE’S trying to make.
Thats a great way to describe the great Neil Gaiman! And it’s further evident because the man actually accepts and borderline encourages Fanfiction of his work!
This film was so ballsy and it makes me so happy they stuck to their guns with imagery and scary themes. They kept it perfect for a family picture but made it so that it would scare kids, so a great "kids" horror film. Also the many behind the scene shorts and documentaries, plus that fact that this has been in so many college papers studies related to art and animation is insanity and well deserved.
I really love this movie because it's a great callback to the old dark fariy tales. Where like in Grimm Brother's stories they teach you a lesson trough obscure and creepy imagery. Something that has become lost in this Disney era. This is a cautionary tale story about manipulation and how when something seems too perfect it's usually bad for you. There's a great video in "Cinema Therapy" channel where they deep dive into all the psychological meaning of the story. Also as a side note. This is was a great movie for new horror fans, specially young people. That learn to find meaning and knowledge through terror. Love your channel. Big fan :)
I know it's supposed to be a scary film for kids, but I absolutely love this movie and Neil Gaiman 🥰 I wish you a beautiful, spooky season, BaddMedicine!
Two weeks ago I finally managed to read the book, and I am honestly glad I did because I very much love it now, as for the movie I had the honor of the someone who worked on the production of the movie (our photography teacher invited them and he explained some stuff about the movie it was really cool) either way I'm always awed at how difficult and long this movie took to make
The book is so good! Very quiet and unsettling in that classic Neil way. I love the movie, too, but it's very different in tone and mood. Neil Gaiman reads the audio book, which is another great way to experience the story!
I remember going to an animation talk about how this movie was made and losing my mind at how they got around NEVER needing to use CG (except for the shot with the fog). To the point that the rain drops trickling down the window pane were done by hand with meticulously placed hot glue drops. I remember walking out of the presentation thinking "Why would anyone DO this to themselves??" Just because of how hard you have to work to get stop motion to look like this... AND I'M AN ANIMATOR!!! I really hope Laika gets more blockbuster hits like they did with Coraline because they deserve it so much. But with Del Toro's Pinocchio and there being at least FIVE stop motion projects released last year, I really hope stop motion is due for a renaissance in major films.
Oak saying he is hip/cool made me laugh so sincerily. My man, you are cool but not this kind of cool. And also he saying he dont need a lesson out of a movie but constantly urging to find one in EVERYTHING is so funny. like, he is so serious and introspective about all the movies i've seen the reaction for. not gonna lie, i've been upset sometimes with it, like it seems he cant just enjoy it for being entertaining, for the sake of fun to watch, if it doesnt have a deeper meaning and all, he dont like it or get "bored". but i get it, its just he's way of being.
So far Oak it’s the most negative about the group he rates the scores lower than the other guys. he didn’t care much for Pride and Prejudice, he didn’t like some stuff about Barbie film, because he missed the message. Thinking the problem was men themselves but in actuality it was old patriarchy stuff. It hurts both men and women. I like the other two guys but Oak is a bit grouchy 😂
@@kay-jay1581 yeah, i get it tho. Like, we as people like different things, but it was pretty funny he saying in this video "the opposite", like trying to cover almost? Haha. But its fine, i mean, I also simpatize more with the other two, but i dont dislike oak.
One small detail I never noticed till after multiple rewatches is that the garden in the real world looks is designed to look like The Other Mother's face while in the doll world it is Coraline's face
I watched this when I was like 10. Parents, back then, see a movie like this and go “cartoon” but for us as kids it was more than that. It relatable to an extent, it was for kids as a lesson to appreciate your parents, and it gave us something to be scared about. It was also to kinda traumatize us and make us all not buy a house if it has a little door. It definitely was a movie engraved in our mind and now a movie we watch around spooky season.
So the book this is based on is written by Neil Gaiman, my favorite living author. He wrote this work while also writing his most famous comic epic, Sandman. he was focussing on the comic, but would set aside enough time to write 50 words a night for Coraline. His goal was to make a creepy/horror story for children, but when he turned in his final draft, the publisher was like, "this is definitely way too scary for children." So, Gaiman suggested that the editor read it to her young daughter and then decide if it still needed toned down. So, she went home and told her daughter that she wanted to read her a story and hear what she thinks. If it ever gets too scary, they can stop. Well the daughter sat through all of it and at the end said she enjoyed it. Years later, the daughter said that she was terrified through most of the read, but wanted to find out what happened so badly that she was just brave like Coraline. So for those that say this is too scary for children, you very well may be correct, but I love that it exists to test that boundary.
Idk what’s sadder, the fact that everyone keeps calling Coraline Caroline even tho she keeps correcting them or the fact that Wybie’s the only one that wants to be Coraline’s friend and Coraline just keeps bullying him 🥲
I love the way The Oak always tries to find messages and meaning in films, I genuinely do, but I think sometimes it can also be a trap. Not every story exists to teach a morality tale, and I think believing that they should is how a lot of stories end up being vilified because they "teach bad lessons" (this is not what oak does, I just mean this is a problem that this line of thinking can cause). I think sometimes a story exists as an artwork in of itself, without trying to deliver a lesson to its audience. Sometimes a story wishes to impart an experience onto its audience, and I think that could possibly be why Oak found the 'message' part of this movie lacking. Coraline is a film I don't think is really trying to teach its audience anything to steer their morality in any specific direction. it is rather trying to communicate an experience of fear and whimsy in equal measure. Or perhaps trying to give a younger audience a horror experience which is not so intense as a horror film for an adult or teen would be, making it more accessible and less intimidating. Similar to a Goosebumps novel. I also feel Coraline's first and biggest goal is to present stop motion as an art form which is where it's main focus lies in "why was this movie made"? It's trying to communicate to the audience just how much the filmmakers love this method of filmmaking, and to show how far they wanted to push this medium because they love it so much. To see what they could accomplish with it. So I think perhaps, in this case, it might be why Oak is struggling with it. Which isn't a criticism from me, btw. I just listened to his opinion and tried to see why his approach might have had the film not work for him based on what he was looking form. Or some people just don't like certain films and it's not really that deep 🤷♀ I didn't like Pacific Rim. Not for any reason at all. It just wasn't something I liked. Sometimes it just be that way. Anyway thanks for the react, guys!
He should read Alice in Wonderland, he'd go crazy with the nonsense elements and the absence of a moral message. Alice also offers great criticism about the expectation for children's stories to always contain a moral lesson.
@@ametistazz Maybe, but I think the way he views movies fits his personality. From what I've gathered from what Oak has said in these videos, he's very committed to helping other guys especially in fitness. Not sure if he is a coach or personal trainer but I know he is active in either body building or weight lifting. And I know he is dedicated to encouraging and helping other mens' self esteem. So I actually understand where his perspective is coming from. I think it's part of his personality. That's why I said I think this is why this film threw him for a loop, but wanted to be clear I wasn't criticising him at all. More like "I think this is why" type of thing 😁 We all have different preferences and take aways from film, and unless you're someone screaming in favour of censorship for "moral reasons" I think it's worth hearing people's perspectives on movies, even if you disagree or don't share their opinions. Because I find it interesting to see how films affect us differently. But I'm a GIANT film nerd and actually work in the tv industry so that is also why this is MY take away!
20:24 the part I always look forward to seeing people react too 😂 This is one of the rare times that I’ve preferred the movie to the book, but it always bugs me that they changed the setting from the UK to the US… it’s stop animation so I don’t get the need to of changed it.
The triangle stone with the hole in the middle is called in some cultures as "fairy stone". Old tales explain this kind of stone has magical features, such as seeing what is normally invisible to human eyes.
I understand where The Oak is coming from because when I first saw Coraline, I honestly wasn't a fan. But when I saw it a 2nd time I enjoyed it more and now I really love this movie. Some stories just take more time to grow on you.
This is such a 90s kid favorite. Despite it not being made in the 90s, I feel like that particular generation really resonated with this movie for whatever reason. It’s a “kids movie” but there are a LOT of mature elements that elevate this movie. It’s not afraid to be scary. It’s also not afraid to show us two elderly, practically naked women do acrobatics lol. A very sophisticated movie.
So true. Some of 90's kids read the book in the early 2000's and saw the movie because of it. Either way, the movie definitely appealed to us as well as smaller kids when it came out.
I remember when I first saw this the betrayal I felt when she threw the cat as a sacrifice💀! But Kitty was the real MVP here, this movie will always be one of my faves for animation💙🐈⬛
I feel like Oak is trying too hard to find a message that he's already decided on in the first 20 minutes. Just because it didn't go how he expected, it seems like he didn't like it. Not every film needs a well-defined, specific message. There are a lot of complex ideas in this movie. If he didn't like it that's fine, but it seems like he only doesn't like it because it wasn't what he thought it would be.
Im so glad you guys reacted to this I watched this for the first time in highschool and it was so creepy. Definitely hits different if your someone who grew up with a similar type of feeling as a kid. Made me appreciate what I have.
Neil Gaiman (the author of the book) is very much about weird for the sake of weird, which I personally love, but respect Oak’s difficulty connecting with it. You don’t have to be hammered over the head with a message. The message of this is very light. In my opinion this shines for its creativity, monster design, score, and creating an incredible sense of unease. It also reminds me of the vibes of one of my favorite games of all time, Zelda: Majora’s Mask, which I admit adds to my love of this movie.
Oak would probably really like Paranorman or Kubo more, they’re from the same studio but the themes in those seem like something he would gel better with. Coraline focuses more on the “it’s too good to be true” aspect than the “be thankful for what you have” one. Recognizing when someone doesn’t have your best interests despite their facade. At least that’s my opinion on the main message.
i don’t know if someone pointed this out already, but the “sisters” aren’t actually sisters. they’re lovers. neil gaiman, the writer of the original coraline book this movie is based off, confirmed it himself, saying they were always intended to be written that way. they have two different surnames. and in the musical they actually sing “we never married, so we're undivorceable”. just a fun little fact!
As a child who I loved horror and dark themes, I'm am forever grateful that the creators of this movie made this as dark as it is. It really spoke to me, and made me feel seen when I was younder. The way I see it, the creators really see the bravery and strength that kids have, and trust that they can handle something as spooky and a little twisted. One of my favorites.
one of my favorite facts about this movie is that they showed it to a focus group of kids to make sure it wouldn't be too scary to put in theaters...all the kids said it wasn't, so it got greenlit.. later on, the kids said that the movie actually scared them spitless but they really wanted to know what happened next, so they lied 😂
No. 🤦♂️ That's an extremely warped version of what happened. It wasn't the movie, it wasn't some focus group of random kids, it wasn't about theaters.
From Author Neil Gaiman's "What The [Very Bad Swear Word] Is A Children's Book Anyway?" article on The Horn Book website: Coraline was only published as a children’s book because Morgan DeFiore lied. Her mother, Merrilee Heifetz, has been my literary agent for the last twenty-five years, and is the person whose opinion in all matters of books and publishing I trust the most. I sent her Coraline, and her opinion was that it wasn’t a children’s book. It was too scary for children. “I will tell you what,” I told her. “Why don’t you read it to your girls? If they’re scared by it, we’ll send it to my adult editor.” Her girls were Emily, age eight, and Morgan, age six. She read it to them, and they loved it, and they wanted to know what happened next, and she got to the end, and called me and said, “They weren’t scared. I’m sending it to Harper Children’s.” Eight years later I was sitting next to Morgan DeFiore who was then about fifteen, at the off-Broadway opening night of a Coraline musical. I told my now wife, Amanda, the story, and explained that it was because Morgan was not scared that Coraline was a children’s book. And Morgan said, “I was terrified. But I wasn’t going to let on that I was scared, because then I wouldn’t have found out how it ended.”
This movie is about grooming ... The Beldam is a preditor who tells you everything you want to hear. Once you realize your in to deep. Love the reaction.
Fun fact: the medal that Bobinski wears is a real-life medal that was awarded to people who helped after the Chernobyl disaster, which explains why his skin is bule; it turned blue from the radiation.
This movie creeped me out at first because I didn't realize it was so dark, but it really was amazing and I absolutely ADORE stop-motion animation!!!!! The way the details unravel as she sees who the Other Mother really is, and deep down she still really loves her parents. She cares about the other Wybie and just wants to get back to her own life because it's REAL and not manipulated.
This story is adapted from a short novel and a graphic novel! I enjoy all the mediums, and there's lots of hidden gems that you guys mentioned, and didn't mention. Originally the eating at the other mother's place took longer than the few nights in the movie, but for the sake of the length of the film they gave you a rough outline of what went down with all the main parts. On the note about Oak's response, yes it seemed like the long way around the "be careful what you wish for" troupe, but I think this story is more about growing up and learning how to cope with the "dangers" of not having your parents around to fix your problems, and becoming more brave or stepping into a role where you can gain confidence. I also agree it is more about appreciating what you have versus the be careful what you wish for (though I guess these are similar in essence). Glad you guys enjoyed it!
As a kid who grew up on Courage the Cowardly Dog which was just bizarre horror, Coraline would have been right up my alley. But I didn't get to read the book until I was in my teens and watched the movie much later. I still found it eerie both times. The bravery that Coraline finds in herself is admirable and I personally believe that is the real lesson. It's also a recurring theme in Neil Gaiman's books for children and I appreciate that he finds the right balance in horror without being condescending towards the children reading them. And it's great that the movie also commits to the same spirit.
I think the main appeal of the movie is a little bit less the plot and more 1. The insane artistry 2. The little “blink and you miss it” details. A lot of people rewatch this movie a hundred times just to find something that they missed before. It’s like a treasure hunt sort of. I wasn’t overly impressed by the movie (aside from the animation) the first time around but upon rewatching it I actually grew to appreciate it more and more and now it’s something I watch around Halloween every year:)
It is something that goes unnoticed, but in the cake, the o in welcome does not have two turns, but the o in home does. Which means that she is welcome but in reality that's not her real home.
The way I got SOOO sad when they said , “I’ve never even heard of this before” , when I’ve probably watched it thousands of times since the release.😅❤ 0:46
If The Oak has a not so great feeling from this film, that's not a problem, i mean this (kids) film had 3 murdered children as part of the cast. This film is eerie. I remember after my 1st watch, i was soooooo creeped out and scared, just not what i was expecting, that i had to put a Will Farrell movie on (2 to be honest). Though since then, I've watched this film multiple times and it's easily one of my favourites. Great review as always. I hope in the future, you guys branch out and review Hayao Miyazaki film's like Spirited Away ( a smidge creepy) or Howl's Moving Castle ( a beautiful masterpiece). Cheers.
I love this movie (and book) simply for its portrayal of the Fae world. It is, in essence, a faerie tale where the 'other mother' is a fae creature that preys on humans' lives and traps them in the fae world. It's a better look into the world of faeries, pixies, and the like how the old folktales were told versus what they've been turned into. The 'other mother' not being able to turn down a game, for instance, and adhering to the word of the rules instead of the spirit of the rules is exactly how the fae work in the old tales.
I first saw Coraline when I was 9 & instantly loved it. A kids scary movie? Amazing. The animation is class too. Immediately asked my parents for it on DVD so I could show my friends on sleepovers and watch it again for myself.
Fun fact the medal you see Babinski wearing is based on a real medal given to people who assisted in the Chernobyl cleanup. The Beldam is the first owner of the Pink Palace in the 1800s. She of course is a witch and she used her power to create a world where she is the in power. There are two ways to get there one is the door and the other is the well. She feeds on the souls of children to keep her world alive and to keep herself alive. By this point she was starving and he world was shrinking at a fast rate. She was more aggressive with Coraline because she knew Coraline was her last chance to survive. Since she had been starving she was weak and her world had mostly eroded. It was to the point where the door was the only way in or out. As we saw the world had eroded all the way up to the front doors and even began to take up the house. When she sent her hand after Coraline she was probably down to just the living room. Fun fact the original author had his daughter read the book to see if it was too scary to be a kids book. She told him it wasn't too scary to be nice but in reality it gave her nightmares.
I also grew to love this movie after a few watches... I love that this was a story of a "typical" kid going through some growing pains with a big move... and then being thrown a curve when she has to grow and to save her parents.
Enjoyed the reaction. Was sad Oak wasn't vibing with this one as much, but I suppose not every film will be a hit with all of you. ^^ 💙 I'm not a big fan of horror films myself, but kids horror films like this one remain somewhat unsettling and scary, without being too much for me. That way I can still enjoy the story and aesthetic.
So a random fact: So they actually cut a major, but subtle detail out of the book. Every single time Coraline passes through the portal tunnel, it gets more and more windy. The walls are moist and pulsating. And there are plenty of chunks stuck in the walls. The entire house and separate world is alive. It's an entity itself, and it's slowly waking up. The tunnel is a throat and the wind that Coraline feels in the book is the creature's breathing. Whatever this thing is, both the Other Mother and the Cat are afraid of it. So the entire time, Coraline has been unknowingly waking up an eldritch horror. And for all we know, by the end of the movie, it's now awake. I also saw a random theory that the Other Mother is just a parasite inside of rhe creature.
Tbh The Nightmare Before Christmas is definitely one of my FAVORITE movies, but message wise it’s simplistic and I mostly enjoy it for the story, music and imagery. I enjoy Coraline for the same reasons AND that it has a good message. Negligence vs Indulgence. It’s more than “be careful what you wish for”. Like Oak said, they WEREN’T bad parents. But there’s the other side of the coin! Just because a parent (or even a potential spouse as a different example) is giving you everything that you want, it does not make them good. Because after some time they will eventually show their true colors and sometimes it’s too late when you realize that. Or, like with the ghost children…they allow it because they don’t want to lose what is good. When it comes to the real parents, sure they had a lot on their plate, but they still didn’t give a lot of attention to Coraline - and in her eyes she saw it as being neglected when she just wanted to spend time with them. What it comes down to is having a small rough patch to work through VS getting everything you want at the cost of potentially losing everything to get it. I know Oak said it “took a long time” to get there, but in some cases in real life it does. I remember seeing Coraline in theaters when I was 16. The message didn’t hit me until I was older and understood those things better, but even at 16 I enjoyed it…even if it made me jump a lot.
This was a work of art and THE BEST 3D film I've EVER seen. I saw it 3x in the theater! I love this film! Nightmare is a classic, but THIS out does Nightmare by leaps and bounds. A wonderful movie with lovely moral lessons! ❤️
Coraline is my fav movie, I think it’s about adventure, bravery, and being grateful. The stop motion is amazing, and I honestly love everything about it. This is definitely one of those movies where you have to watch it multiple times to truly understand what the creators were doing
I ran out of the cinema screaming and crying when this movie first came out - must’ve been around 6 years old 😂 I honestly think it’s a film for an older audience to enjoy despite the age rating, love it now!
The other mother didn't give her the gloves because Coraline didn't bring the doll to the stor, so the other mother didn't know about them/how they looked
My daughter is 14. This has been her favorite movie since she was about 3 years old. She could/does watch it about every single night. This is her "night night" movie as we call it. The one that she loves so much it's just a comfort to her. It's not for everyone, but we love this movie so much
This movie and this entire story is definitely a great point made to parents. Just recently, we had a story where I'm from where parents ignoring children ended up with a predator who gave them all attention. I think this is one of the best movies ever made and the best adaptation of a book.
I always thought people were too hard on the parents. They were struggling to keep their family financially afloat. I think the way they spoke to Coraline could have been better, but I understand they were dealing with major stressors (moving, pressing deadlines, providing basic care to their child and themselves, possibly getting kicked out of their new home because the owner doesn't allow children and the parents may have lied to get a home they could afford).
As a kid this was a gem of many animation movies I watched growing up. I loved this one so much that I had the DVD bundle with blu-ray, behind the scenes filing + making of the director's cut as well as a 3D edition of the movie that came with 3D glasses that made it spookier! This movie will always have a place in my 7 year old and now adult heart! :,)) I still get so much nostalgia remembering watching it in my grandma's house on the old bulky television... ah the good ole times.
I think there's an added benefit to watching this as a kid and then later as an adult. Many kids don't have the insight into seeing how hard the parents are working to provide for their daughter. It's an important perspective for parents too. Even a clever child's lack of experience and wisdom can put them in serious danger of the things we would see as obvious traps.
Fun fact about this movie is that it was done by Laika Studios, which believe it or not, is a company run/owned by the son of the owner of Nike. He's jokingly called the one good nepo-baby because Laika Studios actually makes little profit with all their movies, it's entirely for the art of it and for the movies sake. But it still employed artists, creators, voice actors, production, crew, and many many people. His dad funds this passion project of his, making artsy niche movies!
I'm not sure Coraline's stone was meant as a reference to "They Live." It's just a hag stone, which have been around in mythology for centuries. They're just stones with a naturally occurring hole through them. They're supposed to ward off witches and let you see through magical disguises when you look through them.
There's this animated movie called "9" that I really think you guys should check out. It came out the same year as Coraline. It's a kids movie that has no business being a kids movie. It definitely scarred me as a kid.
I think the message of Coraline isn't really "appreciate what you have" though one can read that, it's about idealization of people & realizing perfection of getting everything you want in a world is false and narcissistic. Coraline's parents are inattentive but not unloving. The Beldam is attentive but to consume her. Having a whole world revolve around her would destroy her independence & personality & ultimately be nothing but fake, accepting real people/places the goods/bads allows her real relationships and her own self.
I know the director had lots to do with the look of this movie, but the story is all Neil Gaiman. His stories and novels always have such a unique tilt.
Coraline is one of the few stop-motion animation films I truly enjoy watching (mainly just because the medium freaks me out a bit), which is ironic given how creepy this story is. The animation and artwork is gorgeous, and the characters are so real. The story is great, albeit a bit sad, and overall it's just written incredibly well. As for the comments you guys read at the end from some angry parents, I think those came from parents who did not know anything about the film (and who assume all animation is 'kids stuff'), and also disregarded the fact that despite how common the PG rating is, the PG does stand for parental guidance, as there may be moments that some parents wouldn't consider suitable for kids. Honestly, I think this film is great and perfectly fine for most kids, though I probably wouldn't show it to really little kids, like, a 6 year old. Kids 10 or 11 and up would probably be a little less freaked out.
I remember watching this film in theaters when I was 9. I BEGGED my grandma to take me and I remember the look on her face after it ended on the car ride home. She kept asking me “Are you SURE you liked it? You weren’t scared?” And I would just shake my head with a smile. I loved ever since and my love for it has only grown as I’ve gotten older. I think parents underestimate how much kids can like horror. You would think with Goosebumps, Are You Afraid Of The Dark, and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark being so popular among kids that they wouldn’t be surprised lol. Kids deserve stories that don’t treat them with kid gloves (within reasonable parameters, of course.)
what i love about this movie is the amount or easter eggs that you don’t realize at first watch, like how the “four boring windows” in the blue boy portrait room have glass art in the shape of beetles (which we only see in that particular room and in the front door), in the tunnel scene where coraline is running alway from the belle dame you can see the clothing from the missing children all over it, the lightning strike when she goes to blow the candles is in the same shape as the tea leaves in spank and forcible read to her (the belle dame’s hand), the tool case for the doll making actually being a funeral director’s travel case of tool being used for embalming and *so many more*. the attention to detail from the art director of this movie is absolutely insane, still one of my favorites to this day, every time i watch it i find something different.
This movie I refer to as "Baby's first horror movie". The book is 10x more terrifying because it doesn't explain everything. The book heavily implies that the Other Mother, the rats, and even the tunnel itself are all eldritch horrors from ancient times. The rats have this creepy song that you should never listen to the audio version of if you want to sleep at night "We are small but we are many, we are many but we are small. We were here before you rose, we will be here when you fall, We have teeth and we have tails, we have tails and we have eyes. We were here before you fell. We will be here when you rise We have eyes and we have nervses, we have tails and we have teeth. You'll all get what you deserveses when we rise from underneath"
I don’t know why he is comparing so much to the Nightmare before Christmas? They are completely different settings and completely different writers. Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman. Neil is a top tier writer. I wonder if they should watch more things written by him like Stardust, Good Omens, American Gods or even Doctor Who.
Made by Neil Gaiman. There is an interesting story about the publication. It was almost never published. The book was much creepier than the movie. There was no Wybie character, but the studio added him in, otherwise Coraline would be doing it all alone. Aside from the cat, who was way more integral to the story in the book. And Laika studios first movie, owned by Nike. It also looks quite a bit like the area surrounding the actual area. I live just down the street, in Beaverton Oregon. Oh, and the seeing stone idea goes back to really old mythology.
This movie scared the ever loving shit out of me as a kid. As an adult it’s one of my comfort movies. Also as a lover of the book I can appreciate how they strayed from it and added new elements but still did it beautifully, such an amazing claymation
A very unique film and story. The animation was fantastic. Shoutout to the cast and crew for this one. What was your reaction? What did we miss?
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React to Corpse Bride movie next
@@seanwilliams7716 I'd be down with this🙌🏽
guys please watch corpse bride 2005
@@randomstuffx8280 that's what I'm saying bro 😎😎😎😎
I like this movie but personally I prefer Para Norman.
There's so much to unpack in this film. I enjoy how at first glance the parents seem inattentive. When you look closer you see they're really just over stressed and worked, and Caroline is a bored child. The medal on the Russian neighbor's chest is a real medal, it was given to those that helped with Chernobyl.
I'm laughing because of the typo of Coraline to Caroline lmao I immediately heard Coralines voice in my head correcting you XD
Exactly! And that's why he's blue.
The name of the medal you're thinking of is the Liquidation Medal
There’s also the detail of how the Beldam calls herself as Coraline continued to visit the other world. Mainly from “your other mother” to simply just “mother” on the letter
"COR-aline" 😂
This movie was an astronomical undertaking. It took over 500 people around 4 years to make. They averaged about 90 seconds of animation each week. Dakota Fanning celebrated 3 birthdays over the course of recording all of her lines.
1 Coraline puppet took about 3-4 months to make, and they made 28 Coraline puppets with 48 wigs and over 6,000 backup faces-all of which had to be sanded and painted by hand.
Laika Studios made a behind the scenes videos. It's really interesting!
stop motion is such a beautiful art
Sounds like a lot of time waste
@@azazello1784 It's only a waste if nothing comes from it, and I certainly wouldn't call this movie "nothing".
My wish would be a Coraline doll, or a prop like a table or chair, but I can only dream.
@@azazello1784if you have to ask why its not for you.
My friend's dad worked on this film, which I thought was so darn cool!
To explain their family struggles more, the mother was in an accident. That's why they mentioned her wearing a neck brace a lot, she hit a truck in their vehicle. Basically, because of medical expenses they were struggling financially and had to relocate to the Pink Palace. As indicated when they could only tip $1, and they emphasized the lack of food, not being able to afford the gloves, etc. It made the parents stressed and overwhelmed because they were trying to push out work on the catalogue. So they could get back on their feet financially. Unfortunately, their relationship with Coraline suffered as a result.
So she wished for everything that the "Other Mother" gave her. It was a "the grass isn't always greener on the other side." Type of film as well as, of course, "Be careful what you wish for." I will share some links for you all if you want to read more about even more themes found in the film. It is based on a book by Neil Gaiman which would clarify more if you want to understand it further. I personally still need to read the book though, I've only seen the film. I will post the links in a message response to this. Sorry, you'll just have to delete the (spaces) so the links will work and not be flagged by TH-cam. There will be 2 in each link by the www and the .com
Your dad is cool! Coraline is still within the top few movies in my opinion. I’m the type to watch every Coraline theories/behind the scenes and can tell that the parents are financially struggling. I just wish there’s more infos about the 3 children, whats their date of births. What’s their stories. How they get caught by the Beldam. That’d be nice.
fun fact: neil gaiman wrote coraline (book) with no structure/plot planning/etc. it was a stream of consciousness and i think he wrote it in like a month, i don’t remember exactly the amount of time but it is startlingly short. he’s a real talent.
So this movie also shows how children are affected when their parents are struggling financially.
Oh I thought the accident was while they were moving there
@@ravenID429yeah I think that's what it's like in the book at least
This movie is kind of like Oak's sparkly facepaint for the Twilight reaction.
Excellent, but genuinely unsettling 😂
perfectly balanced as all things should be😂😂
😭😭
Oaks face paint was perfect 😂
Never click so freaking fast on a notification lol!! This is my favorite "kids" horror film i even got a yellow rain coat!! 😂💛
Ong same!!! I was like “no wayyyyyy!!!” I’ve even searched this up to see if they reacted to it already😭
Hey girl 😂❤
@@TypoPrincessAbby rofl!! So glad you're checking out their stuff now!! ❤️❤️❤️
P.s. @@TypoPrincessAbby is also here cus I sent here boys!! And congrats on 200,000!! ❤️❤️❤️
Was my favorite as a child too! None of my childhood friends could finish it though 😭
The Other Mother is very much a spider like creature, with all the imagery of insects around her. The Other World is her web to trap the children. And the cat was right on both counts. She wanted something that wasn't herself to love, but the nature of her "love" is that she will eventually consume the children she lures in and need another child to sustain her. She's like Pennywise, except instead of catching children with fear, she catches them with love and greed. She basically love bombs them and then feeds on their souls until they die/fade away, then uses the souls to power the illusions she uses to lure in the next fly to her web.
Something else that I noticed on rewatch/after reading reviews, is that she made the Other Father and Other Wybie too well. She made them to love Coraline and they loved her so much that they were trying to get her to escape, even from the beginning. The Other Father's song is even a warning. "She's a peach, she's a DOLL... She's as cute as A BUTTON IN THE EYES... Our EYES WILL BE ON CORALINE". They wanted her to leave and be free of the trap because Other Mother made them to actually love her.
"So sharp you won't feel a thing!"
well said!
They even give us hints throughout, the first being “he must be hungry as a pumpkin by now!” Followed later by “squish squash pumpkin sauce”. In the book, the other father was not made from a pumpkin. He was…quite a bit more terrifying. Good that they changed it maybe lol.
@@hexenkonigin2524Ooh, that's interesting. Just how different was he? If you going mind my asking?
@@kohaiame2691 sorry for being a few days late, but from what I remember other father turns into a giant glob of melted looking flesh that resemblance a human then being one. the Coraline book Is way more horrifying than the adaptation that it makes it surprising that it was originally a chapter book for children. Though people later found out it that the kid beta readers lied about being scared of the book and I quote, “I was terrified. But I wasn’t going to let on that I was scared, because then I wouldn’t have found out how it ended.” Its a good read if you love a good horror book.
The reason Coraline didn't get oak poisoning on both hands is because when Wybie shook her hand when they met, he had that same mud on the glove that the other mother used to smear the wound with later. Pretty detail.
i've watched this movie for years and never noticed that. that's awesome!!
Something I believe they left out of the movie that Oak would like, a nice lesson of bravery which is central to this whole story.
Coraline tells the cat about a time she went exploring a trash dump off with her dad. While there, they were attacked by wasps. Her dad first saw them and told Coraline to run, taking most of the wasps and stings so she could get away with only a few stings safely.
As they ran, her father dropped his glasses and had to return to the site of the attack to retrieve them: “It wasn’t brave because he wasn’t scared: it was the only thing he could do. But going back again when he was really scared. That was brave. When you’re scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave"
This needs to get bumped to the top, so that Oak sees it! I read the book a few years back, and had forgotten that scene until you mentioned the waps and then it came rushing back!
Heads up though for The Oak (or anyone else interested in the book) Wybee is not in it! He was created for the film, and is a great addition.
If I remember correctly, that is based heavily on an experience Neil Gaiman had.
Yeah especially considering what happened to Thomas J
Been treating us really well lately with all these movies.
all suggestions we take. Credit goes to all of you!
@@BaddMedicineBut your reactions are amazing so credit to you aswell, if you weren't great funny guys then these wouldn't be as entertaining
One of the quotes well applied to this movie is "Kids can handle anything, so long as there's a happy ending." I think Don Bluth said it. As a parent or an adult, you really worry for Coraline and feel for her (and her parents who seem very stressed), and think more about the danger associated with crawling through a magic hole and meeting a predator, but as a kid watching this, it's spooky but you know she's gonna be okay and that everything is fine at the end. There seems to be two very different perspectives!
Um...as an adult we know things like PTSD exists. Kids dont think about that. As adults we know coraline will need to go to HEAPS of therapy sessions and is in for a potentially hard time
I love how Coraline’s go-to is to just throw whatever is closest to her
Honestly, I think thats ever 11 year olds got-to😆
So the stone thing is more than just a reference! It's a Seeing Stone, which in folklore were sometimes called "Hag Stones" and they were said to ward off bad spirits and witches. It usually had a hole created by the passage of water wearing away the stone. People hung them over their doors, wore them as talismans, and brought them on ships to help keep their boat safe. Somewhere along the way the myth got added that looking through the hole could reveal secrets or spells cast by the fae.
The oak missed the message completely. Just because someone is giving you the best or doesn’t mean they have the best intentions for you.The author even talks about this in the how it’s made.
Basically the message is a warning against grooming? I haven't looked into it but this was my take.
@@AriaIsara exactly. From a kid’s perspective the other family is more fun and flashy, but that’s not real love. Real love is what her real parents are doing. But because it’s from Coraline’s point of view her parents don’t give her enough. In reality they moved for better work, making sure she takes her vitamins, and even locking the door for her safety. It’s the silent sacrifices are what shows what true love is.
@@jessicamorgan763Personally, silent sacrifices are nice but it’s also difficult for children, especially young children to know they are loved if you never communicate it well. It’s a balancing act. I’m not saying that her parents were bad or unjustified, but just like many of us thought her parents were dismissive when we were younger, it’s important for the guardians in our lives to show us they care because it’s difficult for children get a sense for this.
Of course, I’m also thinking about this from my own experiences
@@silentaria3241 complete agree this is just a snap shot into the life of Coraline and we like to just assume that her parents are just in the middle of a stressful situation. In real life it’s a lot more complicated and emotional neglect is a real thing. The book and the movie can only cover so much. But as far as a quick lesson through storytelling I like how the author focused on a different lesson than the traditional the grass isn’t always greener lesson that we have seen a million’s times. However, definitely doesn’t cover all the traumas that can come from childhood. I don’t think the author really aimed for that though, cause it all started with his daughter begging him to tell her a bedtime story, and Coraline was born. And he did originally name her Caraline but he made a typo and kept it.
The perfect story of overindulgance vs neglect, or at least percieved neglect.
Love how you can see the Other Mother slowly revealing her colors, her dresses becoming more arachnid like.
And this is kinda dark, but I don't think I'm reading too much into it to get hints that the movie is a warning against the signs of grooming. Of course the Other Mother wanted to eat her, but she employs a lot of similar tactics that real world adults do when trying to gain the trust and favor of children when they have nefarious purposes.
A thing I learned is that the opening sequence is "the other mother preparing Coraline for her funeral" as the tools in her "sewing kit" she used to make the doll are actually embalming tools, and the fact that she put sawdust in the doll, which is sometimes used in the embalming process
my two favorite fun facts about this movie are 1) spink and forcible are actually married and 2) all the knit wear was done by hand with single strands of embroidery thread and two sewing needles, the amount of dedication to this movie makes me love it all the more
I just saw a video of the woman who worked on the costuming going through aspects of it. And the mother's sweater was made out of kid socks!
@@deadsetondreams1988 laika studios is just amazing lol, super creative
Neil Gaiman and Roald Dahl are two writers who don't pull their punches when it comes to "children's" horror. But there's always something to learn if not a moral.
I’m sure by now you guys have put it together, but I wanted to point out that the book this was based on was written by Neil Gaiman, ie- the same man that wrote Sandman.
His writing is generally more focused on vibes than hard plots, hard world building, etc. He’s a writer that is more interested in how YOU interpret and interact with his work than what point HE’S trying to make.
Best way to describe him
@@ot7biasedmashups one of the many many reasons I absolutely love his work
It was a great book. I had read it way before this movie came out.
Thats a great way to describe the great Neil Gaiman! And it’s further evident because the man actually accepts and borderline encourages Fanfiction of his work!
This film was so ballsy and it makes me so happy they stuck to their guns with imagery and scary themes. They kept it perfect for a family picture but made it so that it would scare kids, so a great "kids" horror film. Also the many behind the scene shorts and documentaries, plus that fact that this has been in so many college papers studies related to art and animation is insanity and well deserved.
I really love this movie because it's a great callback to the old dark fariy tales. Where like in Grimm Brother's stories they teach you a lesson trough obscure and creepy imagery. Something that has become lost in this Disney era. This is a cautionary tale story about manipulation and how when something seems too perfect it's usually bad for you. There's a great video in "Cinema Therapy" channel where they deep dive into all the psychological meaning of the story.
Also as a side note. This is was a great movie for new horror fans, specially young people. That learn to find meaning and knowledge through terror.
Love your channel. Big fan :)
It's not that dark. They could have killed off Caroline or her parents at least.
Lol lol lol, you don't know just how on the nose you are about that fact.😂
I know it's supposed to be a scary film for kids, but I absolutely love this movie and Neil Gaiman 🥰 I wish you a beautiful, spooky season, BaddMedicine!
Two weeks ago I finally managed to read the book, and I am honestly glad I did because I very much love it now, as for the movie I had the honor of the someone who worked on the production of the movie (our photography teacher invited them and he explained some stuff about the movie it was really cool) either way I'm always awed at how difficult and long this movie took to make
Neil gaiman is brilliant!
The book is so good! Very quiet and unsettling in that classic Neil way. I love the movie, too, but it's very different in tone and mood. Neil Gaiman reads the audio book, which is another great way to experience the story!
I remember going to an animation talk about how this movie was made and losing my mind at how they got around NEVER needing to use CG (except for the shot with the fog). To the point that the rain drops trickling down the window pane were done by hand with meticulously placed hot glue drops. I remember walking out of the presentation thinking "Why would anyone DO this to themselves??" Just because of how hard you have to work to get stop motion to look like this... AND I'M AN ANIMATOR!!!
I really hope Laika gets more blockbuster hits like they did with Coraline because they deserve it so much. But with Del Toro's Pinocchio and there being at least FIVE stop motion projects released last year, I really hope stop motion is due for a renaissance in major films.
Oak saying he is hip/cool made me laugh so sincerily. My man, you are cool but not this kind of cool. And also he saying he dont need a lesson out of a movie but constantly urging to find one in EVERYTHING is so funny. like, he is so serious and introspective about all the movies i've seen the reaction for. not gonna lie, i've been upset sometimes with it, like it seems he cant just enjoy it for being entertaining, for the sake of fun to watch, if it doesnt have a deeper meaning and all, he dont like it or get "bored". but i get it, its just he's way of being.
So far Oak it’s the most negative about the group he rates the scores lower than the other guys. he didn’t care much for Pride and Prejudice, he didn’t like some stuff about Barbie film, because he missed the message. Thinking the problem was men themselves but in actuality it was old patriarchy stuff. It hurts both men and women. I like the other two guys but Oak is a bit grouchy 😂
@@kay-jay1581 yeah, i get it tho. Like, we as people like different things, but it was pretty funny he saying in this video "the opposite", like trying to cover almost? Haha. But its fine, i mean, I also simpatize more with the other two, but i dont dislike oak.
One small detail I never noticed till after multiple rewatches is that the garden in the real world looks is designed to look like The Other Mother's face while in the doll world it is Coraline's face
I watched this when I was like 10. Parents, back then, see a movie like this and go “cartoon” but for us as kids it was more than that. It relatable to an extent, it was for kids as a lesson to appreciate your parents, and it gave us something to be scared about. It was also to kinda traumatize us and make us all not buy a house if it has a little door. It definitely was a movie engraved in our mind and now a movie we watch around spooky season.
So the book this is based on is written by Neil Gaiman, my favorite living author. He wrote this work while also writing his most famous comic epic, Sandman. he was focussing on the comic, but would set aside enough time to write 50 words a night for Coraline. His goal was to make a creepy/horror story for children, but when he turned in his final draft, the publisher was like, "this is definitely way too scary for children." So, Gaiman suggested that the editor read it to her young daughter and then decide if it still needed toned down. So, she went home and told her daughter that she wanted to read her a story and hear what she thinks. If it ever gets too scary, they can stop. Well the daughter sat through all of it and at the end said she enjoyed it. Years later, the daughter said that she was terrified through most of the read, but wanted to find out what happened so badly that she was just brave like Coraline. So for those that say this is too scary for children, you very well may be correct, but I love that it exists to test that boundary.
Yes but that doesnt mean ill tell a 10 yo a story in depth about a kid being kidnapped s***lly assaulted then rescued. Theres a limit
Idk what’s sadder, the fact that everyone keeps calling Coraline Caroline even tho she keeps correcting them or the fact that Wybie’s the only one that wants to be Coraline’s friend and Coraline just keeps bullying him 🥲
I still can’t believe Whybie wasn’t in the origin story. He’s such an integral and irreplaceable part of the story
I love the way The Oak always tries to find messages and meaning in films, I genuinely do, but I think sometimes it can also be a trap. Not every story exists to teach a morality tale, and I think believing that they should is how a lot of stories end up being vilified because they "teach bad lessons" (this is not what oak does, I just mean this is a problem that this line of thinking can cause). I think sometimes a story exists as an artwork in of itself, without trying to deliver a lesson to its audience. Sometimes a story wishes to impart an experience onto its audience, and I think that could possibly be why Oak found the 'message' part of this movie lacking.
Coraline is a film I don't think is really trying to teach its audience anything to steer their morality in any specific direction. it is rather trying to communicate an experience of fear and whimsy in equal measure. Or perhaps trying to give a younger audience a horror experience which is not so intense as a horror film for an adult or teen would be, making it more accessible and less intimidating. Similar to a Goosebumps novel.
I also feel Coraline's first and biggest goal is to present stop motion as an art form which is where it's main focus lies in "why was this movie made"? It's trying to communicate to the audience just how much the filmmakers love this method of filmmaking, and to show how far they wanted to push this medium because they love it so much. To see what they could accomplish with it.
So I think perhaps, in this case, it might be why Oak is struggling with it. Which isn't a criticism from me, btw. I just listened to his opinion and tried to see why his approach might have had the film not work for him based on what he was looking form.
Or some people just don't like certain films and it's not really that deep 🤷♀ I didn't like Pacific Rim. Not for any reason at all. It just wasn't something I liked. Sometimes it just be that way.
Anyway thanks for the react, guys!
cut the guy some slack, he grew up watching he-man do the same thing
great breakdown!
He should read Alice in Wonderland, he'd go crazy with the nonsense elements and the absence of a moral message. Alice also offers great criticism about the expectation for children's stories to always contain a moral lesson.
@@ametistazz Maybe, but I think the way he views movies fits his personality. From what I've gathered from what Oak has said in these videos, he's very committed to helping other guys especially in fitness. Not sure if he is a coach or personal trainer but I know he is active in either body building or weight lifting. And I know he is dedicated to encouraging and helping other mens' self esteem. So I actually understand where his perspective is coming from. I think it's part of his personality. That's why I said I think this is why this film threw him for a loop, but wanted to be clear I wasn't criticising him at all. More like "I think this is why" type of thing 😁
We all have different preferences and take aways from film, and unless you're someone screaming in favour of censorship for "moral reasons" I think it's worth hearing people's perspectives on movies, even if you disagree or don't share their opinions. Because I find it interesting to see how films affect us differently.
But I'm a GIANT film nerd and actually work in the tv industry so that is also why this is MY take away!
Well spoken, good sir
20:24 the part I always look forward to seeing people react too 😂 This is one of the rare times that I’ve preferred the movie to the book, but it always bugs me that they changed the setting from the UK to the US… it’s stop animation so I don’t get the need to of changed it.
It does the book so much justice as well, this movie is an absolute treasure.
The triangle stone with the hole in the middle is called in some cultures as "fairy stone". Old tales explain this kind of stone has magical features, such as seeing what is normally invisible to human eyes.
Scrying stone is what pops into my head.
I understand where The Oak is coming from because when I first saw Coraline, I honestly wasn't a fan. But when I saw it a 2nd time I enjoyed it more and now I really love this movie. Some stories just take more time to grow on you.
Same here. The first time I was like ehhh idk. Then I watched it again and really appreciated the artistry. Now I watch it every October:)
@@kjlucky6501 Me too. The art design in this film was incredible!🖤
This is such a 90s kid favorite. Despite it not being made in the 90s, I feel like that particular generation really resonated with this movie for whatever reason. It’s a “kids movie” but there are a LOT of mature elements that elevate this movie. It’s not afraid to be scary.
It’s also not afraid to show us two elderly, practically naked women do acrobatics lol. A very sophisticated movie.
So true. Some of 90's kids read the book in the early 2000's and saw the movie because of it. Either way, the movie definitely appealed to us as well as smaller kids when it came out.
I remember when I first saw this the betrayal I felt when she threw the cat as a sacrifice💀! But Kitty was the real MVP here, this movie will always be one of my faves for animation💙🐈⬛
Oak was thinking to hard into it and getting angry 😂.. and another great reaction I love these kind of movies!
I feel like Oak is trying too hard to find a message that he's already decided on in the first 20 minutes. Just because it didn't go how he expected, it seems like he didn't like it. Not every film needs a well-defined, specific message. There are a lot of complex ideas in this movie. If he didn't like it that's fine, but it seems like he only doesn't like it because it wasn't what he thought it would be.
Im so glad you guys reacted to this I watched this for the first time in highschool and it was so creepy. Definitely hits different if your someone who grew up with a similar type of feeling as a kid. Made me appreciate what I have.
Neil Gaiman (the author of the book) is very much about weird for the sake of weird, which I personally love, but respect Oak’s difficulty connecting with it. You don’t have to be hammered over the head with a message. The message of this is very light. In my opinion this shines for its creativity, monster design, score, and creating an incredible sense of unease.
It also reminds me of the vibes of one of my favorite games of all time, Zelda: Majora’s Mask, which I admit adds to my love of this movie.
Oak would probably really like Paranorman or Kubo more, they’re from the same studio but the themes in those seem like something he would gel better with.
Coraline focuses more on the “it’s too good to be true” aspect than the “be thankful for what you have” one. Recognizing when someone doesn’t have your best interests despite their facade. At least that’s my opinion on the main message.
i don’t know if someone pointed this out already, but the “sisters” aren’t actually sisters. they’re lovers. neil gaiman, the writer of the original coraline book this movie is based off, confirmed it himself, saying they were always intended to be written that way. they have two different surnames. and in the musical they actually sing “we never married, so we're undivorceable”. just a fun little fact!
As a child who I loved horror and dark themes, I'm am forever grateful that the creators of this movie made this as dark as it is. It really spoke to me, and made me feel seen when I was younder. The way I see it, the creators really see the bravery and strength that kids have, and trust that they can handle something as spooky and a little twisted. One of my favorites.
I watched the movies 5 times after the first time, it’s great I wish I could get a doll of her or sth
one of my favorite facts about this movie is that they showed it to a focus group of kids to make sure it wouldn't be too scary to put in theaters...all the kids said it wasn't, so it got greenlit.. later on, the kids said that the movie actually scared them spitless but they really wanted to know what happened next, so they lied 😂
No. 🤦♂️ That's an extremely warped version of what happened. It wasn't the movie, it wasn't some focus group of random kids, it wasn't about theaters.
From Author Neil Gaiman's "What The [Very Bad Swear Word] Is A Children's Book Anyway?" article on The Horn Book website: Coraline was only published as a children’s book because Morgan DeFiore lied.
Her mother, Merrilee Heifetz, has been my literary agent for the last twenty-five years, and is the person whose opinion in all matters of books and publishing I trust the most. I sent her Coraline, and her opinion was that it wasn’t a children’s book. It was too scary for children.
“I will tell you what,” I told her. “Why don’t you read it to your girls? If they’re scared by it, we’ll send it to my adult editor.” Her girls were Emily, age eight, and Morgan, age six.
She read it to them, and they loved it, and they wanted to know what happened next, and she got to the end, and called me and said, “They weren’t scared. I’m sending it to Harper Children’s.”
Eight years later I was sitting next to Morgan DeFiore who was then about fifteen, at the off-Broadway opening night of a Coraline musical. I told my now wife, Amanda, the story, and explained that it was because Morgan was not scared that Coraline was a children’s book. And Morgan said, “I was terrified. But I wasn’t going to let on that I was scared, because then I wouldn’t have found out how it ended.”
i watched the movie on disney channel when i was like 10 it wasnt really scary just mmore confusing
I traumatized two of my younger sisters with this movie when it came out 😂
I had no idea this reaction was coming and I'm so excited!
This movie is about grooming ... The Beldam is a preditor who tells you everything you want to hear. Once you realize your in to deep. Love the reaction.
29:00
The cat: "you know it's a trap"
Coraline: “A trap isn't a trap if you know the trapper's trying to trap you. It's a face off"
Fun fact: the medal that Bobinski wears is a real-life medal that was awarded to people who helped after the Chernobyl disaster, which explains why his skin is bule; it turned blue from the radiation.
This movie creeped me out at first because I didn't realize it was so dark, but it really was amazing and I absolutely ADORE stop-motion animation!!!!! The way the details unravel as she sees who the Other Mother really is, and deep down she still really loves her parents. She cares about the other Wybie and just wants to get back to her own life because it's REAL and not manipulated.
This story is adapted from a short novel and a graphic novel! I enjoy all the mediums, and there's lots of hidden gems that you guys mentioned, and didn't mention. Originally the eating at the other mother's place took longer than the few nights in the movie, but for the sake of the length of the film they gave you a rough outline of what went down with all the main parts.
On the note about Oak's response, yes it seemed like the long way around the "be careful what you wish for" troupe, but I think this story is more about growing up and learning how to cope with the "dangers" of not having your parents around to fix your problems, and becoming more brave or stepping into a role where you can gain confidence. I also agree it is more about appreciating what you have versus the be careful what you wish for (though I guess these are similar in essence). Glad you guys enjoyed it!
This movie traumatized me when I was a kid but seeing again it as an adult I realized how wonderful and meaningful this movie for me.
As a kid who grew up on Courage the Cowardly Dog which was just bizarre horror, Coraline would have been right up my alley. But I didn't get to read the book until I was in my teens and watched the movie much later. I still found it eerie both times. The bravery that Coraline finds in herself is admirable and I personally believe that is the real lesson. It's also a recurring theme in Neil Gaiman's books for children and I appreciate that he finds the right balance in horror without being condescending towards the children reading them. And it's great that the movie also commits to the same spirit.
I think the main appeal of the movie is a little bit less the plot and more 1. The insane artistry 2. The little “blink and you miss it” details. A lot of people rewatch this movie a hundred times just to find something that they missed before. It’s like a treasure hunt sort of.
I wasn’t overly impressed by the movie (aside from the animation) the first time around but upon rewatching it I actually grew to appreciate it more and more and now it’s something I watch around Halloween every year:)
It is something that goes unnoticed, but in the cake, the o in welcome does not have two turns, but the o in home does. Which means that she is welcome but in reality that's not her real home.
The way I got SOOO sad when they said , “I’ve never even heard of this before” , when I’ve probably watched it thousands of times since the release.😅❤ 0:46
Omg u have to watch “monster house” , such a great Halloween movie , and it’s funny , rewatched it other day and surprised me how funny it was
If The Oak has a not so great feeling from this film, that's not a problem, i mean this (kids) film had 3 murdered children as part of the cast. This film is eerie. I remember after my 1st watch, i was soooooo creeped out and scared, just not what i was expecting, that i had to put a Will Farrell movie on (2 to be honest). Though since then, I've watched this film multiple times and it's easily one of my favourites. Great review as always. I hope in the future, you guys branch out and review Hayao Miyazaki film's like Spirited Away ( a smidge creepy) or Howl's Moving Castle ( a beautiful masterpiece). Cheers.
I love this movie (and book) simply for its portrayal of the Fae world. It is, in essence, a faerie tale where the 'other mother' is a fae creature that preys on humans' lives and traps them in the fae world. It's a better look into the world of faeries, pixies, and the like how the old folktales were told versus what they've been turned into. The 'other mother' not being able to turn down a game, for instance, and adhering to the word of the rules instead of the spirit of the rules is exactly how the fae work in the old tales.
looking at the cat and going "Are you still mad" Like she DIDNT just throw him at a demon
The Oak's face when the woman making wings for her dog who "hasn't been feeling well" made me choke on my water😂😂😂
🙏Bless your empathetic soul.😊
I first saw Coraline when I was 9 & instantly loved it. A kids scary movie? Amazing. The animation is class too. Immediately asked my parents for it on DVD so I could show my friends on sleepovers and watch it again for myself.
Fun fact the medal you see Babinski wearing is based on a real medal given to people who assisted in the Chernobyl cleanup. The Beldam is the first owner of the Pink Palace in the 1800s. She of course is a witch and she used her power to create a world where she is the in power. There are two ways to get there one is the door and the other is the well. She feeds on the souls of children to keep her world alive and to keep herself alive. By this point she was starving and he world was shrinking at a fast rate. She was more aggressive with Coraline because she knew Coraline was her last chance to survive. Since she had been starving she was weak and her world had mostly eroded. It was to the point where the door was the only way in or out. As we saw the world had eroded all the way up to the front doors and even began to take up the house. When she sent her hand after Coraline she was probably down to just the living room. Fun fact the original author had his daughter read the book to see if it was too scary to be a kids book. She told him it wasn't too scary to be nice but in reality it gave her nightmares.
Being 23, I still watch this almost every night 😂 So excited to see your reaction!
I also grew to love this movie after a few watches... I love that this was a story of a "typical" kid going through some growing pains with a big move... and then being thrown a curve when she has to grow and to save her parents.
Enjoyed the reaction. Was sad Oak wasn't vibing with this one as much, but I suppose not every film will be a hit with all of you. ^^ 💙
I'm not a big fan of horror films myself, but kids horror films like this one remain somewhat unsettling and scary, without being too much for me. That way I can still enjoy the story and aesthetic.
I Love this movie. It's one of my favorites. The story is fantastic, it's visually stunning & the voice cast is amazing. It's a great movie.
So a random fact:
So they actually cut a major, but subtle detail out of the book. Every single time Coraline passes through the portal tunnel, it gets more and more windy. The walls are moist and pulsating. And there are plenty of chunks stuck in the walls.
The entire house and separate world is alive. It's an entity itself, and it's slowly waking up. The tunnel is a throat and the wind that Coraline feels in the book is the creature's breathing.
Whatever this thing is, both the Other Mother and the Cat are afraid of it. So the entire time, Coraline has been unknowingly waking up an eldritch horror. And for all we know, by the end of the movie, it's now awake.
I also saw a random theory that the Other Mother is just a parasite inside of rhe creature.
Tbh The Nightmare Before Christmas is definitely one of my FAVORITE movies, but message wise it’s simplistic and I mostly enjoy it for the story, music and imagery. I enjoy Coraline for the same reasons AND that it has a good message. Negligence vs Indulgence. It’s more than “be careful what you wish for”. Like Oak said, they WEREN’T bad parents. But there’s the other side of the coin! Just because a parent (or even a potential spouse as a different example) is giving you everything that you want, it does not make them good. Because after some time they will eventually show their true colors and sometimes it’s too late when you realize that. Or, like with the ghost children…they allow it because they don’t want to lose what is good. When it comes to the real parents, sure they had a lot on their plate, but they still didn’t give a lot of attention to Coraline - and in her eyes she saw it as being neglected when she just wanted to spend time with them.
What it comes down to is having a small rough patch to work through VS getting everything you want at the cost of potentially losing everything to get it.
I know Oak said it “took a long time” to get there, but in some cases in real life it does. I remember seeing Coraline in theaters when I was 16. The message didn’t hit me until I was older and understood those things better, but even at 16 I enjoyed it…even if it made me jump a lot.
This was a work of art and THE BEST 3D film I've EVER seen. I saw it 3x in the theater! I love this film! Nightmare is a classic, but THIS out does Nightmare by leaps and bounds. A wonderful movie with lovely moral lessons! ❤️
Coraline is my fav movie, I think it’s about adventure, bravery, and being grateful. The stop motion is amazing, and I honestly love everything about it. This is definitely one of those movies where you have to watch it multiple times to truly understand what the creators were doing
I ran out of the cinema screaming and crying when this movie first came out - must’ve been around 6 years old 😂 I honestly think it’s a film for an older audience to enjoy despite the age rating, love it now!
No harm no foul on not loving the film, Oak! It's one of my faves, but that sort of thoughtful commentary and discussion is why we love watching!
The other mother didn't give her the gloves because Coraline didn't bring the doll to the stor, so the other mother didn't know about them/how they looked
My daughter is 14. This has been her favorite movie since she was about 3 years old. She could/does watch it about every single night. This is her "night night" movie as we call it. The one that she loves so much it's just a comfort to her. It's not for everyone, but we love this movie so much
This movie and this entire story is definitely a great point made to parents.
Just recently, we had a story where I'm from where parents ignoring children ended up with a predator who gave them all attention.
I think this is one of the best movies ever made and the best adaptation of a book.
I always thought people were too hard on the parents. They were struggling to keep their family financially afloat. I think the way they spoke to Coraline could have been better, but I understand they were dealing with major stressors (moving, pressing deadlines, providing basic care to their child and themselves, possibly getting kicked out of their new home because the owner doesn't allow children and the parents may have lied to get a home they could afford).
As a kid this was a gem of many animation movies I watched growing up. I loved this one so much that I had the DVD bundle with blu-ray, behind the scenes filing + making of the director's cut as well as a 3D edition of the movie that came with 3D glasses that made it spookier! This movie will always have a place in my 7 year old and now adult heart! :,)) I still get so much nostalgia remembering watching it in my grandma's house on the old bulky television... ah the good ole times.
I think there's an added benefit to watching this as a kid and then later as an adult. Many kids don't have the insight into seeing how hard the parents are working to provide for their daughter. It's an important perspective for parents too. Even a clever child's lack of experience and wisdom can put them in serious danger of the things we would see as obvious traps.
Makes me so happy you guys are reacting to this!! Favourite childhood movie🤭 perfect October pick guys
I would love to see them react to the interview with Neil Gaimen on how he came to write Coraline. It’s a great story.
Fun fact about this movie is that it was done by Laika Studios, which believe it or not, is a company run/owned by the son of the owner of Nike. He's jokingly called the one good nepo-baby because Laika Studios actually makes little profit with all their movies, it's entirely for the art of it and for the movies sake. But it still employed artists, creators, voice actors, production, crew, and many many people. His dad funds this passion project of his, making artsy niche movies!
25:18 when he said "what is this black phone?" I was so happy bc i LOVEE the black phone 😂
This is my absolute favorite movie!!! I haven’t clicked on a video of yours so fast!! I’m so excited to watch!
I'm not sure Coraline's stone was meant as a reference to "They Live." It's just a hag stone, which have been around in mythology for centuries. They're just stones with a naturally occurring hole through them. They're supposed to ward off witches and let you see through magical disguises when you look through them.
I watched this movie when I was a little kid. I love it. I grew up with it
There's this animated movie called "9" that I really think you guys should check out. It came out the same year as Coraline. It's a kids movie that has no business being a kids movie. It definitely scarred me as a kid.
I think the message of Coraline isn't really "appreciate what you have" though one can read that, it's about idealization of people & realizing perfection of getting everything you want in a world is false and narcissistic. Coraline's parents are inattentive but not unloving. The Beldam is attentive but to consume her. Having a whole world revolve around her would destroy her independence & personality & ultimately be nothing but fake, accepting real people/places the goods/bads allows her real relationships and her own self.
I know the director had lots to do with the look of this movie, but the story is all Neil Gaiman. His stories and novels always have such a unique tilt.
Coraline is one of the few stop-motion animation films I truly enjoy watching (mainly just because the medium freaks me out a bit), which is ironic given how creepy this story is. The animation and artwork is gorgeous, and the characters are so real. The story is great, albeit a bit sad, and overall it's just written incredibly well.
As for the comments you guys read at the end from some angry parents, I think those came from parents who did not know anything about the film (and who assume all animation is 'kids stuff'), and also disregarded the fact that despite how common the PG rating is, the PG does stand for parental guidance, as there may be moments that some parents wouldn't consider suitable for kids. Honestly, I think this film is great and perfectly fine for most kids, though I probably wouldn't show it to really little kids, like, a 6 year old. Kids 10 or 11 and up would probably be a little less freaked out.
grew up watching it and love it
I remember watching this film in theaters when I was 9. I BEGGED my grandma to take me and I remember the look on her face after it ended on the car ride home. She kept asking me “Are you SURE you liked it? You weren’t scared?” And I would just shake my head with a smile. I loved ever since and my love for it has only grown as I’ve gotten older.
I think parents underestimate how much kids can like horror. You would think with Goosebumps, Are You Afraid Of The Dark, and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark being so popular among kids that they wouldn’t be surprised lol. Kids deserve stories that don’t treat them with kid gloves (within reasonable parameters, of course.)
what i love about this movie is the amount or easter eggs that you don’t realize at first watch, like how the “four boring windows” in the blue boy portrait room have glass art in the shape of beetles (which we only see in that particular room and in the front door), in the tunnel scene where coraline is running alway from the belle dame you can see the clothing from the missing children all over it, the lightning strike when she goes to blow the candles is in the same shape as the tea leaves in spank and forcible read to her (the belle dame’s hand), the tool case for the doll making actually being a funeral director’s travel case of tool being used for embalming and *so many more*. the attention to detail from the art director of this movie is absolutely insane, still one of my favorites to this day, every time i watch it i find something different.
This movie I refer to as "Baby's first horror movie". The book is 10x more terrifying because it doesn't explain everything.
The book heavily implies that the Other Mother, the rats, and even the tunnel itself are all eldritch horrors from ancient times. The rats have this creepy song that you should never listen to the audio version of if you want to sleep at night
"We are small but we are many, we are many but we are small. We were here before you rose, we will be here when you fall,
We have teeth and we have tails, we have tails and we have eyes. We were here before you fell. We will be here when you rise
We have eyes and we have nervses, we have tails and we have teeth. You'll all get what you deserveses when we rise from underneath"
Absolutely LOVE this movie, one of my favorites of all time especially as a Halloween movie. Great story and message and characters are fantastic
I don’t know why he is comparing so much to the Nightmare before Christmas? They are completely different settings and completely different writers. Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman. Neil is a top tier writer. I wonder if they should watch more things written by him like Stardust, Good Omens, American Gods or even Doctor Who.
They should 100% watch Good Omens (everyone should tbh)
omg thank you guys for watching it, I was really waiting for it and I love it
Made by Neil Gaiman. There is an interesting story about the publication. It was almost never published. The book was much creepier than the movie. There was no Wybie character, but the studio added him in, otherwise Coraline would be doing it all alone. Aside from the cat, who was way more integral to the story in the book.
And Laika studios first movie, owned by Nike. It also looks quite a bit like the area surrounding the actual area. I live just down the street, in Beaverton Oregon.
Oh, and the seeing stone idea goes back to really old mythology.
This movie scared the ever loving shit out of me as a kid. As an adult it’s one of my comfort movies. Also as a lover of the book I can appreciate how they strayed from it and added new elements but still did it beautifully, such an amazing claymation