Coraline – A Stop motion Animation Masterpiece
Coraline is a 2009 stop-motion animated dark fantasy film based on the popular novella by Neil Gaiman. The film follows Coraline Jones, an adventurous 11-year-old girl who discovers an alternate world behind a secret door in her new home.
The Stop Motion Magic
Coraline was created through a stop-motion animation technique, with the animators having to painstakingly move each one of the dolls 24 times for each second of film. Along with this, the production included a movie set that was 39,000 square feet, that featured 12-inch models of each living space and character.
The film basically was created from scratch and had over 200 artists in hour-long shifts at LAIKA studios creating Coraline’s world and characters. LAIKA uploaded an interactive map of the studio reveals the massive two-story-high set to introduce viewers to its peculiar world.
Along with this, the animators created features like hand-painted textures, realistic facial expressions, voluminous fur, and real glass eyes, the animators applied a range of textiles and fabric to the dolls, creating materials that authentically simulated velvet, tweed, corduroy, ect. Lighting and digital effects were then added to the fantastical sets, amplifying the action and emotion with each scene.
The Characters
The main protagonist of the film is Coraline, voiced by Dakota Fanning. Coraline is a young adventurous girl, who finds herself and her family’s world to be a bit too gray and boring. She discovers an alternate world and meets its inhabitants, including a mysterious neighbor named Wybie, voiced by Robert Bailey jr, who helps her throughout her journey.
The cast also includes several other characters like the Other Mother played by Teri Hatcher, and Coraline’s parents, Ms.Spencer, voiced by Dawn French, and Mr.Spencer, voiced by Ian McShane.
Coraline received critical acclaim upon its initial release and was chosen by the National Board of Review as the best film of 2009. The stop motion visuals of Coraline are nothing short of spectacular, and the film stands out as a work of art. It captures a magical yet haunting story with it’s dark themes, stunning visuals and thought-provoking lessons. It’s a work of art that brilliantly captures the novella’s important themes and fascinating visual world.