Top 20 Best Hidden Details in Coraline
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best references, design details, and hidden gems that you’ll need keen eyes to spot in this movie. What “Coraline” theory do you feel crazy for believing? Let us know in the comments below!
#20: The Stain
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If you’ve seen any of “Coraline’s” deleted scenes, you’ll know about this one. In the finished product, there’s a moment at the end of the film where Coraline’s dad is doing dad things and trying to make his daughter laugh. During that scene, there happens to be a red stain on his shirt which, sans context, feels like maybe it’s a callback to the lunch suggestion for ketchup-mustard-salsa wraps. But, this scene comes after Coraline’s mom says they’re going out to celebrate, so we can assume it’s probably from dinner. The deleted scene reveals that it’s definitely from dinner.
#19: All the Shakespeare References
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Thanks to TikTok user @belledevelle, we get some more insight into all the allusions to Shakespeare works. There are the obvious nods, like Miss Spink and Miss Forcible putting on spoofs of some of the famous author’s plays. But, there are also some harder-to-spot references. For instance, some of the taxidermy dogs have connections to Macbeth. In short, Hamish, Angus, and Jock are all names that come up in relation to Macbeth in one way or another. If you want to know more, check out @belledevelle’s video. The importance of this connection comes at the end of Macbeth, where a severed head is concerned. In Coraline, as we know, there’s also a severed limb: the Beldam’s hand. When each severed limb is sent off in both stories, it signifies defeat.
#18: The Soundtrack
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If you thought the iconic opening song in “Coraline” was sung in French or some other romantic language, you wouldn’t be alone. It’s eerie in this foreign sort of way and, turns out, that’s because it’s pure gibberish! This was done on purpose to give viewers a sense of unease and like things don’t make sense… because they don’t! Interestingly, the song does have an English title at least, and it’s called “Dreaming”. There are a few different voices on the track, including composer and lyricist Bruno Coulais’. Better still is the voice of Teri Hatcher who, you guessed it, plays Coraline’s real mom, Mel, and her Other Mother. Throughout the movie, the Other Mother can also be heard humming the song to herself.
#17: Gardening
The garden in this movie has been talked about a lot in terms of symbolism and what it represents for Coraline as well as for the Beldam. There are interesting parallels between her real parents simply writing about gardening versus her Other parents being more hands-on with the hobby. It serves to further the illusion that the Other World is more appealing… At least, before we get a closer look at what’s growing in the garden. Someone working on this film must have been given the task of looking into floriography and plant properties in general, because many of the ones featured in the Other world are harmful or hallucinogenic. For instance, trumpet vines can cause contact dermatitis, pitcher plants are prey-trapping, and snapdragons have been known to symbolize deception.
#16: Nods to Creators & Creations
It’s not unusual for animators to sometimes feature themselves or friends in their works. In the case of “Coraline” the Ranft brothers, Joe and Jerome, show up as movers. The two had previously worked with director Henry Selick on some other stop-motion endeavors, so it’s unsurprising to see them make a cameo. Speaking of Henry Selick, he actually shows up just moments later on the dollar bill handed to one of the movers. But, it doesn’t stop there. Coraline’s Other Father wears monkey slippers, which is likely a nod to “Monkeybone” another movie directed by Selwick. It gets a call-out too! Last but not least, there’s a cute little spray-painted note on the back of the movers’ truck that reads “stop-mo rulz” – as in, “stop-motion rules”. Is the love they have for their craft obvious yet?
#15: The Ring
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Suffice to say, there’s a lot of foreshadowing in this movie. And a lot of things hiding in plain sight. For instance, the eyes of the ghost children. During the first trapeze act with the other Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, the latter can be seen wearing the ring with the pearl. It’s even more noticeable when Coraline is pulled into the act. Later, she finds the ring just where it was left: between the intertwined fingers of the performers. This also goes for the ball with the star on it that was part of the circus mice’s performance.
#14: Bobinsky’s Medal
This is a fairly known tidbit if you’re as big a fan of the movie as we are. The theory goes that Mr. Bobinsky helped out in the cleanup of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. And we’re not just basing this on his accent. He has a medal that looks distinctly like the ones that were awarded uniquely to the liquidators of the disaster. The drop of blood at the center with the three lines, which each represent a type of radiation, makes the medal unmistakeable. It might also explain the odd coloration of Bobinsky’s skin. Lesser known is that the sign indicating where Bobinsky lives resembles the style of the constructivist art movement, a movement that, you guessed it, evmerged in Russia.
#13: Food
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Food is, presumably, a big reason why Coraline continues to return to the Other World. At least, it’s the reason we’d keep going! Mango milkshake, anyone? But there are definitely some peculiarities with the food. For instance, the Other Mother never eats. In every meal scene, her plate is empty which, as keen-eyed fans have pointed out, is a nice bit of foreshadowing for the kind of food she does eat. The Other Father also has some peculiar eating habits, particularly that his plate is always overflowing. As TikTok user @belledevelle points out, this is likely because the Beldam has no use for him when Coraline’s not around, so he probably doesn’t know when he’ll get his next meal. It also begs the question: just what is the food made of?
#12: The Significance of the Wallpaper in the Sewing Room
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There are few different interpretations floating around online about this, and it all boils down to the birds people think are depicted in the wallpaper. While we can’t say for sure without the studio or creators’ confirmation, TikTok user @dinosaur_quill believes we’re witnessing a bird of prey eat or murder another bird – possibly a mourning dove. This theme of death fits quite neatly in line with the story and, as @belledevelle said, there’s also chrysanthemums on the wallpaper. In Europe, the chrysanthemum is a flower that has historically been associated with death. Heavy stuff for being barely a minute into the movie but we’d expect nothing less.
#11: Extra Thread/Pin Cushions
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So we know that the very first doll we see is the last victim of the Beldam: Wybie’s grandma’s missing sister. But, there are also a few other familiar faces we can spot during the opening scene. While the Beldam is repurposing the doll for Coraline, in the bottom left corner there appears to be three pin cushions or perhaps some leftover thread from a previous project. We’re going to credit @belledevelle again with spotting these. The most obvious seems to be Miss Spink at the far left, with the bright pink hair. Next to her could possibly be Wybie’s grandmother and, to the right of her, is the clearest of the doll cushions who looks a lot like Miss Forcible. What does it all mean!?
#10: The Picture Frames
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Once again, @belledevelle coming in clutch with the observations. In two TikToks, the user notices how there aren’t a lot of picture frames hung up in the new house. In fact, dust marks point to frames that look like they were recently taken down. Meanwhile, in the Other World, there are tons of pictures on the walls that give the home a cozier, lived-in feel. Well, maybe it feels cozier because every picture is of something we’ve seen before. If it’s not the house, then it’s other recognizable locations such as Miss Spink and Forcible’s apartment. There’s also a photo that looks quite a lot like the clothes shop Coraline and her mom visit. Could this mean the red haired lady standing outside is the Beldam spying? She did get Coraline new clothes.
#9: 011794
You honestly have to watch this movie frame by frame to catch everything. On the stove of the kitchen in the real world, there is a series of numbers. To the left is an analogue clock, and to the right, if you squint, are the numbers 011794. While this very well could be the date – January 17th, 1994 – some fans have also theorized that this is the color code for Coraline’s hair. Another fun numbers-related easter egg is the address of the Pink Palace. Turns out, it was at one point the address of Laika Studios, where “Coraline” was made!
#8: The Sewing Tools
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There are a few different posts online pointing this one out. Anyone working in the medical field or who has worked with sewing tools before might recognize that those used in the opening scene aren’t sewing tools at all! Aside from the scissors and seam rippers, there’s a somewhat unconventional selection. Reddit users have pointed out that some look like lobotomy tools, while @belledevelle says they resemble 18th century embalming tools. Either way, it seems right on brand for this odd surgical-like procedure. Also, anyone else notice the spider webs covering everything?
#7: The Well
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This is a relatively popular fan theory but one SO worth exploring. When we first meet Wybie, he has this to say: “Supposed to be so deep if you fell to the bottom and looked up, you'd see a sky full of stars in the middle of the day.” Where do we know that always has a sky full of stars? The idea is that the well acts as a portal to the Other World. Which also means that, at the end, Coraline and Wybie would have returned the Beldam both her hand and the key. There are also some subtler hints to prove this, like the fact that the sweater the Beldam gets for Coraline looks like a sky full of stars. Isn’t it also interesting that, when the doll of Wybie’s grandmother’s sister floats in through the window, it floats down, whereas the doll of Coraline floats away upwards?
#6: The Double Loop on the Cake
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If you know any interesting tidbits about “Coraline” this is probably one of them. According to graphology – which is the practice of determining character traits through a person’s handwriting – the letter “o” is most associated with lying. A loop on the inside of the “o” is said to designate deception, but the double loop is even more telling. It’s been said that many pathological liars double-loop their “o”s and, what’s that on Coraline’s welcome cake? The foreshadowing comes early on in this movie and anyone well-versed in graphology might have guessed the Other Mother was lying – not just about Coraline being “home”, but about pretty much everything.
#5: The Portraits
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It seems every frame hung up in the Other house showcases something the Beldam is familiar with. Well, we’ve also got the ghost kids. On the wall behind where Coraline normally sits are three silhouetted pictures in a frame. They look distinctly young and there appears to be two girls and one boy. Remind you of anyone? Another little detail has also been cleverly pointed out once again by TikTok user @belledevelle: the tunnel Coraline uses to escape from the Beldam is filled with children’s clothes. There are shoes, one of which may have potentially belonged to Wybie’s grandmother’s sister. A straw hat, not unlike the one worn by the other ghost girl is also visible.
#4: The Mirroring Between Both Worlds
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The idea of your world but better is what the Beldam goes for. Rooms are a big one. The framing of the scenes are kept as close as possible; like when Coraline enters her father’s study. See the stacked boxes in the back of the room? Those become picture frames in the Other World, but are positioned in a way that creates the same shape. Not to mention, her dad’s sitting the exact same way. Then, there’s Mr. Bobinsky’s apartment. See how the lamp beneath the sheet works to create a similar effect to the circus tent? There’s also the fact that Coraline’s real mom wears a neck brace, and her Other Mother has swapped that in for a turtleneck, presumably, as @belledevelle points out, to make herself feel more familiar to Coraline.
#3: Hand Imagery
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There’s a lot of significant imagery in this movie, and that includes some covert hand symbols hidden in the animation. The Beldam’s hand made of needles is obviously a recurring one. We see it at the very beginning as it makes the Coraline doll and it comes around again at the end when it’s severed from the Beldam’s body. But there are some more subtle instances too. We see it in the tea leaves, in parting clouds, and in a lightning strike. There’s also this mirroring of hand-tapping. Heebie-jeebies for daaaays.
#2: The Other Father’s Song
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Aside from being a whole bop, this song is also incredibly on the nose. It’s loaded with references from lyrics like “she’s as cute as a BUTTON in the EYES…” and “She’s a peach, she’s a DOLL, she’s a pal of mine”. More than that, it seems like the Other Father was actually trying to warn Coraline about the Beldam’s spying when he sings:“Our eyes will be on Coraline”. This also ultimately foreshadows the father’s status as an ally and his sacrifice to help Coraline in the end. Plus, we can’t help thinking it mirrors this in some way: . And that was far from being the only allusion to witchcraft in relation to our protagonist. The green stone has reminded some of an adder stone, too!
#1: All the Bug Imagery
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Buckle in, folks. If you thought hands were everywhere, get ready to see bugs in places you didn’t know bugs could be. We’ll start with the one that’s the most well-known. On the wallpaper where the small door is, there are what look like little beetles among the plants. There’s also the mantis tractor the other father rides,the dragonfly pin in Coraline’s hair, her mantis picture frame holder, and the windows in the room with the snowglobes, which look a bit like beetles. Also not lost on us is the fact that the Jones family drives a Volkswagen Beetle! Anyone know about the relationship between beetles and spiders?
