Top 10 Coraline Moments

Parents can be such a drag! Not only did Coraline’s parents move the family out to the sleepy little city of Ashland, Oregon, but they can’t even be bothered to make their apartment feel like a real home! All they seem to do is work in their drab house and grumble at her to stay out of trouble. So when she wakes up one night and discovers another world where their house is full of color, food is home-cooked, and with happy parents who just want to make things nice for her, her nervousness quickly gives way to delight. Hey, so what if they have buttons for eyes; no one’s perfect, right?

Everyone in the Other world is a little different, but the doubles all seem to be (in Coraline’s opinion, at least) an improvement on the originals. When she finds the black cat who lives around her house, she assumes he is another double – but he is quick to assure her he is not. He can go back and forth between worlds as he likes, despite the Other Mother’s attempts to keep him out. He tries to warn Coraline that Other Mother isn’t that great, but Coraline is still too starry-eyed to care. Regardless, it’s not every time that you meet a talking cat, let alone one with so much to say!

A character who does not appear in the original Neil Gaiman novel, Wyborn Lovat does not make the greatest first impression. Upon introducing himself to Coraline, the socially awkward pre-teen puts his foot in his mouth right away by first getting Coraline’s name wrong, and then making a casually insulting comment by insinuating that she is a boring person who will have a boring life. As Coraline is all about exploration and adventure, being called uninteresting is pretty much the worst. He may not have tact, but it’s clear from the start that just like Coraline herself he’s unique and independent, which is what eventually brings them together as friends.

When Other Mother reveals the cost of staying in the Other World, Coraline wants to go home, but finding all the exits blocked she seeks out the feline for more advice, and soon earns herself a VERY creepy time-out. While trapped in a room behind a mirror, she encounters the ghosts of three other children, all from different generations, who in life also encountered the Other Mother and were lured away to her world. Sadly, they made the mistake of letting her sew buttons onto their eyes, and thus were trapped. The character design is incredible - and the moment unforgettably eerie - as the sad lost souls implore Coraline to help them and save herself from their fate.

After spending a boring day exploring their drab old home and meeting their weird neighbors, Coraline goes to sleep missing her friends. In the night, she is awakened by a mouse and decides to give chase. In the living room, she sees that the panel to the little bricked up door she found earlier is ajar. When she opens it, a glowing tunnel unfolds before her. More curious than scared, Coraline decides to venture inside, and discovers on the other side … her own house! Not only is it beautifully rendered, but this moment also gives a classic fairy-tale feel to this original story.

Having enjoyed her time in the Other World, Coraline is starting to feel at home in her seemingly upgraded life. Having fun with cool neighbors and eating delicious meals beats just about everything at the dilapidated Pink Palace. It’s then that the Other Mother and Father tell her that she really could stay forever… IF she lets buttons be sewn into her eyes. The horrific offer instantly sends up red flags, and Coraline, much like the audience, is horrified. From the introduction of the Other parents, you’re bracing yourself for a dark reveal, but even so… this moment was shocking!

The original Miss Spink and Miss Forcible are eccentric old ladies with more stuffed dogs than marbles - their stage careers are far behind the doddering old gals whether they acknowledge it or not. But on a trip other world, Coraline finds a note from her Other Mother explaining the ladies have something to show her. She finds their apartment transformed into a huge theater with hundreds of dogs in attendance, and a show is about to begin. The button-eyed old ladies put on a racy and comical performance, competing for the spotlight, before transforming into their younger, beautiful selves, incorporating Coraline into their act in a death-defying finale. What a show it was!

When she first encounters the Other Mother, Coraline is justifiably shocked, however she is put further at ease after she is asked to get her Other Father for dinner. She finds him in his study where he offers to play a song for her. When she tells him that her dad can’t play piano, the mellow and friendly doppelgänger assures her that it’s the piano that will play him. What follows is a catchy, upbeat tune about how great Coraline is, and the little girl (like the audience) can’t help but be charmed. If only things could have stayed so cheery!

On her second trip to the Other world, Coraline’s Other Mother tells her to look for her Other Father out in the garden. Outside, she finds a colorful, magical garden blossoming before her eyes while her Other Father tends the glowing flowers on a tractor shaped like a praying mantis. Together, they fly high above so that Coraline can see that she was the inspiration for the design, further demonstrating that everything in this world is all about her. The scene showcases some of the most beautiful animation in the film, and, with its jaunty jazz soundtrack, comes together as perfectly as the clever landscaping.





Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions.



Exploring



Finding the Marble "Eyes"



The Mouse Circus

Having discovered the true nature of the Other Mother, better referred to as the Beldam, and the eyes of the ghost children, Coraline just wants to go home and stay with her real parents. Of course, the Beldam isn’t going to let go, even if Coraline wins their “game.” Knowing this, Coraline tricks the Other Mother into unlocking the passage out before weaponizing the cat (sorry, wuss puss!) who claws out her eyes as Coraline races to escape. Of course, like any good villain, the Beldam makes one last attempt, but thankfully, in the real world, Coraline has got a friend to help.