Woman of the Month: Coraline

Coraline from Coraline

It's the 1st of October, and you know what that means: I prep for Halloween by choosing a spooky Woman of the Month!

There are actually two Coralines in the world: the one in Neil Gaiman’s original children's book, and the other in Henry Selick’s filmic adaptation. The former is quiet and cautious, whilst the latter is out-going and a little bratty. Perhaps not un-coincidentally, the first is British and the second American. Just sayin’.

However, both are bona-fide heroines, thrown into a frankly terrifying situation with only wits and courage to see her through. You probably know the story by now: Coraline discovers a small door in her new house that leads to an enchanting parallel world filled with games and toys and delicious food, ruled over by her Other Mother. Despite the rather unnerving addition of having buttons instead of eyes, Coraline’s Other Mother is attentive and kindly, urging her “daughter” to stay in the world she’s designed especially for her.

But when things seem too good to be true, it’s because they usually are. When the situation inevitably turns nasty, Coraline has to step up and challenge the Other Mother to a contest in order to win her real parents back, ticking off a lot of my favourite fairy-tale tropes along the way.

In a story like this, a character like Coraline doesn’t really need much character development, but the film adds a subtle little arc which allows her to grow from a rather whiny child during the first half of the film, to an older and wiser pre-teen by its conclusion. The technical artistry that goes into creating her is utterly incredible; not only in her fluid movements and complexity of expression, but all the tiny details that make her a fully-formed girl: like swinging on an open door, or playing with a dowsing rod, or bracing herself when the time comes to be brave.