“Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared. Being brave means you are scared, really scared, badly scared and you do the right thing anyway,” said Neil Gaiman, the writer of Coraline, a British dark fantasy novel which was later turned into a movie. Coraline is a film based on a girl who discovers a secret door to an alternative universe that is like her own in many ways, but she finds this world better. She is happy with this new place until her other family tries to keep her in their world forever, and Coraline has to find a way back to her real family. This movie was released in 2009 and recently celebrated its 15 year anniversary. Many people recognize Coraline as a fall or Halloween movie because of its grim and mysterious feel. Still, the main message of the film is home and appreciating what one has while one has it.
Coraline is an eleven-year-old girl who feels neglected by her parents and just moved into a new house thinking that her new life would be boring, but little does she know that on the other side of the door, there’s a whole different world waiting for her. She feels loved by her other family and likes how it feels but soon realizes not everything is as it seems. Other mother wants to keep Coraline in her universe forever and wants to sew two buttons into her eyes. Coraline has to find a way out of this world and back into her own, and she eventually does with the help of friends she made on the way. Since it came out in 2009, most teenagers have watched it, and for some, it’s an amazing childhood memory that brings them joy when rewatching.
Just a few months ago it was the anniversary of the film, and people from all around the world spent thousands of dollars to get props from the real movie. From dolls and action figures, to masks and painted heads, people are buying everything available. Gaiman published his book in 2002. It was made to be a children’s book, but many older kids found interest in the novel. When making it into a movie, many people questioned it because they thought it would be “too scary” for children, but the directors still decided to move on with production. The film took four years to make with over 500 people involved. It was a very intricate process with many challenges.
Coraline is a movie that many people can see themselves in because she wanted more than she had and took it for granted. In the end, she realized that her family was enough, and they loved her even if they didn’t show it. Coraline taught a lot of young kids the importance of loving what they have and not taking it for granted because if people go out looking for something better, they might not be able to get what they had back. In her case, she almost got trapped in a world away from her real life, but she found her way back and was able to realize she loved her family for who they really are and not who she wanted them to be.
