“Coraline, ParaNorman, Boxtrolls score $1 million at Box Office.” Image from Variety, Photo by Terry Flores.

The movie “Coraline” directed by Henry Selick is by far the most disturbing children’s movie in a psychological sense. The movie is based on the novella by Neil Gaiman, and involves numerous plot points and dark theories a first-time watcher might miss. 

“Coraline” is about an 11 year-old girl from Michigan who moves to the Pink Palace Apartments in Southern Oregon. From the start of the film, we can tell that Coraline’s parents neglect her when all she wants is some attention so she can cope with the move. One day, she is gifted a doll that looks exactly like her by her neighbor Wybie Lovat. The doll seems to have a mind of its own and it leads her to a tiny door in the apartment. The door is blocked off by bricks, but later that night, a mouse leads Coraline back to the door and it magically opens to a tunnel. She passes through the tunnel and is brought into a world that looks exactly like the Pink Palace where there are copies of all of its occupants. But something is off. Everyone has button eyes. Coraline is greeted by her “other mother,” also known as the Beldam, who makes her believe that her world is better than Coraline’s.

Coraline visits the world every night and becomes acquainted with all of her “other neighbors.” But when she is back in the real world, her real neighbors unintentionally give her warning signs that the other world is evil, even though they don’t know it exists. One night when Coraline goes to the other world, the “other mother” tells her that she can stay forever if she allows the Beldam to sew buttons in her eyes. Knowing this is a trap, Coraline refuses. In retaliation, the Beldam snatches Coraline’s real parents and Coraline is forced to play her wicked games both to get her parents back and to save the souls of previous victims. 

The film takes a lot of dark turns and there are countless disturbing interpretations of its events.  

1. The “Other Mother” Trapped Coraline In the Other World Forever

Since Coraline never goes back home through the door/portal of the “other world” and is only brought back to the real world by sleeping, a favorite fan theory is that the Beldam uses her power to recreate Coraline’s world with buttonless people. This is because there isn’t any proof of a way for Coraline to “teleport” back to her own world, and the other mother definitely doesn’t risk being caught bringing Coraline back to reality. 

2. The Black Cat in the Movie Is the Beldam’s Child.

Throughout the film there is a black cat who travels through both worlds as he pleases. He can talk, but only in the “other world.” After Coraline refuses to get buttons sewed in her eyes, the cat becomes an ally who helps her defeat the Beldam. But the question is: How can he do that? This somewhat proves that he is the Beldam’s son, because in Coraline’s apartment there is a painting of a sad boy with large blue eyes. The cat’s eyes are identical to the eyes of the boy in the painting. Also, the cat seems very old and knows of the souls that the Beldam ate over a century ago. Fans speculate that the Beldam used her powers to transform her son into a cat for eternity.

3. Everything is Sand/Dust

The Beldam’s world is a direct copy of the Pink Palace property. But how did she create this underground portal? Well, towards the climax of the movie the black cat attacks and eats a mouse. But as soon as he bites into it, sand comes gushing out of his mouth and the mouse turns into a dead rat. Another example is when the Wybie from the “other world” begins to rot away because of the Beldam. He blows on his hand and it turns into dust. This might be an obvious fact, but Coraline eats multiple meals and snacks when she visits the “other world”; therefore, a legitimate theory is that the “other mother” is trying to fill Coraline up with sand/dust to stuff her like a doll. That way, killing and eating her won’t be as harsh.

4. The Instruments/Doll in the Beginning Credits 

At the very beginning of the film, viewers see a doll the Bedlam stole that looks just like Wybie’s Grandma’s sister. The Beldam begins to disassemble the doll, re-stuffing it with nasty dust, then sews it to look identical to Coraline. But several of the tools the Beldam has in her stash aren’t typical sewing tools, but rather old medical instruments like syringes, extra sharp scissors, and other tools that an old surgeon might use. This suggests that the Beldam doesn’t just stuff and sew dolls, but also uses those instruments to disassemble her child victims and turn their remains into dolls after she eats them.

5. The Old Well Might Be a Portal to the Other World

During the final battle of the movie when Coraline and Wybie manage to defeat the Beldam, they throw her remains in the old well. The well is very deep and it takes several seconds for the Beldam to hit bottom. But something about the well’s appearance is off. Around its top is a circle of mushrooms. This typically represents a fairy ring, which is a folklore portal that allows travel between worlds. This makes the viewer wonder if Coraline and Wybie have made a mistake since if the ring is a portal, they just sent the Beldam back to her world where she can regenerate and come back stronger.

“Coraline” is a wonderful movie that illustrates many themes, including the idea that everything is not always as it seems, and that there can be positive and negative consequences to any encounter. Even so, the film should be rated PG because it is not for young children. I first saw “Coraline” when I was 7 years old and it traumatized me to the point I couldn’t watch it again until I was 11. Now it is my all-time favorite movie. Have you seen “Coraline”? If so, how did you feel about it? Leave a comment!