Coraline podcast - 2023

The Fears and Fantasy Podcast discusses the film Coraline, a fantasy horror movie directed by Henry Selick. The film blends fantasy and horror elements to create a captivating and eerie narrative. The podcast explores two scenes that showcase this unique blend. The first scene involves Coraline discovering a secret door to a parallel world, while the second scene focuses on the other mother's transformation. The use of music, colors, camera angles, and visual elements effectively create a sense of suspense and fear. The podcast concludes by praising Coraline as an exciting and intriguing film. Hello, and welcome to the Fears and Fantasy Podcast. I'm your host Imogen and joining alongside me is my very special guest, Henry Selick, the director of today's film. Today we're diving into the captivating world of the fantasy horror genre with an analysis of the film Coraline. Coraline is a 2009 stop-motion animated masterpiece directed by Henry Selick and based on Neil Gaiman's novels. There are two main characters, 11-year-old Coraline, the protagonist, and the other mother, the antagonist. Coraline hates her house and mundane life and feels neglected by her parents. Coraline blends conventions of both fantasy and horror genres to create a fascinating but eerie narrative. Henry Selick does this through his use of imaginative settings and fictional parallel universe, while also incorporating suspense and fear. Our exploration will focus on two scenes that display the unique blend of fantasy and horror. They take us on a journey into a parallel world where fantasy and horror intermingle, creating an unforgettable experience for all. Our first scene unfolds as Coraline gets woken out of bed and chases a mouse to a secret door that leads to the other world. We are immediately drawn into a realm beyond the ordinary, a world that mirrors her reality but offers twisted versions of the people she knows. The button-eyed duplicates and their weird behaviors evoke a sense of dread, challenging Coraline's initial fascination with this seemingly enchanting world. Henry, maybe you could explain how you use different techniques to bring this genre to life? Thanks Imogen, I'd love to. Here we use a combination of musical instruments to promote a fantasy world. Dynamics were important as the scene progressed. As Coraline first opens the door, soft delicate tones are played. Then the music becomes more intense and louder as Coraline crawls through the portal, which emphasizes the importance of this moment. The eerie musical score with dissonant chords set the stage for the horror to come. Colors also play a privative role. The muted palette of the real world signifies how mundane and boring Coraline feels her world is. However, as she crawls through the other world, warm light and vibrant purples and blues appear. Portraying fantasy and magic, the contrasting colors highlight the transition into the other world. As Coraline approaches the door, the camera employs a slow sweeping pan, emphasizing her curiosity and uncertainty. The moment Coraline steps out of the tunnel, the camera transitions from a conventional perspective to a dynamic, slightly distorted angle, which symbolizes change from reality to fantasy. Close-up shots of Coraline capture her fascination, allowing viewers to share her experience. The camera then follows her as she explores the new environment, using tracking shots and gentle zooms to draw the audience into the other world alongside Coraline, while suddenly foreshadowing the impending horror that lies ahead. Wow! Why did you use buttons for eyes? The eyes are the window to the soul, so I felt that taking the eyes away and replacing them with buttons symbolized the loss of individuality and that the other mother saw Coraline herself as a doll. That all sounds amazing. Let's talk about our second scene, the other mother's transformation. Sound is a significant element in this scene, creating an unsettling auditory experience, heightening the tension. The music begins quietly in high pitch and then the dynamics become rigid with eerie low deep tones, gradually building the tension and loudness as the transformation unfolds. The music dissonant chords intensifies the horror and suspense of the moment. Visual elements are closely tied to create fear and tension. We deliberately use purple and red at the beginning of the scene. Purple for mystery and red to portray evil and danger. As the other mother angles, the colors quickly shift and become monochromatic with the dominant use of grays, blacks and shadows to symbolize the shift from comfort to the reality of danger. Camera angles were also integral to the way the scene worked. Low angle shots were used to show the power and intimidation of the other mother that she had over Coraline, especially during her transformation. Close-up shots are used to focus on special details of the other mother's transformation. Emphasizing the disgusting nature of the transformation creates extreme unease in the viewer. Thank you so much Henry, you have showed us that Coraline truly is a fantasy horror movie and exactly how that was achieved. Well that wraps up today's episode of Fears and Fantasies. We hope you enjoyed our exploration of fantasy horror genre in Coraline. It was certainly an exciting and intriguing film and I would definitely watch it again. I give it a rating of five stars. Join me next time as I delve into another cinematic masterpiece, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Until then, stay curious and remember, sometimes the most captivating stories are the ones that haunt our dreams.