A ‘Coraline’ Retrospective: Fifteen Years of the Stop-Motion Standard

Following fifteen years of dedicated fandom and endless gushing love, Coraline has returned to theaters in both standard fashion and overhauled 3D! I had the opportunity to catch a screening of the latter; not only was the film presented in a new manner for the first time in nearly two decades, but personally, it was my first time seeing it, period.

So, from the perspective of a new fan and someone who got to see the film in a very special way, Screen Vice presents a retrospective review of a special edition re-release. Try saying that five times fast… you may as well have a string tongue.

Right off the bat, the 3D specialty is made a priority. This isn’t a gimmick to draw people back in – Coraline never had to worry about drawing enough of an audience to warrant a re-release. No, the film is eerily suited to a three-dimensional version. Characters and close-ups pop right out of the screen. The creepy stuff is a thousand times creepier that way, and the sewn and threaded details are made even more impressive. Coraline just looks fantastic.

Of course, the stop-motion effects still hold up on their own merits, too. Much like more traditional practical effects of old, there’s a timeless tangibility to the whole spectacle that disallows it to age in any fashion that isn’t absolutely charming. 

Coraline is the embodiment of charming through complete uniqueness. Even compared to other stop-motion efforts, under the Laika umbrella and otherwise, this film stands alone on the grounds of a one-of-one aesthetic that invokes familiar, innocent, childish feeling whilst also scaring the daylights out of you at seemingly random intervals. It’s a Halloween movie that you can watch year-round, and you should. Buy that 4K steelbook, get a yellow raincoat, and make it a routine.

I don’t mean to get ahead of myself, but truly, the film is a landmark. It isn’t often now that something comes along and immortalizes itself in the hearts and minds of a modern audience that grows more concerned with bite-sized content by the day. Not only did Coraline entrance audiences back in 2009, but fifteen years later, my theater was packed-full of people of all ages. 

Older couples and families came back to relive old memories, and children to create new ones. Being in a full theater for a 3D showing in 2024 was enough to fire up the wayback machine, but given that the movie of choice was Coraline, the immaculate reception was hard to believe. It goes to show that folks hang on to the really good stuff when it hits, and they’ll do so forever.

Coraline is a standard all on its own. The story is sweet and digestible, yet suggestive of heavier themes. Everything is presented in an airtight package of swirling purples, blues, and greens; it’s like looking into a crystal ball, or perhaps an old snowglobe sat on the mantle. There’s very little to criticize, and what does exist in that regard isn’t even worth discussing. 

If you can, get back to the theater and experience Coraline. Whether it’s your first time or your hundredth, the film has something new to offer you. Make sure you stick around after the credits for a cute little featurette on the whole thing too. It’s a rare sort of thing to catch in theaters nowadays, and is absolutely worth the time and money to do so. Coraline is a certified classic, through and through.

The Coraline 15th anniversary re-release in now playing the cinemas.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook Instagram Twitter(X) YouTube TikTok