Our Top 5 Coraline Theories That Will Change The Way You See The Movie
This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Hannah Yarrington. Find her on Instagram at @513hny. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
After the movie Coraline was released back in 2009, based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, we get a film that takes a rather eerie approach to create a tale for children to enjoy. The story, as many of you may know, follows a young girl named Coraline who is unhappy with her life and discovers a door in her new house that whisks her away to an alternate reality with other parents, who are not what they seem. The movie, directed by Henry Selick, was designed very meticulously, with every single detail being intentional to the overall narrative. This has led many fans of the book and film to create theories that may reveal an even darker reality of the story and make it even scarier than it was before. So today, we’re going to dive into Coraline film theories and how they may change the way you have your next rewatch.
Coraline never left
This Coraline film theory is really interesting and actually makes a lot of sense after some thought. The idea goes that when Coraline first visits the other world, she goes to sleep that night in her other bed but somehow wakes up in her “real” room, leading the audience to believe the Beldam somehow infiltrated her dreams. However, when she wakes up in her regular room, there are some key details that have changed, like how some things in her room have been moved around that she never touched, and as Selick said, nothing is done unintentionally. So, people believe that Coraline actually never left the other world, and the other mother crafted it to make Coraline believe that she was free when, in reality, she never left in the first place. This would also explain why the cat disappeared at the end of the movie and why the garden is now shaped like Beldam’s face instead of being shaped like Coraline’s.
Boring blue boy
Remember the boring blue boy picture that is hanging up in Coraline’s living room and is also included in the other world? Many people have the theory that the blue boy was real and was actually the Beldam’s son. Because the other mother’s background is very ambiguous, and her motives aren’t super clear, it would make sense that she somehow lost a child in some tragic accident while perhaps living in the Pink Palace and now preys upon the children who live there to recapture what she has lost. This gives the Beldam a purpose for doing what she does, above the apparent reason that she is just a really messed up creature. But trauma often leads people to become and do horrible things, so I say that this is really plausible.
Spink and Forcible
Another intriguing theory about this movie is the role that Miss Spink and Miss Forcible play in helping Coraline beat the Beldam. Given the age of Spink and Forcible, it’s not unreasonable to venture to say that they knew about the strange disappearance of Mrs. Lovat’s sister or, given their strange witchy aesthetic, they could be even older than that. It is said that because they may not have been able to help Mrs. Lovat’s sister in the past, they try to help Coraline in another way by giving her the key to seeing the ghost children’s eyes. They definitely have to know something is up and are just playing dumb; otherwise, how in the world did they happen to create the one thing she needs? Also, make sure when you watch the movie next, take extra care to notice the many odd details included in their part of the Pink Palace.
The other portal
At the end of the movie, after Wybie and Coraline destroy the Beldam’s hand, they wrap the remnants together in Coraline’s blanket and throw it down the well along with the key to the door. Now, here’s the thing with the well. When Wybie is talking about the well earlier in the movie, he mentions that “if you fall far enough down the well, you’ll see a sky full of stars in the middle of the day.” Do you know what else has stars in the middle of the day? The other world. This leads the audience to believe that instead of throwing away the key for good, she actually just gave the Beldam the key to be able to wreak more havoc on Coraline’s life, and she never actually got a happy ending.
Grandma and Wybie
Last but not least, and probably one of the most morbid theories of all, is the reason why Coraline was even allowed in that house in the first place. It makes no sense why Coraline’s family was able to move there, especially after what happened to Mrs. Lovat’s sister, and Wybie even voiced his confusion about why Coraline was permitted in there when he himself wasn’t allowed to go in there. This Coraline film theory describes how the Beldam might have been trying to go after Wybie, and Mrs. Lovat saw the signs and wanted to protect him, not lose him, too. So she permitted another child to live there because then it would satisfy the Beldam, and she would leave Wybie alone. So, if this is true, it is honestly deplorable and horrible that she would do this to this little girl instead of maybe moving away from the Pink Palace or finding another option instead of condemning another child to be killed. But people do crazy things for the people they love.
What did you think of these Coraline film theories? What small details have you noticed within the movie? Let us know!