Mis-En-Scene : Coraline

 

    In class, we started to learn about mis-en-scene, and were given an assignment to discuss the mis-en-scene in any movie of our choice... I picked Coraline- that children's stop motion scary movie that gave everyone a temporary fear (or obsession with) buttons at one point. Coraline perfectly matches this season, as well- which of course I'll mention when I get to certain scenes and points I want to make!! Overall, it's one of my favorite movies- and it felt appropriate to talk about, because, not only is it the perfect fall film, it's also stop motion- which means absolutely everything in the frame is intentional- there are no accidental props or sounds, and everything is geared towards matching the story and the vibe of the overall film.

    From the very beginning, Coraline gives us a very distinctly eerie, mysterious vibe. The opening scene to Coraline gives you the entire plot of the movie if you look closely enough- but the main things contributing to the mystery are the visuals and the sound. The opening scene features music written directly for Coraline, with gibberish instead of words for lyrics, in tandem with the sounds of dollmaking... With embalming tools. Of course, the main audience for the film (children) are very unlikely to know that embalming tools are being used to make this Coraline-esque doll, but to any adults watching, and even to the children due to the unkindly shape of the tools and the dollmaker's hands, it is made abundantly clear that we probably should not trust whoever is making the doll.

    After the opening scene, we are shown our setting for the film- the Pink Palace, the complex where Coraline's family has just moved. We know Coraline has just moved there due to the big moving van outside, along with the furniture being brought into the house- Coraline is not from the area. But we don't need a moving van to tell us that- Coraline's color palette directly contrasts with that of the Pink Palace- the Palace is, well, pink- a dull one- and Coraline's hair is a bright blue, while her signature raincoat is a bright yellow. The foggy forest around the Pink Palace adds to the mysterious tone throughout the film, as well, secluding it from everywhere else- the Pink Palace feels like it's own world- the sprawling staircases, several floors, and many rooms- Coraline gets to explore these areas throughout the film, but they are only ever a part of the Pink Palace... and the Other World.

        Speaking of the Other World, the scene where Coraline enters it for the first time is extremely memorable- most likely on purpose. Once again, bright colors directly contrast with the dull ones of the real world- the tunnel in which Coraline must crawl through is painted in bright, glowing blues and purples- mysterious, alluring, captivating. Compared to the real world, the Other World just seems... better. While both the audience and Coraline know something is off, both are so enamored with it and how different it is from the real world that everyone is looking forward to seeing this tunnel behind the little door again, so that we can all see the more "fun" Other World. The tunnel is soft and it appears flexible, maybe spongy. This can be seen as the tunnel being comforting- a way to lure you in because you like it, or it can also be seen as crawling through the belly of the beast... which is gross, but a more accurate representation of what is really going on.

    

    When the audience meets the Other Mother during the dinner scene, they likely cannot help but to feel amazed, similar to Coraline. The creators of the film put a great amount of care into how they introduced the Other Mother, making sure they framed her as methodical and put together, when compared to the real mother. Her hair is neat and tidy, the dinners are extravagant, her nails are painted and her lips rouged. Food is piled high on the table, creating a sense of abundance that is absent everywhere else in the film- in the real world, the house is empty, likely because they just moved in, but also to show how boring and lacking the real world is (and Coraline's parents as people, too). This is not the case in the Other Mother's world, however- and it shows Coraline all she can have, as well as drawing the audience in.

    Of course, all good things must come to an end. At the end of the movie, all the eerie mystery built up bursts with the reveal of the Other Mother's true form (the Beldam) and her real intentions with Coraline. The audience watches her shift and grow from the small form of the Other Mother to the Beldam- the colors change from comforting, enticing warm tones to sickly greens that scream DANGER. Her figure resembles that of a spider, and so does the house- the decor changing to bugs, and the walls take on spiderweb patterns. Her hands are also familiar- the ones from the opening scene of the movie. Her having spider motifs represent the idea of a web of lies- the one the Beldam strung together in order to impress Coraline, lure her into, and keep her stuck in to feed. This is also strengthened by Coraline's association with dragonflies, from her hairpin to the paper ones above her bed- Coraline is the Beldam's prey.