Book vs. Adaptation | Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Today I'm talking about another adaptation, and this time it's Neil Gaiman's Coraline - an ideal read or watch for this time of year!

Coraline was published in 2002 - if you want to read my thoughts on the book you can find my review here! - and was adapted into a stop motion film by Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, in 2009.

Unlike my previous two adaptation reviews, I watched the adaptation of Coraline before I read the book. I know. Naughty. Do I think that's been a problem? No, because I actually think the adaptation of Coraline is better than the book.

Oddly enough, this isn't the first time this has happened with an adaptation of one of Neil Gaiman's stories. I also enjoy the adaptation of Stardust more than the book - it's a bit more cheerful, and tiny bit more fun - but Neil Gaiman is still one of my favourite fantasy writers. I think the amount of his work that has been adapted is proof enough of how popular his stories are: Coraline and Stardust both have film adaptations, Neverwhere and Good Omens have both been adapted for radio, and American Gods is currently being adapted for television by the wonderful Bryan Fuller of Pushing Daisies and Hannibal fame.

Just because I prefer the film to the book doesn't mean the book is bad. Coraline is a thoroughly creepy little book - and without the book, there would be no film - but as I mentioned in my book review, Coraline feels very fairy tale-y, and not in the best way. We never learn much about the characters in our fairy tales, and while I was reading Coraline I felt as though there could have been more development. That's where Henry Selick's film steps in.

He took the story, and he just added more. Coraline has a little more character; to me she feels more like a real little girl in the adaptation than she does in the book. 

And the Other Mother's world is so much more detailed. The way in which she's taken Coraline's world and then warped it is wonderful, and it's easy to see how a creature like her could so easily creep into a child's psyche the way that she has done for many years. This film is worth watching just to admire the colours and the amount of detail that has gone into these people, from their hair down to their shoes.

I think the decision to create Coraline as a stop motion film, rather than an animation or a live action film, was the best decision that could have been made. Stop motion takes so much skill, and what I love most about stop motion is how grotesque people can be made to look. Coraline has blue hair, a huge head and a teensy little neck, if she were a real girl we'd be more than a little concerned, but as a stop motion character her appearance doesn't make us bat an eyelid.

cutie patootie

This comes in most handy, of course, for the villain, the Other Mother, brilliantly voiced by Teri Hatcher. She goes from looking almost eyedentical (hurr hurr hurr) to Coraline's real mother:

To this monstrosity:

brb having nightmares forever

I don't think the Other Mother could have been pulled off so well in either a live action or animated feature; there's something about stop motion films that adds that extra layer of oddity. They're real, but unreal. They're what Freud would call 'uncanny', and while I don't agree with a lot of Freud's theories there is something about the Uncanny that rings true.

In my opinion Coraline is one of those lucky books that's managed to land a fantastic adaptation, and whether you experience the story on page or onscreen, this time of year is the best time to introduce yourself to your Other Mother...

My Favourite Halloween Films!

Spooky season is upon us, that means it's time to cuddle up with a pumpkin latte and a cosy blanket and watch something spooky. Personally I'm a massive wuss; I've loved ghost stories since I was a little girl even though the good ones still give me the heebie jeebies, so I tend to stay away from the genuinely horrific films at Halloween. You'll never find me watching anything from the Saw franchise.

As a child who was raised on the Brothers Grimm, Tim Burton and Roald Dahl, though, there are a few films I just can't resist watching when October rolls around!

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

I watched this film religiously when I was younger, and with characters created by Tim Burton and direction from the glorious Henry Selick it's really no surprise. The great thing about this film is that it's as much a Christmas film as a Halloween film, which is perfect for someone like me who loves Christmas an extortionate amount, and it's so much fun. It has a lot of heart, too, and Jack Skellington remains probably Tim Burton's most famous creation. If you've never seen this film, what are you waiting for?

The Witches (1990)

And now for a film that scarred many of my childhood friends for life - I'm sorry to any of you who I invited home after school to watch this, because I remember it made one of my friends cry. Oops. I must have been a lot less of a wuss when I was younger than I am now because the witches in this film didn't bother me at all, though I did really hate the story of the girl who was trapped in the painting and aged and died there. This is another fun one, based on Roald Dahl's book, but unlike The Nightmare Before Christmas I wouldn't recommend watching this with any little children - they'll pee their pants.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Another film with witches, and another film I watched religiously; I can remember watching this with my sisters, which is funny considering there are three of us. Dun dun duuuuun... I'm so excited to watch Hocus Pocus this year because it's been quite a while since I last watched it, and I love it. It's funny and entertaining and such a perfect Halloween film. If you haven't watched it you're missing out on a fantastic performance from Bette Midler!

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

More Tim Burton, this time one of his many films with Johnny Depp. What would my formative years have been without these two? I would describe Sleepy Hollow as more of a gothic film than a horror film, but it's still the one film on this list I wouldn't recommend you watching with children unless said children are completely unfazed by spooky stories. It's not gratuitous in any way, but a lot of heads get lopped off throughout this film and there are a few jump scares, so younger children should probably stay away from this. I love Ichabod Crane in this movie, and Christina Ricci is a lovely Katrina van Tassel. This is a very fun film to watch with friends while you share some leftover Halloween sweets!

Coraline (2009)

Another book adaptation, and a pretty fantastic one at that! I'll be talking more about this film in a Book vs. Adaptation post this month, so look out for that. I love Coraline; it's another one of Henry Selick's films, so perhaps I was bound to love it, and the guy certainly knows how to make a good stop motion film. I'm hoping one day he might somehow realise my desire for a stop motion adaptation of We Have Always Lived in the Castle. This is another film that can be watched with children, but one that might creep some children out - the Other Mother is not a pleasant character!

I'll definitely be watching some of these this month! Which films do you like to watch as Halloween approaches?

Review | Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline

by Neil Gaiman

My Rating: 

There is something strange about Coraline's new home. It's not the mist, or the cat that always seems to be watching her, nor the signs of danger that Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, her new neighbours, read in the tea leaves. It's the other house - the one behind the old door in the drawing room. Another mother and father with black-button eyes and papery skin are waiting for Coraline to join them there. And they want her to stay with them. For ever. She knows that if she ventures through that door, she may never come back.

Neil Gaiman's one of those people who was just born to write. He's written more stories than I've had hot dinners, and many of those stories have gone on to be adapted into other mediums. I've been meaning to read Coraline for a while now, especially as I love the film adaptation so much - but how could I not when it was directed by Henry Selick, the man who also directed The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Now this could be a pretty unpopular opinion, but I'm going to start off by saying that I enjoy the film just a little bit more than I enjoyed the book, but that doesn't mean the book isn't brilliant. The film took an already amazing story and fleshed it out, not to mention I have something of a soft spot for stop motion films. Again, blame it on my eternal love for The Nightmare Before Christmas.

I love Gaiman's stories. From American Gods to Stardust to The Graveyard Book he just has this wonderful ability for creating stories you feel as though you could step into, each with that signature weirdness that no one can quite describe but is unique to him. Needless to say, Coraline is another story I love; if I'd read this as a child it would have had me sleeping with the light on for weeks, because frankly the Other Mother is probably one of Gaiman's creepiest villains.

Reading this very much reminded me of my childhood, reading fairy tales and other children's stories that began my love for speculative fiction and magical realism, but it was this fairy tale quality that also caused the biggest problem for me. Because Coraline read very much like a fairy tale, there didn't seem to be much depth to any of the characters which was a shame. Having said that, I still really, really enjoyed the story and I'm glad I finally read it. If I ever have children of my own, I'll definitely be reading this to them before they go to bed...