Coraline 2009

Coraline is a 2009 American stop-motion animated gothic dark fantasy horror film written, co-produced and directed by Henry Selick and based on the 2002 novella by Neil Gaiman. The first feature film produced by Laika Studios, it features the voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and Ian McShane. The film tells the story of a young girl (Fanning) discovering an idealized alternate universe behind a secret door in her new home, unaware that it contains something dark and sinister. As Gaiman was finishing his novella, he met Selick and invited him to make a film adaptation, as Gaiman was a fan of Selick's other stop-motion works. When Selick thought that a direct adaptation would lead to "maybe a 47-minute movie", the story was expanded. Looking for a design different from that of most animation, Selick discovered the work of Japanese illustrator Tadahiro Uesugi and invited him to become the concept artist. Uesugi's biggest influences were on the color palette, which was muted in the real world and more colorful in the alternate universe.