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13 details and mistakes you probably missed in 'Coraline'

Erin Ajello   

13 details and mistakes you probably missed in 'Coraline'
"Coraline" premiered in 2009.Laika

Wybie is introduced with his eyes covered, foreshadowing his place in the Other World.

Wybie is introduced with his eyes covered, foreshadowing his place in the Other World.
Wybie's mask resembles his covered face in the Other World.      Laika

When Coraline meets Wybie in the real world, he's wearing a mask that mirrors Other Wybie, who completely covers his sewn-up face.

Wybie cured Coraline's poison-oak rash.

Wybie cured Coraline
The mud from Coraline's handshake with Wybie cured her rash.      Laika

Eagle-eyed viewers may notice that the mud on Wybie's hand during his handshake with Coraline cures her poison-oak rash.

Later, in the Other World, Other Mother puts mud on Coraline's left hand and says it's great for healing rashes.

When she woke up with two healthy hands, she realized the parallel universe wasn't just a dream.

The picture of Coraline's friends changes when she picks it up.

The picture of Coraline
Coraline's name is spelled two different ways in the same photo.      Laika

In a picture from Coraline's friends, a theater marquee spells her name out with a "3" instead of an "E."

Within seconds, the "E" is suddenly normal, but the "I" has become a "1."

The wires holding Coraline's notebook and pen are visible in one shot.

The wires holding Coraline
Wires connecting to Coraline's notebook and pen can be seen for a frame.      Laika

When Coraline drops her notebook and pen before discovering the Other World, wires attached to both items become visible.

The wires are likely moving the stop-animation props, and they disappear in the next frame.

Coraline's father and Other Father are introduced in identical ways.

Coraline
Coraline's real father and Other Father have the same introduction.      Laika

When Coraline's father and Other Father are introduced, they turn to greet her, turn away, and turn back when she continues to interrupt them.

The only difference between their introductions is that Coraline's real father is on a computer and Other Father is playing the piano.

There are portraits of the three ghost children in the dining room.

There are portraits of the three ghost children in the dining room.
The three ghosts that greet Coraline appear as portraits in Other Mother's house      Laika

Three ghost children greet Coraline in the Other World and warn her about falling into Other Mother's trap.

These ghosts seem to match up with the three portraits in Other Mother's dining room.

The neck joint of Other Father's puppet is visible for a frame.

The neck joint of Other Father
You can see Other Father's neck joint for a frame.      Laika

The characters in the stop-animation film are puppets, and when Coraline tells Other Father that dinner is ready, he lifts his hands up, exposing the joint that attaches his neck to his body.

Other Mother almost never eats, and she might be starving Other Father.

Other Mother almost never eats, and she might be starving Other Father.
Other Mother is only seen eating beetles throughout the movie.      Laika

Other Father eats massive meals but always seems to complain about being hungry.

It's implied that Other Mother — who's only ever seen eating beetles — only feeds him when Coraline is there to make the Other World seem more appealing.

Miss Spink and Miss Forcible make references to Shakespeare in both worlds.

Miss Spink and Miss Forcible make references to Shakespeare in both worlds.
Miss Spink and Miss Forcible are characters in both worlds.      Laika

Miss Spink and Miss Forcible have a poster in their house that says "Julius Sees Her" referencing Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." There's also a "King Leer" poster, which is a play on the Bard's "King Lear."

Other Miss Spink and Other Miss Forcible also perform a trapeze act while quoting Shakespeare's "Hamlet."

Other Mother lies about Coraline being able to choose her button-eye color.

Other Mother lies about Coraline being able to choose her button-eye color.
Other Mother lies about how fun button eyes can be.      Laika

Other Mother tries to make button eyes sound fun by saying Coraline can wear them in any color.

But this actually seems to be a lie to win Coraline over because every character has black button eyes.

Other Wybie wore a mask made of an oven mitt to cover his face.

Other Wybie wore a mask made of an oven mitt to cover his face.
The mask that Other Wybie wears can be seen as an oven mitt in Other Mother's kitchen.      Laika

Other Wybie covers his sewn-up face and button eyes with a mask that looks like a chicken.

It appears to be made out of the chicken oven mitts hanging in Other Mother's kitchen.

Other Mother's insect-like form is foreshadowed in both worlds.

Other Mother
Windows and doors throughout the movie resemble Other Mother's final form.      Laika

Doors and windows in the real world have subtle, bug-shaped designs throughout the film.

Other Mother later morphs into a creature that's shaped very similarly to those bugs.

A clip showing the animation process with the portal appears after the credits.

A clip showing the animation process with the portal appears after the credits.
A post-credit scene gives insight into how the animation was made.      Laika

A post-credit scene shows how clay mice were filmed in the portal between worlds.

The mice and other props were manipulated slowly to produce the spinning, stop-motion effect in "Coraline."

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