I watched coraline for the millionth time and i always knew that when she goes back in the other world to save her parents the beldam pretends to be her mom on the other end and when Coraline hugs she transforms back into the other mother. Now what i noticed this time is that the way the other mother looks as she pretends to be real world mom is EXACTLY how real world mom looks in the mirror and when they come back with the ice melting off 😭 this scared the hell out of me and now im comvinced that instead of staying in the other world she came back to the real world with real world dad and real world mom is trapped or dead
there's another question I have. How did the other mother know that coraline wanted the gloves? when coraline begs her mom to get her the gloves, the doll is no where in sight.
I think the doll makes it easier, but the whole town is under her control and vision. After all, the doll wasn't there to tell her what Coraline looks like. So it makes it easier but not needed.
What if the Beldam is a future version of Coraline stuck in a time loop? At some point she entered the other world and was stuck there. It began slowly eating away at her causing her to slowly deteriorate into the monster we saw. In order to stay alive, she needed to trap others and feed on their souls which she had already done at least three times. The reason why she is so desperate to catch her younger self is so that she can free herself from the nightmare she has been stuck in for who knows how long. Some evidence to back this up could be the books which describe the portal as being alive and far older than the Beldam so it’s quite possible that she was lured in and she is food for the world. Let’s switch over to the movies where we see that even in her true form, the Beldam still looks and sounds a lot like Coraline’s mother. Also how would she have known the nickname that Coraline’s friends in Michigan gave her and the kinds of conversations they would have if the doll never saw them interact. Not only that but the Beldam also knew that Coraline was hungry and that she wanted new clothes despite the fact that the doll never heard this conversation. The doll also never saw the neighbours so how would the Beldam have known about them. Then there’s also the garden which can look like both Coraline and the Beldam. Circling back to the doll, how would the Beldam have known Coraline was moving in and how would she have known she can just sit back and have Wybie do her job for her? Finally we don’t have a clear understanding as to how time works in the other world in comparison to our own as seen by the fact that it’s always night and despite the fact that the movie seems like it takes place during a span of a few days but despite that, the seasons change really quickly. That’s just my theory what do you guys think?
This is interesting but to feed off the question about how beldam knew about the neighbors you have to understand the neighbors lived there longer than Caroline so whose to say the other dead children didn’t have the doll with them and that’s how the beldam knew what they looked like? But also the MICE… The mice were her spies too and the Mr. B talks to the Mice 🐁… But your other questions are on point. Love this theory.
Actually the scene where the three ghosts talk to Coraline also makes another reference There is a movie with Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg called Ghost and in that movie Whoopi says to Demi Moore “you in danger girl” In Coraline one of the ghosts says “you’re in terrible danger girl” They say it differently but the reference is still there
i wont really say that her parents are in on that with the other mother, it feels, at leat for me, that the real mother and father really care about her but they are just burnt out from working constantly, afterall her mother tried to make it up too coraline for not buying her these gloves she wanted, for me it looks more like coraline just sees it like "they dont give me attention, they dont like me" and in the end as they escaped it felt a bit like they dont want to admit it to protect her or they also thought it was some kind of weird "dream"
Coraline entered the doorway, but she never closed it. She fell asleep in the other world. That would mean there's no way to tell if she woke up and had actually left it. Coraline got everything she wanted though: she didn't have to sew buttons on her eyes, she saved the ghost children, she beat the Beldam, she saved her parents and then she had the wonderful get together with everyone in the garden. The Beldam gave her exactly what she wanted and Coraline accepted it all. We have no way of knowing if sewing buttons on your eyes is an actual requirement to stay - we know the Beldam likes to play games. Tricking children is what she does and each child would need a different fantasy based on their individual personalities. If a child wants to be a hero, then they need a villain to defeat right? Then they live happily ever after. The perfect way to trap someone.
@chloerosalyn Coraline herself said The Beldam likes games, but I kept thinking; "Where are the games the Beldam is playing?". Trying to get Coraline to stay would be considered a means to an end, not a game. So what little games was she playing for her own amusement? Spinks & Forcible gradually built up to the climatic final act - same with Mr Bobo. There wasn't just one big act and it's all done. The Beldam herself would have been playing little games of her own before her "final act" in her realm (heck the escaped hand was a encore performance lol). Messing with Coraline's perception of reality would have been a great place to start.
First two visits were in dream. She falls asleep, then had a “dream” about entering other world, after she wakes up in her real world. The real visit was after shopping with mother.
@dmitry3290 Coraline followed the mice through the door the first time in the movie, if I remember right, and met her "other mother" and "other father" for dinner. Do you mean in the book?
Maybe she didn't know she was renting to a family with a child. Coroline's mother can be crafty/cheeky business woman & knows how to deal with lawyers/lawsuits assumingly cuz of her neck brace. So maybe her mom said "it's ok,there's no children with us,"cuz she could claim she is a young adult already. Etc
I think too, inorder to get a good cheaper place with good rental history she just didn't tell the land lady. There been people that'll have pets and not tell the owners of the place, especially if they don't go to the property.
Well.... Truth be told, the ending party of the movie does seem to be sort of what would be like (as I'd call it) a 'Krampus' snow- globe-Christmas-tree-ornament effect; where everything seems happy and normal but you are still trapped in a limbo world of deluded happiness.
Mel and Charlie needed to get their magazine out in time because the car accident Mel had took out some time and money and they needed that apartment to get their work done. It’s possible that they lied about Coraline by saying they don’t have children to Ms. Lovat to get the lease, which is why The Other Mother was ready to take Coraline because Wybie was protected by the Cat and Ms. Lovat. Coraline had no one which is why the Cat came to her aid. In the end of the movie, Ms. Lovat is surprised to see Coraline because she didn’t know that she existed because Wybie didn’t want his grandma to be upset about a child being there. He probably asked who that doll belonged to without mentioning it looking different and Ms. Lovat gave him the picture. When Wybie said “how are we going to tell Grandma about this?”She says that they’ll tell her about it at the party together. That’s why the last line “Hello Ms. Lovat, I’m Coraline Jones, I have so much to tell you. “She’s revealing her existence and telling her story about what happened to her, telling her that the danger is gone. Only the Cat knows what is up.
That is the one detail that I do not understand: Why let the Jones Parents move in with Coraline in question to the fact that she "is" a child after 40 years of not allowing families with children to live in The Pink Palace?
Remember Wyborne wasn’t in the books so for movie purposes we can only speculate that the beldam want wyborne and his grandmother made a deal to finally bring in another child to take pressure off wybie
@@farahhjackson1018; Do not assume that everyone has read the book because they watched the movie; I would not know anything from not even owning the book, but I do own a copy of the movie; all I know from what I heard is that it is creepier than the Henry Selleck film. Heck, I own Lost World: Jurassic Park the Stephen Spielberg movie but not the novel.
@@farahhjackson1018; I never even once mentioned Wyborne in my other replies; but I think I recall watching the "Coraline" explained videos and I think it was also mentioned in the Movie's bonus features that said Wybie was not in the book, but an added character to the movie's story; Is that where you got that info too, movie bonus features or a past variant RU-vid video?
This channel is so underrated, it should have soooo many more views and likes!! (Especially subscribers since you have a rly calming voice and seem like a rly good youtuber 😊)
I think with the parents, they never told the landlady that they have a kid. This would enline with them not being financially well, having to move and the car being in a wreck. People donthis with pets as well. Even my mom has done this when going out to places to get a better deal. She was lucky her kids never looked the roght age so I was 11 for a long time😂. The pink palace is a good size home and I bet for a great price. Since they only rent with no children its possible they never told her. Which would also be why WYB's grandma was upset that he took the doll to the house. After everything was settled, she was ok going back there and since WYB has a big mouth, she already knew of Coraline. Inlike that all of the adults help and try to protect Coraline when she arrives. The Parents would have been the last building block, but since they have work and a deadline isncoming up, they arent able to protect her mentally(in the moment) and thus she was susceptible to the Beldam.
I love the movie itself along with the books however there is games about Coraline but I recommend the DS instead of the Wii or Playstation for very obvious reasons
these are honestly some solid theories, this is why i love coralline so much. there’s so much mystery and interpretations, it adds so much to the rewatch value to it
I might be wrong since I’ve seen no one say this but. If I remember correctly in the movie, the beldam’s hand looked alarmed when she saw coraline trying to throw the key down the well. Which would mean it’s probably not a portal to the same world or something? Also, his grandma tried hide the doll I think.
i honestly don’t think the beldam anticipated coraline to escape from her, but if you think about it she might have anticipated that she could chase coraline to the well so that coraline would deliver the key back to her on her own, leaving her under the impression that she had escaped or “won the game”
I love love love LOVE this video!! The idea of the well being another portal is so so genius. Although im iffy about the grandma wanting to sacrifice coraline, I have faith in it at the same time. At first i just assumed coralines parents (specifically her mom) lied about not having children, or something of that sort. And though i personally don't agree with Coralines parents trying to get rid of her, it is a very possible theory. I just feel like in some scenes they genuinely tried to be there for her, yk? But the dads mouth being possibly stitched at the end is sooooo creepy!! And awesome!! Coraline is just a movie thats perfect the way it is. It doesnt need a sequel at all, as that would completely ruin it. If we knew all the answers, where would the fun be in that? This is a huge reason as to why it has an active fanbase since 2009!
The wishing well could be another world, like the Beldam. Considering how the hand reacted when Coraline tried to go towards the well. It would freak out if it couldn't return home. The key coild also be a life line to start another realm like the Beldams, and dropping the key down the well killed her but started a new one.
@chloerosalyn no, I don't think so. I think the well is actually where the cat and mice (fairies) comes from. I think the well is a connection to the fairy realm. I think the Beldam's lair is also in the fairy world, but not the same exact place.
I just recently watched Coraline (as I do every Halloween). Actually, these are all really good theories I never have any thought to. I think the best one is that Wybie’s grandmother purposely allowed Coraline to move in as a sacrifice of sorts. It actually makes sense since she didn’t let children live there all this time and suddenly, BAM, she’s letting a child live in The Pink Palace? It just seems suspicious… And the ghost children did say it would never be over with the Beldam… It all fits. The well also makes sense. If you remember, the cat mentions that there are different ways to get into the other world, so it’s possible the well is one of those places. The parents trying to get rid of Coraline is a bit dark, but I suppose it’s not completely out of left field either. I’m not sure I agree with it, but it’s interesting.
I just thought of something. In at least the book, how did the other father know about the policeman telling her to have hot chocolate? If he did. The movie version of him is still my favorite character though.
This would be pretty sad. But Coraline does seem a bit mistreated by her parents throughout the movie. Although the parents were probably withholding the information because they probably were scared by the whole event, choosing rather to deny the whole event then give reality to it.
I love your aesthetic! You look like a pleasant person to talk to in real life. You've also explained the film very well. I never thought about the well being a path to the other world! Also.. If the well leads to the other world, wouldn't that mandate a sequel ??😭😭 And if she (the other mother) did have the key, what does that entail?? Would she be able to manipulate the real world? Or escape the other world and reap havoc? Side note: Im not sure if the parents were neglectful or rather busy to pay the dues of the house. Them barely having any groceries and moving into a new house suggests they have some financial strain and might have to take their jobs seriously. Perhaps the real mother simply did not think to hide the key better because she assumed Coraline would not go through the lengths (or be able) to reach the key. (those were many books on the chair!) Although I feel the movie explains itself well enough, Ive always been intrigued by the theories and enjoy discussing and reminiscing the film. Thank you for the video and the time it took to make it. Stay amazing and blessed!
Just rewatched Coraline last night and finally watched this video of yours. The most interesting points for me are the one about grandma knowing and the fact that the parents are lying, I never thought about that! The first time I watched the movie I only felt that they were kinda awful to her(despite understanding their "reasons"), but this theory actually makes sense! Regarding the theory about the grandma it feels a bit more far-fetched to me as she's kind of a minor character throughout the movie(she's been mentioned a lot but you never actually see her till the very end), but given the amount of details in Coraline it would also make sense as I don't think she just randomly decided that it was finally time to change her no kids policy all of a sudden and without a proper reason. I really wish they made another movie like Coraline, old stop-motion cartoons are still my favorites and I'm obviously also re-watching Tim Burton ones as I do every year in this season. Speaking of something more recent have you seen Wendell & Wild?
@@whimsiclo if you're for something similar to those Tim Burton classics and Coraline I'd say absolutely yes! It had quite a good reception both from the critiques and the general public when it came out and I'm about to do a rewatch soon. It's not as packed with easter eggs and such as Coraline but it's still nice :) The co-scriptwriter is Jordan Peele which you may already know from his comedy skits in the duo Key & Peele(they're voicing Wendell & Wild which are modeled on them) or his recent horror movies, all of which I really liked, "Get Out", "Us" and "Nope"!
I think that Mrs. Lovat let Caroline move in because both of her parents work from home meaning that they would be very present and would be able to keep her safe (unfortunately Coraline’s parents are super stressed and are constantly working) or that the other mother had finally starved so she hoped that it would be safe
Idk if anyone else already said so or not but... What Wybie says about the well is just a well thing. If you go down into a deep well and look up, You're supposedly able to see stars. It's not a magic Coraline thing but a real-world well thing.
wait the theory abt the dad’s smile hinting that coraline is still in the other world suggests that the “real world” mimicks the other world. the smile mimicking the sewed on smile but I think it’s the opposite. the literal sewing on of smiles in the other world is kind of a literal tangible depiction of wybie and charlie keeping their mouth’s shut and keeping secrets in the real world. the theory about the parents setting it up to get rid of coraline and how the fathers smile is stitched on like wybie I kinda interpreted that as symbolism of the father holding something back. wanting to tell coraline something but being manipulated to keep his mouth shut. since he looked awkwardly when coraline was talking abt them escaping. idk if I believe this theory but just to play into it maybe just like the other world the other mother was pulling the strings, while the father secretly wanted to save/warn coraline, that’s how it is in the real world. the other world is a reflection. bc honestly why would everyone in the other world secretly have coraline’s best interest but the mother? why would she make them that way? bc she doesn’t create them she manipulates them. the beldam doesn’t create something completely new from scratch, she replicates and then manipulates what she replicates. so if that theory of the parents being in on it is true maybe it was all the real mother’s idea. the father’s sewn-on looking smile being a subtle hint to symbolically still living the other world. not bc coraline is now trapped but bc she had always been in a world like the other world. it was a dramatized mirror that showed the real world’s true colors
One thing to note is the button key wasn't in the drawer until after Mrs. Jones started rummaging through it. Then, it appeared from thin air. It was also the only old-style key in the drawer that would have fit that type of lock. The rest are all modern flat keys. She didn't know in advance which key. It was planted there, possibly by the Beldam. This is stop-motion. Nothing is accidental. That key magically appearing at that moment was an intentional choice.
She did sent the key throught the well, but in the book when the Other Mother and coraline make the bet, when Coraline suggests that if she could find her parents and the eyes of the lost souls of the ghost children she could get out of the other world, the beldam swears on her right hand and later when coraline gets out, the hand spies on Coraline for a week, almost ( what is really disturbing if you ask me..) then Coraline sees the ghost children in a dream and she wants to get rid of the key so she gets out of the house to send the key down the well. You later on realize that the hand didn't really wanted Coraline to get the key in the well, what is a little bit weird since the Beldam was going to get the key in your perspective... so is it really a portal, or is it just to make us fans feel confused and contraversial? And if she was really in the other layer of that dimension than why did Wybie's grandmother, in the film, was surprise that she saw coraline alive if she was still there.. i guess we will never now with Neil Gaiman and Henry Selick but it is always nice to try to get it...
There's an old role playing game setting for Dungeons and Dragons called Ravenloft. Ravenloft's whole thing is that each domain is ruled by a darklord. But each domain is a prison with ironic punishments. The darklord can also close the borders off at will to trap the people inside. Why am I mentioning this? Well lets take this to its logical conclusion. Theory time: The Beldam was once a sorceress, maybe even a witch, thus the name. She was a mother or was friendly to the nearby children so they visited her. One day something happened and her mind snapped! She turned against the children surreptitiously so she could kill them and keep drawing them closer and closer. It was only when she killed so many the village turned on her, but more unfortunately, the Dark Powers took notice. As she was fleeing, she fell down the well, she didn't feel the impact of the bottom of the well. Instead, she woke up in her hut. There was no children, in fact there was barely anything outside of her hut. Just her and her first victim, her son. Now there was still no children, but her son was turned into a cat to mock her and remind her of her evil. It was then she realized her next punishment, she could see outside her home to the world outside but not influence it. She even figured out how to send agents, in the form of toys to make it easier. But unless a child was willing to join her, she couldn't do anything but draw her in. Even worse, she had limited control of her home. When someone changed it out there, it was changed in her world. Without children and their imagination she was stuck floating in nothing. And she was hungry.....She caught a few, a game she grew to love. They provided her love, their imagination expanded her world. If she could just accept these things she might be satisfied and happy, but she always got bored when she won the game. And the hunger never ended....
"In the first installment of my Coraline series, I covered the popular theory that she never escaped the real world." I think you meant that she never escaped from the other world, or the fake copy of the other world.
Seeing the stars in a well is a known urban legend. As for the key, of course her mom used the only skeleton key in the drawer to unlock the only skeleton key hole in the house.
IDK about any of you but the other father is my favorite character. He's so nice and it seemed like he was trying to protect Coraline. Have you done a video on him?
Now I may be looking way to into this game but before I found out it was made by a 13 year old I took it as almost a parody of the indie self made horror genre and it gave me vibes of something deeper behind the game pulling strings to scare people with the most basic horror tropes like the monsters not quite understanding the only horror genre but using it nonetheless to feed off the player and viewer
In the book, Wybie doesn’t exist so would be really different story to this but also a lot of this does line up! I do find it kind of cool the movie added lore through his character.
@@whimsiclo okay, sorry. I thought we were solving the great mysteries of Coraline. Sure, movie is different from book. But something as critical as whether Coraline escapes and who is or isn't a real villian seems imterwoven on a deeper level. The questions of "who is on Coraline's side?" and "Does she escape in the end?" are hotly debated topics within both the book and movie. I personally think there is more to support that her parents are not villians in both mediums. And, to be fair, it does seem like you state these as truths, so I was simply disagreeing.
TOTALLY unrelated but omg you have rosalyn in your name and my name is roslynn!!! I never hear anyone else with a similar name anymore!! subscribed ✨🤍 now related, coraline is an amazing movie and I agree 100% with the mrs. lovatt theory 💙
Keep going, babe. You're doing great! Love the content and your thoroughness. Love that you include why certain theories don't fit as well. Creators who show all angles are what I look for!! 🖤🤍🫶🏽 P.S. You are entertaining enough. There's a place for all creators, as well as an audience for them. I'm glad you've overcome that obstacle and can't wait to watch your channel grow.
