What do the button eyes symbolize in Coraline?

As Coraline grows stronger, braver, and decides to conquer her fears and challenge the other mother to a game whose prize is Coraline's own freedom, the button eyes the creatures in the other mother's world suggests that they have become Coraline's playthings now—she is in control of herself, of them, and of her own ...
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What does buttons on the eyes mean?

That dates back to various reasons throughout history. The eyes keep the soul within, so coins (or buttons in this case) keep eyes closed until the soul is ready to leave. Coins had been placed on the eyes to bring into the afterlife upon burial, to pay the underworld for safekeeping.
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What are symbols in Coraline?

Perhaps the most iconic symbol from Neil Gaiman's Coraline are the large, shiny black buttons which the other mother—and all the creatures she's created to populate her parallel world—wear instead of eyes.
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Why does the Beldam want button eyes?

The button eyes were the objects used by the beldam to tie one's soul to the other world.
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Why is Coraline's hair blue?

In the movie Coraline, when Coraline is getting ready to go to bed after not finding her parents there's an old photo that shows her with natural brown hair. This probably means she at one point dyed it to her iconic blue hair.
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The CREEPY Origins of Coraline's Button Eyes



Does Coraline have a deeper meaning?

What is the meaning behind Coraline? Although the events of Coraline can be interpreted in a number of ways, arguably the most prevalent and justified reading is that the story is about abuse and generational trauma. In terms of the first, Coraline's relationship with her mother and the Beldam is turned to.
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Is the other father a warning in Coraline?

Later on in the film, the Other Father turns into a pumpkin-like human (this was hinted when the beldam said he was as hungry as a pumpkin) with the face in a permanent frown with a monster-like voice and barely capable of speech. This was apparently his punishment for telling Coraline too much.
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What does the rats symbolize in Coraline?

Shortly after moving into her new house, Coraline can hear them singing at night—their song is an ominous one, and its lyrics suggest that the rats are an eternal, immortal presence waiting for the “fall” of the real world, humanity, or both.
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Why did Coraline's parents have buttons for eyes?

It is said that the eyes are the window to ones soul. So by the Other Mother taking the childrens eyes and sewing buttons there instead is a way for her to keep their souls with her and therefore trapped in the other world. this is why they are suddenly released when the "eyes" are taken out of the Other World.
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Is the beldam still alive?

So, Coraline didn't make it out of the Rat Beast limbo world. But she was able to get away from the Other Mother. Without Coraline, the beldam died.
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Is the beldam a spider?

She is a demonic, shape-shifting entity who lures children into another dimension with the goal of taking their soul. Her original appearance eerily resembles Mel Jones, but her true, sinister form is later revealed to be that of an arachnid form.
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Is Coraline 2 coming out?

Due to Coraline's massive success in both the Academy and theatrical arena, it naturally made fans assume there would eventually be a sequel at some point. Unfortunately, it looks as though the likelihood of a sequel ever happening has been shut down by Gaiman.
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What did the other mother want from Coraline?

The other mother doesn't want the mushy kind of a love, she wants the "it's mine to enjoy" kind of love. She looks at kids, and everyone around her, as objects to control, and this type of love ends up destroying people.
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Why did the other wybie help Coraline?

The other residents are replaced by monsters when things become unfriendly, so they are no help. Therefore Wybie is the only one who can help her because he is the only one with the freedom to do so.
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What do the mirrors symbolize in Coraline?

The story of Coraline is a story of mirrors. When Coraline returns from the parallel universe and finds her parents missing, she discovers them trapped in the mirror. The mirror represents the parallel universe which literally mirrors Coraline's own world.
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What does the black cat symbolize in Coraline?

— The cat, upon meeting Coraline Jones in the other world. The Cat is one of the major supporting characters of the story. He demonstrates the ability to appear and disappear on a whim, often to hide from danger or to help Coraline from danger.
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What Beldam means?

beldame. / (ˈbɛldəm) / noun. archaic an old woman, esp an ugly or malicious one; hag. an obsolete word for grandmother.
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Why does Coraline's mom have a neck brace?

Mr. Bobinsky, an eccentric Russian man with a circus of dancing mice, has blue skin, the result of contamination from the Chernobyl disaster. Coraline's mother wears a neck brace for the duration of the film, the victim of an unseen car accident.
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What does the end of Coraline mean?

The colourful world that Beldam created for Coraline was not real, it was just a sweet illusion to keep the young girl in the “Other World”. However, Coraline was smart enough to not fall for the trap. In the end, the girl realizes that her parents are not perfect, but at least, they are real.
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Why does the other mother tap her fingers?

After Coraline had told her real mother it was the perfect time to go gardening in the rain (which she only said to have something to say), the other mother made her first mistake by suggesting to play in the rain. Coraline noticed her tapping her fingers on the table, which she had found rather awfully suspicious.
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Why did wybie's grandma have the doll?

Even when her twin sister went missing, Mrs. Lovat kept the doll that used to belong to her sister in a trunk, perhaps for sentimental purposes. The doll, which used to look like her sister, was altered by the Beldam to look like Coraline, as seen in the beginning of the film.
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