What is the metaphor in Coraline?

The trapdoor (Metaphor)
Coraline notices that one of the loose floorboards in the house leads to a trapdoor. The trapdoor is a metaphor for the secrecy and deception that is omnipresent in the other world. Things are never as they appear, and Coraline must learn to distinguish appearance from reality.
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What is the message behind Coraline?

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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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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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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Are Coraline's parents abusive?

For example, it's clear her parents are extremely neglectful of her; her mother Mel (Teri Hatcher), in particular, doesn't seem to like her daughter very much at all — and makes no secret of it, either.
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Metaphors Are Similes. Similes Are Like Metaphors by Coraline Ada Ehmke



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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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 mirror symbolize in Coraline?

Mirrors. 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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Why did the other mother want 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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Why was Coraline's doll filled with sand?

Trivia. It was stuffed with sand instead of cotton when spying on Coraline. This reflects her other creations too, as other Wybie, the hummingbirds, and the circus mice are full of sand too.
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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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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 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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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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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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Will there be Coraline 2?

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 is the beldam true form?

After Coraline grabbed all of the three eyes of the Ghost Children, the Beldam is shown in her true form - a cross between a skeleton and an arachnid. Her face is cracked and her hands are made of sewing needles. She stays in this form for the remainder of the movie.
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Why does the beldam tap her eye?

But when Coraline asks for a clue for her parents the other mother simply taps her button eye peculiarly. I think that is her hint, that the Beldam is trying to tell Coraline that she is Coraline's mother and she was the mother of all the other children too.
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Why does wybie tilt his head?

In response to sounds around him Wybie tilts his head to the side, giving the impression that he is constantly in a state of being startled, since most people do not react with so much motion to common sounds.
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Is the Beldam a human?

In the novel, the Beldam was implied to be a former human, who somehow became a demonic fae-like creature later on, presumably after death. She hints this to Coraline when she recounts how she buried her own mother alive in a grave as a child.
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Is Coraline about death?

Coraline is the story of a little girl who can't accept the death of her parents.
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Why is bobinsky blue in Coraline?

Mr. Bobinsky is a blue-skinned, extremely tall, Russian man; while not explained in the film, his blue skin is due to his constant time outside in the damp and cold weather.
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What is Coraline age?

Coraline is an eleven-year-old girl with a large personality. She is seen as a snarky, rebellious, adventurous, curious, and creative girl for her age.
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Is Coraline a real name?

The name Coraline is primarily a female name of American origin that means Heart, Maiden. Diminutive form of Cora or a combination of the names Cora and Caroline.
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