Description
Book SynopsisCoraline (Henry Selick, 2009) is stop-motion studio LAIKA''s feature-length debut based on the popular children''s novel by British author Neil Gaiman. Heralding a revival in global interest in stop-motion animation, the film is both an international cultural phenomenon and a breakthrough moment in the technological evolution of the craft. This open access collection brings together an international group of practitioners and scholars to examine
Coraline's place in animation history and culture, dissect its politics, and unpack its role in the technological and aesthetic development of its medium. More broadly, it celebrates stop motion as a unique and enduring artform while embracing its capacity to evolve in response to cultural, political, and technological changes, as well as shifting critical and audience demands. Divided into three sections, this volume's chapters situate
Coraline within an interconnected network of historical, industrial, discursive, theoret
Trade ReviewCoraline: A Closer Look at Studio LAIKA’s Stop-Motion Witchcraft is an exciting collection and a much welcome contribution to animation studies. The essays address
Coraline from a range of perspectives, collectively positioning it as a key LAIKA feature and a landmark in stop-motion history. A great read for all animation enthusiasts. * Filipa Antunes, Lecturer in Humanities, University of East Anglia, UK *
Henry Seleck’s masterpiece
Coraline endures as a haunted and haunting exploration of the adolescent trauma of coping with emerging competing identities. It is also vastly entertaining and technically brilliant. Mihailova leads her band of witchery-finders on a quest to expose the alchemy behind the film. They explore the sophisticated stop-motion technology of the LAIKA studio (state-of-the-art, yet harking back to the earliest days of cinema), the labyrinthine passages of meaning and interpretations honeycombed within the narrative, and its myriad cultural references and resonances. Throughout, the book echoes Mihailova’s thesis that
Coraline succeeds not only as one of the best stop-motion films ever, but also, reflexively, as a rich work that self-challenges its own animated creation. * Donald Crafton, Joseph and Elizabeth Robbie Professor Emeritus of Film, Television, and Theater, University of Notre Dame, USA *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Coraline: A Twitchy, Witchy Girl in Stop-Motion Land
Mihaela Mihailova (University of Michigan, USA) Part 1: Historical Contexts and Perspectives Chapter 1: Drawing
Coraline: Illustration, Adaptation, and Visuality
Malcolm Cook (University of Southampton, UK) Chapter 2: Mixing it Up:
Coraline and LAIKA’s Hybrid World
Miriam Harris (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand) Chapter 3: Armatures in the Closet:
Coraline and the History of Stop Motion
Mihaela Mihailova (University of Michigan, USA) Chapter 4: The Surprising Migrations of 2 ½ D: The Background to
Coraline Norman M. Klein (California Institute of the Arts, USA) Part 2: Stop-Motion Technology, Process, and Spectatorship Chapter 5: Replacing
Coraline Dan Torre (RMIT University, Australia) Chapter 6: Coraline’s ‘Other World’: The Animated Camera in Stop-Motion Feature Films
Jane Shadbolt (The University of Newcastle, Australia) Chapter 7: A World within Reach: A Neuroanimatic Perspective on Themes of Threat in the Miniature World of
Coraline Ann Owen (Falmouth University, UK) Chapter 8: Darkness and Delight: The Reception of
Coraline in the USA and UK
Rayna Denison (University of East Anglia, UK) Part 3: Puppet Politics: Ideology, Identity, Representation Chapter 9: The Other Maiden, Mother, Crone(s): Witchcraft, Queer Identity, and Political Resistance in LAIKA's
Coraline Mx. Kodi Maier (University of Hull, UK) Chapter 10: Becoming-Puppet: Failed Interpellation and the Uncanny Subjection in
Coraline Eric Herhuth (Tulane University, USA) Chapter 11: The Wandering Child and the Family in Crisis in Henry Selick’s
Coraline Jane Batkin (University of Lincoln, UK) Chapter 12: Fa(r)ther Figures: Locating the Author Father in
Coraline Nicholas Andrew Miller (Loyola University Maryland, USA) Index
