History YMMV / Coraline

* GeniusBonus: The Other Mother is most likely one of TheFairFolk of British folklore, who were said to kidnap and sometimes devour children. The portal between worlds looking like a little door is one of many such fairy world gateways, and the stone with a hole in it is most likely an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adder_stone adder stone]], said to help see through fairies' or witches' illusions. The mushrooms surrounding the old well is a fairy ring, where [[http://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins-folklore/do-you-dare-enter-fairy-ring-mythical-mushroom-portals-supernatural-003677 not-so-good things]] happen to those who step in it, so [[spoiler: Coraline using it to trap the hand is a very smart move on her part]]. Finally, [[spoiler:one of the dead children being revealed to have [[OurFairiesAreDifferent butterfly wings and a love of eating flowers]] suggests that the [[TheFairFolk Other Mother]] [[ImAHumanitarian doesn't just hunt human children]].]]

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: The [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 PS2]] and [[UsefulNotes/NintendoWii Wii]] versions do a decent job of recreating the Pink Palace, but are otherwise filled with dull mini-games, complete with unskippable win/lose animations. Enemies inexplicably inhabit the Other World ''before'' its sinister nature is revealed, and huge chunks of the film are omitted or demoted, including the entire existence of the ghost children (who do appear briefly in minigames), and [[spoiler: the Other Mother's hand retrieving the key.]] In addition, the film's soundtrack for both versions is replaced by generic spooky fare, although the Wii release got the better end of it with an orchestrated soundtrack. ''WebVideo/PositivelyDreadful'' [[https://youtu.be/jeHqKlgdU3w did a review on the game as well.]]

* MisaimedMarketing:

* HilariousInHindsight: In both the book and the movie, Coraline is mistakenly called "Caroline", much to her irritation. Years later, the movie would get a belated [[TheMockbuster mockbuster]] called ''Caroline and the Magic Potion.'' [[note]]''Caroline'' might not have originally been an intentional knockoff, as it was originally in Spanish and had a completely different title, but at very least the packaging of the English dub emphasizes that the main character looks like a Coraline {{Expy}}.[[/note]]

* ParanoiaFuel: Be afraid of buttons. Be '''very''' afraid.

* RealismInducedHorror: Kids find the Other Mother/Beldam scary because she is a child-eating HumanoidAbomination with a terrifying transformation and a NightmareFace. Adults find her scary because she is an accurate portrayal of an {{Abusive Parent|s}} who showers her "children" with shallow affection only to turn into a nightmare when they dissatisfy her and sees them as tools for her own satisfaction. Quite a few posters on [[Website/{{Reddit}} r/raisedbynarcissists]] have [[https://www.reddit.com/r/raisedbynarcissists/comments/1ucmkr/has_anyone_else_seen_the_movie_coraline/ expressed]] how much [[https://www.reddit.com/r/raisedbynarcissists/comments/55y0rm/coraline_nailed_it/ she reminds them]] of [[https://www.reddit.com/r/raisedbynarcissists/comments/fj6gwb/anyone_else_relate_so_much_to_coraline_with_the/ their own mothers]].

* SpiritualSuccessor: It might be seen as one to ''Franchise/SilentHill''. The other world here is much more inviting but still just as sinister due to the Other Mother's presence, and shares a name with Silent Hill's DarkWorld. Like the ''Silent Hill'' Otherworld, this Otherworld also has AlienGeometries like rooms that are impossibly BiggerOnTheInside, and Coraline even advances to the FinalBoss by solving a puzzle. The Other Mother's final form also wouldn't be out of place as ''Silent Hill'' boss plus an idealized loved one being a monster in disguise is a component of ''VideoGame/SilentHill2''.