You probably know that the animated film is based on the beautiful book by Neil Gaiman but maybe you don't know that Neil Gaiman in writing this story was inspired by a late 19th century story called "The new mother" which inspired above all the character of "The other mother ".
What is the point of the Other Mother in Coraline?
The “other mother” — also called the beldam — begins as a fulfillment of Coraline's fantasy: a doting parent in an alternate reality who gives her all the attention and gifts and, it seems, love that she desires while her real parents are distracted by work and moving into their new house.
The clever and utterly terrifying villain in Coraline, the Other Mother, is deeply rooted in Eastern European folklore. The Beldam, synonymous with "witch," is most often portrayed as a woman who lures children into her lair only to feast upon their flesh and souls.
Why is the Other Mother in Coraline compared to a spider?
Her world is eventually revealed to be a massive spider's web, and her true form is spiky and arachnid-like. There appears to be no specific connection between her appearance and the earlier Beldam stories, though a spider is appropriate for a being that sucks the lifeforce out of its victims.
The Messed Up Origins™ of Coraline: The Beldam (The Other Mother) | Coraline Explained - Jon Solo
What is the hidden message in Coraline?
“Coraline” explores themes of deception, illusion, and the dangers of succumbing to appearances, reminding audiences to question what lies beneath the surface and to trust their instincts when something seems too good to be true.
CHARLIE ROBINSON considers Coraline as a classic morality story about the horrors of online grooming. Coraline: Spoiler-free plot summary When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents.
Once lured, she sews buttons in their eyes which tethers them to her world, then consumes their flesh for strength, and keeps their souls as her prisoners. She is the arch-nemesis of Coraline Jones, whom she tries to lure in, consume for more strength, and imprison the soul of as her fourth victim.
The Beldam (also known as "The Other Mother") is the main antagonist of Laika's 1st full-length animated feature film Coraline, which was based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman. In the 2009 film, she's voiced by Teri Hatcher. She is the demonic button-eyed arachnoid ruler of the Other World.
The Beldam is the most evil character in the novella and its adaptations. Using the little doll to see into the real world, she lures children in giving them everything they wanted until she tells them they could stay in the Other World forever if they allow her to sew buttons over their eyes.
The Other Father is the anti-heroic secondary antagonist of the Laika film Coraline. He is a former minion of the Beldam who was created to trick Coraline Jones into staying in the other world forever. However, it is revealed that he is actually trying to help Coraline escape the other world. when singing.
This eerie feature symbolizes the other mother's desire for control, and specifically her desire to limit Coraline's freedom. The buttons symbolize the fact that the other mother sees Coraline as a doll or a plaything—she wants to keep Coraline in her world and do with her what she wishes.
You probably know that the animated film is based on the beautiful book by Neil Gaiman but maybe you don't know that Neil Gaiman in writing this story was inspired by a late 19th century story called "The new mother" which inspired above all the character of "The other mother ".
It could be possible that, since her creation, The Beldam relies on the souls of the children to continue existing, to the point that she becomes increasingly desperate and more impatient to get Coraline Jones to sew the buttons on her eyes. This is shown when she screams that she will die without Coraline.
Why does the Other Mother lock Coraline behind the mirror?
The other mother offers Coraline a bag of blackbeetles for her to snack on, but Coraline refuses the offer. This prompts the other mother to say that Coraline has no manners. To punish Coraline, the other mother locks her in a dark corridor behind the mirror.
To understand the theory, it's important to know what the Other Mother actually is. She is referred to as a 'beldam,' which is a very old malicious woman and a witch. The Other Mother is a shape-shifting demon whose goal is to lure children into the Other World and entice them to stay so she can feed on their souls.
The beldam (I prefer to call her The Other Mother) is the main antagonist. She probably used to be human. Her true form is a spider, skeleton, preying mantis, witch, all merged into one terrifying creature.
In the movie, the scene where Coraline Jones and The Cat are about to exit the other world, The Beldam remarks on the cat's presence, "You're back, and you brought... vermin... with you?" which implies that The Beldam considers The Cat to be a nuisance or pest.
It was true: the other mother loved her. But she loved Coraline as a miser loves money, or a dragon loves its gold. In the other mother's button eyes, Coraline knew that she was a possession, nothing more. A tolerated pet, whose behavior was no longer amusing.
Other Father eats massive meals but always seems to complain about being hungry. It's implied that Other Mother — who's only ever seen eating beetles — only feeds him when Coraline is there to make the Other World seem more appealing.
Trivia. The Beldam is a rare case of a Pure Evil villain who counts as Pure Evil in all versions of something, while fighting someone who is only Pure Good in the book and graphic novel versions, while the film version is Near Pure Good.
There is some violence in this movie including: Coraline kills heaps of bugs by slapping and smashing them into the walls. Coraline frequently punches Wybie. A cat kills a mouse who turns out to be a rat spy for the Other Mother.
Coraline is a lesbian because one writer noticed how Miss Spink and Miss Forcible got more attractive in the Other World while Mr. Bobinski and Wybie didn't. Merida is asexual, as a social analogue to her canon situation in a modern era where sixteen-year-olds wouldn't be pressured to get married.
To put it simply, Coraline's "real" mother and the Beldam are the same person. The movie/book (whichever--theory makes sense for both) is not what Coraline experiences literally.
