Summary
Upon its release in 2009, Coraline immediately stood out from the crowd, being in the rarely explored middle ground between horror and family movies.
Selick’s film became immediately distinct for its uniquely unnerving atmosphere, creative character designs, and a narrative that balances the accessible storytelling of a family movie paired with the mature theming of a supernatural horror. However, with so many unique features, it’s sometimes hard to find a movie that will scratch the same itch if you want to watch something similar, but luckily we have a few that should satiate that craving.
7Monster House
An animated movie from the same era as Coraline, Monster House, while still regarded as a cult classic, doesn’t receive nearly as much attention or have as strong a legacy as Coraline.
Whilenot fully horror, Monster House is definitely still quite a scary film, especially for younger viewers. On the other hand, the younger cast of characters and occasional immaturity could be grating to some members of the older audience.
This unfortunately niche space Monster House fills means that it will not be for everyone, but if you are willing to give it a try, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the strong emotional core of the narrative and the impressively dark ambience.
6Spirited Away
Cozy Coraline At The Spirit’s Bathhouse
Though definitely one of the more mainstream picks, when looking at Coraline and Spirited Away side by side, it might not be immediately apparent what the pair of critically acclaimed 2000s animated movies have in common.
However, when we look deeper past the vastly contrasting animation styles of each film, we can recognize that both feature a female protagonist of a similar age thrust into a mysterious and supernatural parallel plane that they’ll have to overcome to resolve the looming threat.
While Coraline takes a more horror-focused approach, and Spirited Away is a slower-paced more relaxing angle, it’s interesting to watch both back-to-back to see how they approach their surprisingly similar premises.
5Wendell & Wild
Coraline’s Much Younger Sister Is A Future-Underappreciated Classic
An, unfortunately, more underrated pick from recent years, Wendell & Wild didn’t get the attention it deserved upon initial release, and even though it quickly amassed a small but loyal group of avid fans, it wasn’t enough to get this film the praise it is owed.
Also directed by Henry Selick, and in an almost identical stop-motion animation style as Coraline, it’s easy to see why the two often get compared, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to see the movie as a spiritual successor to the 2009 classic.
However, the plot line, while stillspooky, doesn’t share much with Coraline, instead following our mysterious protagonist Kat as she becomes ensnared in a duo of demons scheme to travel to the realm of the living.
4James And The Giant Peach
Baby’s First Coraline Still Holds Up
Another Selick classic, this time a predecessor to Coraline, is the 1996 adaption of Roald Dahl’s classic James and the Giant Peach, and it still holds up incredibly well.
While it uses a similar stop-motion animation style as Coraline, it fuses it with live-action segments to give the movie an incredibly unique atmosphere that isn’t often replicated in the modern era. Being an adaption of a children’s book as well as produced by Disney, the film has a much younger audience in mind, so while it still has scary moments, it can’t be classified as even horror-adjacent.
However, if you’re trying to introduce a child to Coraline, but want to test the waters first, this is a perfect pick.
3MirrorMask
Grungy-Y2K-Core Coraline
If you’re looking for something a little more obscure, MirrorMask is the grungy Y2K answer to Coraline. The dark fantasy movie focuses more on live-action, but also heavily relies upon visual effects of the time to create a surreal and incredibly of its era atmosphere that simply can’t be replicated.
Written by Neil Gaiman (before Coraline’s movie release, but after the original novella) it is clear that the writer was playing with similar themes and ideas. Following a young female protagonist, Helena who works alongside her parents at a circus and wants nothing more than to run away, finds herself in a mysterious parallel world following an accident.
2Corpse Bride
An Unexpected Twist At The Altar: The Musical
Perhaps one of the most commonly recommended movies for its similar atmosphere and distinct style of animation is Corpse Bride. The first stop-motion movie to be directed by Tim Burton, the film still manages to capture the attention of both adult and younger viewers with its engaging premise and unique animation.
An unmatched blend of comedy, drama, andslight horror, all within the context of a musical, there still hasn’t really been another Corpse Bride and there likely won’t be. Following Victor and his disastrous wedding, the film is a little more high-energy than Coraline, but still manages to have moments that are just as unsettling.
1ParaNorman
A Ghost-Filled Indirect Sequel
Only following up Coraline by a few years, ParaNorman is also produced by the same studio known for their stop-motion animation; Laika, and continues the studio’s legacy of engaging family-friendly horror films.
We follow the social outcast and black sheep of his family, Norman, who’s been blessed/cursed with the ability to see and speak to ghosts, but this ability means that he’s the only one to receive the warning that his small town is in great danger.
ParaNorman takes a slightly more upbeat approach compared to Coraline, and while it does indulge in horror theming (and plenty of references) it’s a lot more accessible for younger viewers too.
