12 Best Movies Like Coraline

2009’s stop-motion animated classic “Coraline,” adapting Neil Gaiman’s 2002 novella of the same name, remains widely beloved years after its debut. A dark fantasy story that has its eponymous protagonist escape her reality to a strange otherworldly realm, “Coraline” masterfully toes the line between childhood wonder and more sinister elements. Though wonderfully singular in its own way, there are a number of movies similar to “Coraline,” some also stop-motion animated and some not. There is an honest adolescent vulnerability to the 2009 movie that has been touched on in different but recognizable ways by quite a few movies both before and since.

What so many of these movies like “Coraline” share is a sense of discovery into the fantastic, often in the face of the mundane back in conventional reality. Despite being ostensibly oriented for children, these movies aren’t afraid to lean into more mature and melancholic themes. A good children’s movie doesn’t treat its audience like kids, and the movies here certainly avoid that mistake. 

Here are the 12 best movies like “Coraline” that fans should check out.

As far as movies that popularized stop-motion animation in the United States, the medium doesn’t get more ubiquitous than “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Based on a story by Tim Burton, with Burton producing but not directing, the movie is helmed by “Coraline” filmmaker Henry Selick in his feature directorial debut. 

Bored of organizing annual Halloween celebrations, Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon, with Danny Elfman singing) finds his creative passions reinvigorated after he learns about the existence of Christmas. As Jack’s attempts to celebrate Christmas are met with a mixed response, he rallies to rescue Santa Claus (Ed Ivory) from the villainous Oogie Boogie (Ken Page).

More of a Christmas movie than a Halloween one, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” brings a gothically sinister energy to the yuletide holiday. Right from its opening song introducing Halloweentown to Santa bringing the holiday spirit to its residents ghouls and ghosts, the film is a briskly paced joy. Selick and Burton each went on to direct and/or produce other acclaimed animated films, often with a similarly macabre tone. Just like “Coraline,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” grew from modest sleeper hit to an enduring animated classic.

British author Roald Dahl’s 1961 novel “James and the Giant Peach” was adapted into a movie of the same name in 1996. The adaptation was also directed by Henry Selick, reuniting him with Tim Burton, who produced the project as he had with Selick’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Young orphan James Henry Trotter (Paul Terry) escapes from his abusive aunts by eating his way into a giant peach and floating it across the Atlantic Ocean. Inside the peach, James befriends the similarly enlarged bugs living within, forming a surrogate with them as they make their transatlantic voyage.

“James and the Giant Peach” is the most wonderfully weird collaboration between Selick and Burton. Distinctly and unabashedly British in tone, keeping in spirit with Dahl’s text, the movie has a fairytale quality to it. With “James and the Giant Peach,” the fantasy world is condensed inside a colossal fruit, with the real magic offered by the seafaring adventure with a found family. Overlooked when compared to Selick and Burton’s other animated projects, “James and the Giant Peach” is an under-appreciated stop-motion fever dream.

Truthfully, any number of the acclaimed animated movies from Studio Ghibli could easily make this list, but the one most like “Coraline” is “Spirited Away.” The 2001 Japanese animated movie is written and directed by legendary animator and Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki. After moving to a new town, protagonist Chihiro Ogino (Rumi Hiiragi) travels to the spirit world as her parents are magically transformed into pigs. Chihiro ventures deeper into the spirit world to find a way to escape and restore her parents to normal.

“Spirited Away” feels thematically linked to “Alice in Wonderland” or “The Wizard of Oz,” as the young female protagonist discovers a whole new world in the face of burgeoning adulthood. In the case of Chihiro, she meets many yokai, or monsters and spirits common in Japanese folklore, either as allies or opponents on her journey. By the end, Chihiro emerges not just with her parents restored, but her identity reaffirmed, right down to the name she nearly lost. Easily one of the best movies Miyazaki ever made, “Spirited Away” is a great gateway into the animated world of Studio Ghibli.

After producing several stop-motion animated projects, Tim Burton assumed directorial duties, with co-director Mike Johnson, on the 2005 movie “Corpse Bride.” The movie stars frequent Burton collaborators Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as the timid Victor Van Dort and undead Emily, respectively. While preparing for his wedding, Victor accidentally causes Emily to rise from the grave, who proclaims herself as his bride and takes him to the Land of the Dead. As Victor tries to escape back to his intended bride Victoria (Emily Watson), he learns to appreciate the dead while solving Emily’s murder.

Burton feels like he’s right in his creative wheelhouse when dealing with Hammer Horror-inspired premises and settings, with “Corpse Bride” being no exception. The 2005 movie takes full advantage of its vaguely Victorian period, from Victor’s moody village to forests and graveyards he finds himself in. While a musical like “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Corpse Bride” wisely keeps its musical numbers more restrained, befitting the gloomier atmosphere. Still a hit with audiences long after its debut, “Corpse Bride” is instantly and affectionately recognizable as a clear Burton project, unapologetic about his usual themes and sensibilities.

Released the same year as “Coraline” was the CG-animated film “9,” produced by Tim Burton and directed by Shane Acker, based on a short animated film by Acker from 2005. The post-apocalyptic movie is set in an alternate version of the 1930s after humanity was wiped out by sentient machines. Prior to dying, a scientist (Alan Oppenheimer) creates nine living rag dolls, each imbued with a portion of his soul and personality. The dolls work together to overthrow the machines, ensuring that organic life could one day flourish on the planet again.

With “9,” the movie really excels when it leans into its unique setting and evocative visuals, capturing a sort of post-apocalyptic retro sci-fi like “Fallout.” The movie has an impressive ensemble of talent playing the nine dolls, led by Elijah Wood as the titular ninth stitchwork doll, embodying different portions of the scientist’s psyche. But really, “9” almost works better with the dialogue and incidental noise off, just soaking in Acker’s distinctly rendered environment and Danny Elfman’s accompanying score. Offering a glimmer of hope at the end of the world, “9” is moody meditation on purpose and personality.

The first feature film by Laika after producing “Coraline” was 2012’s “ParaNorman,” headed by an all-star ensemble cast. Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a social misfit obsessed with horror movies and can speak with the dead. After Norman fails to perform a ritual to protect his town from the ghost of a vengeful witch, his neighborhood plunges into chaos. Teaming up with his family and friends, Norman sets out to rectify an injustice carried out centuries ago in an effort to bring the ghost peace and save his hometown.

“ParaNorman” doesn’t just appeal to established genre aficionados, but it also serves as the perfect horror primer for younger audiences. With a richly rendered New England setting and everything from zombies to ghosts to deliver milder frights, the movie celebrates how much fun horror can be. Laika continued their winning streak after “Coraline” with “ParaNorman” as the movie unfolds like a horror-themed thrill ride. A celebration of the horror genre in its many permutations, “ParaNorman” is another stop-motion animation masterpiece.

The second stop-motion animated feature directed by Tim Burton was 2012’s “Frankenweenie,” adapting his 1984 short film of the same name. Adolescent outcast Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) decides to use his scientific acumen to resurrect his beloved dog Sparky. This leads to the neighborhood children carrying out similar experiments, yielding decidedly more horrific results with their own pets. Victor has to rally his newfound friends to save their town from the pet-sized monster mash that they’ve accidentally unleashed on their community.

“Frankenweenie” combines Burton’s love of the classic Universal Monster movies and his usual skewering of white-picket fence suburbia writ large. Victor feels very much like an analog to Burton himself, a brilliant outsider who takes tentative steps in emerging from his shell. What “Frankenweenie” does well is give Victor a strong ensemble cast around him, with each individual distinctly rendered and performed. A surprisingly personal film from Burton, “Frankenweenie” is a clear love letter to his childhood influences.

Alan Snow’s illustrated novel “Here Be Monsters!” was adapted by Laika for its 2014 stop-motion animated movie “The Boxtrolls.” Set in 1896 Europe, a young orphan named Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright) is raised by a scavenging group of creatures known as Boxtrolls, who forage through humanity’s garbage each night. After befriending a human girl named Winnie (Elle Fanning), Eggs learns a pest exterminator (Ben Kingsley) has set out to eradicate the Boxtrolls, believing them to be voracious monsters. Eggs and Winnie try to save the Boxtrolls while exposing the exterminator as a ruthless and power-hungry fraud.

With its titular monsters and their grotesque lifestyle, “The Boxtrolls” is one of the more unabashedly ghastly projects that Laika has produced and is all the better for it. The movie has the same visually immersive quality as other Laika projects, but is consciously rougher around the edges. This only enhances the movie’s sense of humor and environment, reveling in the Boxtrolls’ genially grimy existence. Offbeat and led by a fan-favorite voice cast, “The Boxtrolls” is an overlooked Laika masterpiece.

Arguably the most celebrated Laika project since “Coraline,” 2016’s “Kubo and the Two Strings” tells an original fairytale set in feudal Japan. Kubo (Art Parkinson) goes on an epic quest with his snow monkey charm (Charlize Theron) and an amnesiac samurai (Matthew McConaughey), cursed to partially be transformed into a stag beetle. Armed with an enchanted shamisen, Kubo is put on a collision course to defeat the Moon King (Ralph Fiennes) and his twin daughters (Rooney Mara) who attacked his family. As Kubo embarks on his quest, he learns what truly happened to his parents and why the Moon King is after both of his eyes.

“Kubo and the Two Strings” brings Laika’s well-earned reputation for stop-motion animated excellence to classic Japanese mythology and art styles. This blending of visual designs is elevated by Dario Marianelli’s soaring score, covering the complexities of Kubo’s emotional journey as well as his external one. Kubo’s adventure is certainly an epic one, but really, the story is a powerful exploration of loss and remembrance. Setting a new high bar for its studio, “Kubo and the Two Strings” is a strong reminder that Laika is virtually unmatched in the realm of stop-motion animated filmmaking.

Pixar Animation Studios blended music with life after death in its 2017 CG-animated movie “Coco,” centered around the Mexican Day of the Dead. Aspiring musician Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) finds himself transported to the Land of the Dead after interfering with his family’s Day of the Dead observances. Believing legendary musician Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt) to be his great-great-grandfather, Miguel seeks his blessing to return to the land of the living. Joining Miguel is the mischievous skeleton Héctor (Gael García Bernal), uncovering shocking family secrets as Miguel meets his ancestors.

“Coco” is Pixar firing on all cylinders with its usual approach of bringing a fresh, imaginative concept to the center of a family-friendly story. It just so happens, in this case, the concept is death and the afterlife, with the Land of the Dead just as colorful and vibrant as the living world. “Coraline” is about finding deception through a facsimile of the real world while “Coco” works as an inversion, with the fantasy world revealing the truth. Delightfully macabre, finding the joys of life in the realm of death, “Coco” is one of Pixar’s best movies in years.

Irish filmmaker Tomm Moore had helmed a trilogy of Irish folklore animated movies, culminating in 2020’s “Wolfwalkers,” which he co-directed with Ross Stewart. The movie follows 17th century apprentice wolf hunter Robyn Goodfellowe (Honor Kneafsey) who is tasked with wiping out Ireland’s last wolf pack alongside her father. Venturing from the safety of her village, Robyn meets Mebh Óg MacTíre (Eva Whittaker), a girl part of a tribe that transforms into wolves at night. After turning into a Wolfwalker herself, Robyn must decide if she wants to help Mebh rescue her mother and stick with her orders to hunt down the wolves.

With its lush and expressive art style, “Wolfwalkers” is one of the most visually striking animated movies to come out of Europe in years. This is accentuated further by sequences in the film when the perspective shifts to first-person while Robyn is transformed into a wolf. Complementing all this is an earnest voice cast, with Kneafsey and Whittaker doing standout work as their young characters. Ethereally timeless, “Wolfwalkers” is Moore’s masterwork, with the filmmaker saving the best for his from his Celtic folklore trilogy.

After achieving award-winning success as a live-action horror filmmaker, Jordan Peele changed gears to stop-motion animation as the co-writer and producer of 2022’s “Wendell & Wild.” The movie was directed, produced, and co-written by “Coraline” filmmaker Henry Selick, based on an unpublished book by Selick and Clay McLeod Chapman. Orphaned teenager Kat (Lyric Ross) agrees to summon demonic brothers Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele) to the living world if they revive her parents. Working together with them, Kat moves to expose the local private prison company of a deadly arson that devastated her town in exchange for profit.

“Wendell & Wild” was Selick’s first feature directorial project since “Coraline” over a decade prior and he hadn’t lost a creative step in its execution. Selick and Peele make for effective creative collaborators, delivering a kid-friendly animated horror movie with plenty of humor and heart. The film is packed with the most overt social commentary than any other Selick project, striking a balance between it being both timely and timeless, without being preachy. A fresh reinvigoration of Selick’s usual creative sensibilities, “Wendell & Wild” was a welcome return for the “Coraline” filmmaker.