10 Dark Family Movies to Watch If You Loved Coraline

With its impressive animated and frightening quality, many fans seek out similar films such as Coraline that capture that dark fantasy and horror vibe. Based on the novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, Carolina follows the titular young woman who moves into a new house and finds a portal to an alternate universe. There, she encounters a new version of her family, only to reveal a darker, more sinister truth. Coraline it became the third highest-grossing stop-motion film and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.

Coraline balances between the wonderful and the disturbing in a way suitable for family audiences. However, despite its uniqueness, it is not the only film to be successful due to this balance between chills and whimsy. There are many others, and many are also known for their stop-motion animation style. These films don’t veer so much into horror that they can’t be enjoyed by all ages, but as Coralinethey’re willing to push the boundaries of what family-friendly movies can be.

10

Corpse Bride (2005)

A Young Groom Accidentally Gets Engaged to a Dead Body

Tim Burton’s signature style combines whimsical stories with dark atmospheres. Carolina is often seen as a film similar to Burton’s own style. Burton’s twisted but charming stop-motion film Corpse Bride highlights how similar these styles can be. The film follows the narrative of a young groom who mistakenly becomes engaged to a deceased bride who is brought back to life to ensure the union. Although initially terrified, the young man soon finds a connection with his misunderstood bride.

As Coralinethe characters are imaginative and there is enough comedy to provide entertainment for the audience without taking away from the dark setting. It’s also a musical, adding another layer to the film’s surreal balance of levity and horror. Burton enhances the spooky and macabre atmosphere with great details, like Corpse Brides‘land of the dead being more colorful and vibrant than the grim land of the living.

9

Beetlejuice (1988)

A recently deceased couple seek help from a mischievous demon

Tim Burton continues to prove himself as a director whose aesthetic matches the sense of Coraline with its iconic horror comedy Beetle juice. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis star in the film as a recently deceased couple who are horrified to discover a new family moving into their home. Unwilling to give up, they seek help from a troublesome con artist known as Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), but discover that summoning him brings more trouble than they bargained for.

Once again, Burton creates an entertaining vision of the afterlife, portrayed as a dull, tedious bureaucratic nightmare full of waiting rooms and dense manuals. The highlight of the film is Keaton’s comedic performance as Beetlejuice. Although the character makes the film much crazier and more comical than Coralinethey share a sense of the sinister and mischievous threat that lurks behind the scenes. The success of Beetle juice Beetle juice highlights the love for this character.

8

James and the Giant Peach (1996)

An orphan boy escapes on a magical piece of fruit

Henry Selick is a filmmaker who became known for his creative work in stop-motion films. Along with the direction CoralineSelick also previously directed this adaptation of a Roald Dahl book, James and the Giant Peach. The film follows a young, kind-hearted boy named James who is orphaned and forced to live with his mean-spirited aunts. However, when a peach on his property grows to enormous size, James uses it to escape his unhappy home life and befriends a gang of insects that live inside the peach.

Interestingly, James and the Giant Peach begins as a live-action film and turns to stop-motion as James’ journey begins. In truth, the scene of him crawling inside the peach is reminiscent of the scene in Coraline as she crawls through the tunnel. Both films build their own worlds with surreal qualities and tell the story of a young protagonist trying to escape into a new kind of life.

7

Eduardo Scissorhands (1990)

An inventor’s creation is taken up by a suburban family

Yet another Tim Burton film serves as an effective comparison to Coraline. Eduardo Scissorhands It was Burton’s first collaboration with Johnny Depp and remains their best work together. Depp plays the titular role, a young man raised by an eccentric inventor who died before he was complete, leaving him with scissors in his hands. He is then invited to live with a suburban family, where he becomes the most popular figure in the neighborhood.

Although Edward’s character design may be scary to a child, Edward is sweet and has an innocent view of the world. As Coraline, the film skillfully blends the real world with a magical quality. The best example of this is an early photo in which the prestige and pastel colors of the suburbs contrast with the Gothic castle seen in the distance.

6

Monster House (2006)

Children fight in a monstrous house

Coraline has become one of the favorite animated films to enjoy on Halloween with audiences of all ages. Another film that quickly gained a similar reputation is Monster House. The film follows a group of friends on Halloween who become curious about the scary old house on their street and decide to investigate. However, they soon discover that the threat is not the grumpy owner, but rather the house itself, which is a living monster.

The Amblin Entertainment film draws influence from many of that studio’s past films, especially The Goonies. However, it is not difficult to see the similarities with Carolina any. Both films take the young characters out of their ordinary world and into a strange nightmare. As Coraline, Monster House it was also seen as a film that borders on being too intense for younger children, as it can be quite scary.

5

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

Three orphans face their nefarious guardian

A series of unfortunate events is based on the children’s books of the same name and features a surprising dark comedy that is also a family film. The film follows a trio of orphaned children who face the harsh reality of being in the care of their cruel new guardian, Count Olaf. However, it soon becomes clear that the villain is trying to kill his adopted children to receive their inheritance.

Although the original book series is even darker, A series of unfortunate events takes big risks in some of its stories in this film aimed at younger audiences. It gives that bold, exciting quality that also works well for Coraline. Both films are able to balance their tones without detracting from either. As Beetlejuice, a series of unfortunate events is able to soften the darker edges with incredible comedic acting, as Jim Carrey’s take on Olaf steals the show.

4

9 (2009)

A group of rag dolls face an army of destructive robots

9 is a computer-animated science fiction film directed by Shane Acker and was actually based on a short film of the same name by the same director. The story takes place in an alternate version of the 1930s, where humanity was wiped out by a soulless robot. The scientist who created the robot uses alchemy and pieces of his own soul to create nine ragdoll-like creatures. The unassuming heroes will then have to venture into the dystopian world and save the day.

A forgotten animated film from the 2000s, 9 is an ambitious and stylish animated film. The creative storytelling and beautiful design of Cinema Mirror Coraline in how it separates itself from typical animated animation. It also features some good scary elements, especially from the monstrous robotic villains.

3

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Jack Skellington finds new purpose after discovering Christmas

As acclaimed as Coraline Yes, there are many who would argue that director Henry Selick’s best film is The Nightmare Before Christmas. Based on the story by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who is tired of the same scars and ghosts year after year. However, when he accidentally falls into Christmas Town, he decides he wants to give the holiday a try in his own twisted way.

The film’s incredible combination of Christmas and Halloween is a perfect example of the kind of spooky and whimsical collaboration that Coraline comes out so well. However, it is also possible to see many similarities in the stories of these two films. Both feature a protagonist who discovers an eye-opening new world after traveling through a magical portal only to realize he is grateful for the life he has.

2

Frankenweenie (2012)

A boy seeks to resurrect his pet dog

Once again, Tim Burton’s aesthetic perfectly mirrors those accustomed to perfection in Coraline. Frankenweenie it’s actually based on a short film Burton made early in his career. This stop-motion animated production follows a boy who is heartbroken when his beloved pet dog dies. This sadness leads him to try to resurrect the dog, but the experiment gets completely out of control.

Have a light-hearted comedy about Mary Shelley’s story about Frankenstein is a perfect mix of horror and fun for the whole family. As Coralineit balances the creepiness with some genuinely touching moments and a sweet message at its center. While there are many dead dog movies that leave viewers in tears, Frankenweenie It brings a lot of laughs and manages to keep the story light from beginning to end, despite the premise.

1

ParaNorman (2012)

A boy can talk to the dead

Laika Animated Studios has been very effective at creating the types of animated films that offer something for younger audiences to get excited about while also being interesting enough for adults. ParaNorman is a film from the studio that really leans into the horror elements of its narrative more than any other film. The story follows a boy named Norman who can talk to the dead. However, this unusual ability soon puts him in danger as he uncovers a dark secret.

Like Laika’s other films, the animation in ParaNorman is incredible, with the world built for the story engaging and vivid. Although it is a more comical story than Coraline turns out to be, both are great adventures of young protagonists in the scary supernatural world. The creepiness is balanced with silliness as well as some genuinely strong characters.