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Coraline (2009)'s debt to Being John Malkovich (1999)

posted 10 years ago by rking333
10 replies | jump to latest

Anyone else notice the almost frame-for-frame Coraline (2009) recreation of the hidden, small door (portal) opening to a long, grungy tunnel, leading to an alternate world in the 1999 film? Almost exactly like Cameron Diaz going through the same-sized hidden door, opening on the same grungy tunnel leading to the inside of John Malkovich's head!

In Coraline's first trips, the tunnel is colorful. Later on, it looks exactly like the grungy tunnel of BJM!

Coraline was based on a 2002 book (which I haven't read), but even the book came years after the Malkovich film.

On the plus side, Coraline does one thing I've never seen before: makes buttons look evil!

[–] yusef-ghanima 9 years ago

no it's not, it's too general.

[–] rking333 9 years ago

yusef -- You must not have seen Being John Malkovich or you'd know the scenes from both films look alike, and BJM was 10 years before Coraline!

In BJM, John Cusack discovers the tiny door the same way it's discovered in Coraline: by moving furniture blocking it! Both he & Cameron Diaz move through the tunnel just like Coraline.

Maybe the Coraline peeps didn't steal it, but here are the similarities:

1) Size of door (so small, you have to kneel to crawl through it)

2) Door discovered by moving furniture blocking it

3) Door opens on a long, seemingly endless, intimidating tunnel

4) You have to crawl on hands & knees through the tunnel

Camera angles & pace of characters in Coraline's scenes are almost identical to BJM's!

[–] yusef-ghanima 9 years ago

not a pig deal, any way coroline is a much better movie.

[–] DevilYouKnow 9 years ago

And there are portals to other worlds like Wonderland, and Narnia - long before Being John Malkovich so.........

https://twitter.com/DracTweets

[–] rking333 9 years ago

And the Big Bang opened a portal into the known universe long before Wonderland & Narnia so...

Jeez Louise, guys! I'm not knocking Coraline. It's a well-made film. Coraline & ParaNorman are state-of-the-art stop-motion features. Established high bars for anyone to top.

Nevertheless, concept; door-size, how it was discovered; tunnel length, height, design & dramatic tone; camera angles & pace of character performance for the same scene in both BJM & Coraline is almost frame-for-frame the same. And BJM was first, by 10 years.

That doesn't diss Coraline. And it's not the only good thing about BJM. Coincidence or influenced by? Don't know.

I'm not here to judge. I'm just asking if anyone who's seen both films has noticed this. If you've seen BJM first, then Coraline, seeing that small door -- behind furniture -- in Coraline is a "BOING!!!" moment!

[–] golonko4 9 years ago

I'd call it a homage to BJM.
The scene does look very similar indeed.

In the book however, the passage looks completely different. It leads through a normal door, which in standard circumstances is locked and leads to a brick wall (walled passage to the other part of the real house). It changes to the tunnel only on some occasions.

Looking at the whole story (the one in the book anyways), BJM reference adds quite a lot of context.

[–] Mhjm6 9 years ago

Funnily enough, the trivia for Being John Malkovich says it also almost had a song by They Might Be Giants included!!

[–] phonenumberofthebeast 9 years ago

Have you considered that they may both owe a debt to Alice In Wonderland?

Never say "Worst movie ever" to someone who's seen Highlander 2

[–] palvdb 8 years ago

Well it's just the tunnel, it's a pretty minor thing. I actually doubt that it hasn't been done before Being John Malkovich.

[–] armensog 7 years ago

pff debt.. grow up. This is a standalone masterpiece