Coraline Budget
AnimationFamilyFantasy1h 40mUpdated
Synopsis
While exploring her new home, a girl named Coraline discovers a secret door, behind which lies an alternate world that closely mirrors her own but, in many ways, is better. She rejoices in her discovery, until Other Mother and the rest of her parallel family try to keep her there forever. Coraline must use all her resources and bravery to make it back to her own family and life.
What is the budget of Coraline?
"Coraline," a animation released in 2009, was directed by Henry Selick and stars Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher. The production budget was $60,000,000, placing it in the high-budget range for animation productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a animation production like this include:
- Animation Production Pipeline: The bulk of an animated film's budget funds the multi-year production pipeline: storyboarding, character modeling, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, and compositing.
- Voice Talent: Celebrity voice casting has become standard for studio animation, with A-list actors earning $5 to 15 million for voice roles.
- Music, Songs & Sound Design: Original songs and orchestral scores are central to animated storytelling. Sound design for animated worlds must be created entirely from scratch.
- Production: Director Henry Selick met author Neil Gaiman just as Gaiman was finishing the novel Coraline, which was published in 2002, and as Gaiman was a fan of Selick's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), he invited him to make a film adaptation.
What were the major cost factors in Coraline?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Coraline."
- Animation Production Pipeline: Animation Production Pipeline is one of the primary cost drivers in animation productions of this scale.
- Voice Talent: Voice Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in animation productions of this scale.
- Music: Music, Songs & Sound Design is one of the primary cost drivers in animation productions of this scale.
How Does Coraline's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $60,000,000, Coraline sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- 15 Minutes (2001): Budget $60,000,000, Worldwide Gross $56,359,980
- Almost Famous (2000): Budget $60,000,000, Worldwide Gross $47,386,287
- Analyze That (2002): Budget $60,000,000, Worldwide Gross $55,003,135
- Antz (1998): Budget $60,000,000, Worldwide Gross $171,757,863
- Cats & Dogs (2001): Budget $60,000,000, Worldwide Gross $200,687,492
The median budget for wide-release animation films in the 2000s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
Coraline Box Office Performance
"Coraline" earned $75,286,229 domestically and $185,860,104 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $60,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.
A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "Coraline," that break-even threshold was roughly $120,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $185,860,104, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $60,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $185,860,104
- Net Return: $125,860,104
- ROI: approximately 209.8%
At 209.8%, "Coraline" earned roughly $3.1 for every $1 invested in production.
Coraline Production History
The soundtrack for Coraline features songs by Bruno Coulais, with one ("Other Father Song") by They Might Be Giants. The Other Father's singing voice is provided by John Linnell, one of the band's singers. The band was hired to write an entire soundtrack for the film, but according to John Flansburgh, the production team "wanted the music to be more creepy", and only one song was ultimately used.
Awards and Recognition
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 8 wins & 46 nominations total
- Annecy Cristal for a Feature Film
Critical Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 279 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "With its vivid stop-motion animation combined with Neil Gaiman's imaginative story, Coraline is a film that's both visually stunning and wondrously entertaining." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100 based on reviews from 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make Coraline (2009)?
Coraline was produced on a budget of $60,000,000. Focus Features financed the stop-motion fantasy through Laika Entertainment, with Henry Selick directing and Bill Mechanic and Claire Jennings producing. The cost made Coraline the most expensive stop-motion animated film ever made at the time of its release.
How much did Coraline earn at the box office?
The film grossed $75,286,229 domestically and $49,317,300 internationally, for a worldwide total of $124,603,529. It opened to $16,852,242 in the United States during the weekend of February 6, 2009, finishing second behind Taken in its second weekend.
Who directed Coraline?
Henry Selick directed Coraline from his own screenplay, adapted from Neil Gaiman's 2002 novella. Selick had previously directed The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and James and the Giant Peach (1996), establishing him as the foremost stop-motion feature director of his generation.
Was Coraline filmed using stop-motion or animation?
Coraline was filmed primarily in stop-motion animation at Laika's studio in Hillsboro, Oregon, with over 130,000 individually crafted face pieces used to animate the character's expressions. The film was the first feature-length stop-motion animation produced and released in stereoscopic 3D.
Was Coraline a hit?
Yes, by stop-motion animation standards. Against a $60,000,000 production budget and an estimated $35,000,000 marketing spend, the film returned approximately $1.31 in worldwide gross for every $1 invested. The result established Laika as a viable feature animation studio and led directly to ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), and Missing Link (2019).
Who voiced Coraline?
Dakota Fanning voiced the title character, with Teri Hatcher as Mother / Other Mother, John Hodgman as Father / Other Father, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French as Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, Ian McShane as Mr. Bobinsky, and Keith David as the Cat.
What did critics think of Coraline?
The film received highly positive reviews, holding a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 256 critics and an 80 out of 100 score on Metacritic. Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and called it "the kind of movie that makes you imagine all the different rooms and corners of the place where you wish you lived."
Did Coraline win any awards?
Coraline was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 82nd Academy Awards but lost to Up. It also received nominations at the Golden Globes (Best Animated Feature, lost to Up) and the BAFTAs (Best Animated Film, lost to Up). The film won the Annie Award for Best Music in an Animated Feature Production.
Did Coraline get a sequel?
No. Director Henry Selick and Laika have not produced a Coraline sequel, and Neil Gaiman has stated multiple times that he has no plans to write a follow-up novella. A theatrical 15th-anniversary re-release in August 2024 earned $54,000,000 worldwide on a tiny marketing spend, prompting renewed fan speculation, but no sequel has been formally announced.
Where can I stream Coraline?
The film is available for digital rental and purchase through Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu. It is not currently a perpetual title on any major SVOD service in the United States. The 15th-anniversary 3D theatrical re-release in 2024 made the film a recurring repertory presence at independent cinemas.
Official Trailer
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