With its beautiful animated and creepy high quality, many followers search for related films like Coraline that seize that darkish fantasy-horror vibe. Primarily based on a novella of the identical identify by Neil Gaiman, Caroline follows the titular younger lady who strikes into a brand new dwelling and finds a portal to an alternate universe. There, she finds a brand new model of her household just for it to disclose a extra darkish and sinister fact. Coraline became the third highest-grossing stop-motion movie and was nominated for Finest Animated Characteristic on the Oscars.
Coraline balances between the wondrous and the disturbing in a approach that’s appropriate for household audiences. Nevertheless, regardless of its uniqueness, it’s not the one movie to achieve success for that steadiness of creepiness and whimsy. There are many others, and plenty of are additionally recognized for his or her stop-motion animation model. These films do not veer thus far into horror that they can not be loved by all ages, however like Coraline, they’re keen to push the boundaries of what family-friendly films might be.
10 Corpse Bride (2005)
A Younger Groom By chance Turns into Engaged To A Corpse

Directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton, Corpse Bride is a stop-motion fantasy-horror musical launched in 2005. Set within the Victorian Period in England, a groom named Victor by chance weds Emily, a skeletal lady, whereas working towards his vows alone in a forest. Whisked away to the Land of the Useless, Victor makes an attempt to assist Emily with the circumstances surrounding her destiny whereas making an attempt to flee his new momentary undead dwelling.
- Launch Date
- September 23, 2005
- Forged
- Johnny Depp , Helena Bonham Carter , Emily Watson , Tracey Ullman , Paul Whitehouse , Joanna Lumley , Albert Finney , Richard E. Grant , Christopher Lee
- Runtime
- 77 Minutes
Tim Burton’s signature style combines whimsical tales with darkish atmospheres. Caroline is commonly checked out as a film much like a few of Burton’s personal model. Burton’s twisted but charming stop-motion film Corpse Bride highlights how related these kinds might be. The film follows the narrative of a younger groom who mistakenly will get engaged to a deceased bride who’s introduced again to life with the intention to make sure the union goes by way of. Whereas initially terrified, the younger man quickly finds a connection to the misunderstood bride.
Like Coraline, the characters are imaginative, and there may be simply sufficient comedy to provide the viewers enjoyment with out taking away from the darkish setting. Additionally it is a musical, including one other layer to the film’s surreal steadiness between levity and horror. Burton provides to the creepy environment and macabre really feel with nice particulars, similar to Corpse Brides‘ land of the useless being extra colourful and vibrant than the dour land of the residing.
9 Beetlejuice (1988)
A Newly Deceased Couple Seeks The Assist Of A Mischievous Demon

Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stars Michael Keaton because the titular “bio-exorcist”, an obnoxious spirit who focuses on driving residing occupants out of properties. When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die instantly, they cross into the spirit realm, and should keep of their dwelling. Nevertheless, within the residing world, the Deetz household purchases the home and strikes in, prompting the Maitlands to enlist the assistance of Beetlejuice to drive them away.
- Launch Date
- March 30, 1988
Tim Burton continues to show himself a director whose aesthetic matches the texture of Coraline together with his iconic horror-comedy Beetlejuice. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis star within the film as a lately deceased couple who’re horrified to discover a new household shifting into their home. Unwilling to let it go, they search the assistance of a troublemaking con artist demon generally known as Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), however discover that summoning him brings extra bother than they bargained for.
As soon as once more, Burton creates a enjoyable take a look at the afterlife, with it being depicted as a monotonous and tedious bureaucratic nightmare, stuffed with ready rooms and dense manuals. The spotlight of the film is Keaton’s tour-de-force comedic efficiency as Beetlejuice. Whereas the character makes the film a lot wackier and extra comedic than Coraline, they share the sense of the mischievous, sinister risk lurking behind the scenes. The success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice highlights the love for this character.
8 James And The Large Peach (1996)
An Orphaned Boy Escapes On A Magic Piece Of Fruit

An orphan who lives together with his two merciless aunts befriends anthropomorphic bugs who dwell inside a large peach, and so they embark on a journey to New York Metropolis.
- Director
- Henry Selick
- Launch Date
- April 12, 1996
- Forged
- Paul Terry , Joanna Lumley , Pete Postlethwaite , Simon Callow , Richard Dreyfuss , Jane Leeves , Miriam Margolyes , Susan Sarandon
Henry Selick is a filmmaker who has turn into recognized for his imaginative work in stop-motion films. Together with directing Coraline, Selick additionally beforehand helmed this adaption of a Roald Dahl book, James and the Large Peach. The film follows a younger kind-hearted boy named James who’s left an orphan and compelled to dwell together with his meanspirtied aunts. Nevertheless, when a peach on their property grows to an unlimited measurement, James makes use of it to flee his sad dwelling life and makes mates with a gang of bugs residing contained in the peach.
Curiously, James and the Large Peach begins as a live-action film and transforms into stop-motion when James’ journey begins. In reality, the scene of him crawling contained in the peach is paying homage to the scene in Coraline as she crawls by way of the tunnel. Each films construct their very own worlds which have surreal qualities to them and inform the story of a younger protagonist making an attempt to flee to a brand new type of life.
7 Edward Scissorhands (1990)
An Inventor’s Creation Is Taken In By A Suburban Household

From director Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands follows the titular character, a man-made human created by an inventor, who has scissor blades as an alternative of fingers. After his creator’s dying, Edward is taken in by a standard suburban household and turns into interested in the household’s teenage daughter, Kim Boggs. Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder star as Edward and Kim.
- Launch Date
- December 14, 1990
One more film from Tim Burton works as an efficient comparability to Coraline. Edward Scissorhands was Burton’s first collaboration with Johnny Depp and stays their finest work collectively. Depp performs the titular function, a younger man created by an eccentric inventor who died earlier than he was full, thus leaving him with scissors for his palms. He’s then invited to dwell with a suburban household the place he turns into the most well-liked determine within the neighborhood.
Whereas Edward’s character design could also be scary for a younger youngster, Edward is a sweetheart and has an harmless outlook on the world. Like Coraline, the film expertly mixes the true world with a magic high quality. The perfect instance of that is an early shot through which the status and pastel colours of the suburbs are contrasted with the gothic citadel seen within the distance.
6 Monster Home (2006)
Younger Youngsters Battle A Monstrous Home
Coraline has turn into one of many favourite animated films to take pleasure in on Halloween with audiences of all ages. One other film that has rapidly earned the same popularity is Monster Home. The film follows a bunch of mates on Halloween who turn into curious concerning the creepy outdated home on their avenue and determine to research. Nevertheless, they quickly discover it’s not the grumpy proprietor who’s the risk, however fairly the home itself which is a residing monster.
The Amblin Leisure film attracts affect from plenty of movies from that studio’s previous, particularly The Goonies. Nevertheless, it’s not onerous to see the similarities with Caroline both. Each films take the younger characters out of their peculiar world and into a wierd nightmare. Like Coraline, Monster Home has additionally been seen as a film that verges on being too intense for youthful children as it may be fairly scary.
5 Lemony Snicket’s A Sequence Of Unlucky Occasions (2004)
Three Orphans Face Off With Their Nefarious Guardian

Lemony Snicket’s A Sequence of Unlucky Occasions follows the story of three orphans despatched to dwell with their distant relative, Depend Olaf, portrayed by Jim Carrey. As the kids uncover Olaf’s sinister plan to assert their inheritance, they navigate a collection of surprising challenges and eccentric characters.
- Director
- Brad Silberling
- Launch Date
- December 16, 2004
A Sequence of Unlucky Occasions relies on the kids’s books of the identical identify and presents a surprisingly darkish comedy that can be a family-friendly film. The movie follows a trio of orphaned kids who’re confronted with the tough actuality of being within the care of their new merciless guardian, Depend Olaf. Nevertheless, it quickly turns into clear that the villain is making an attempt to kill off his younger adopted kids with the intention to acquire their inheritance.
Whereas the unique e book collection is even darker, A Sequence of Unlucky Occasions takes huge dangers in a few of its storytelling on this film aimed toward youthful audiences. It provides it that daring and thrilling high quality that additionally works properly for Coraline. Each films are in a position to steadiness their tones with out undermining both one. Like Beetlejuice, A Sequence of Unlucky Occasions is ready to soften the darker edges with a terrific comedic efficiency, as Jim Carrey’s tackle Olaf steals the present.
4 9 (2009)
A Group Of Rag Dolls Face A Damaging Robotic Military
9 is a computer-animated science fiction movie directed by Shane Acker and was truly primarily based on a brief movie of the identical identify by the identical director. The story is in an alternate model of the Thirties the place humanity has been worn out by a soulless robotic. The scientist who made the robotic within the first place makes use of alchemy and items of his personal soul to make 9 rag-doll-like creatures. The unassuming heroes then need to enterprise out into the dystopian world and save the day.
A forgotten animated movie from the 2000s, 9 is an formidable and classy animated film. The artistic storytelling and exquisite design of the film mirror Coraline in the way it separates itself from the standard animated fare. It additionally options some good scary components, particularly from the monstrous robotic villains.
3 The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas (1993)
Jack Skellington Finds New Objective After Discovering Christmas

Henry Selick directs The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas, a stop-motion fairytale from the thoughts of Tim Burton. Jack Skellington is the king of Halloween and one in every of Halloweentown’s most beloved residents, however he longs for one thing extra. When he stumbles throughout a magical door that leads him to find Christmas, he makes it his mission to interchange Santa Claus and produce festive cheer to his perpetually spooky hamlet.
- Director
- Henry Selick
- Launch Date
- October 29, 1993
- Forged
- Catherine O’Hara , Glenn Shadix , Ken Web page , William Hickey , Chris Sarandon , Paul Reubens , Danny Elfman
As acclaimed as Coraline is, there are lots of who would argue that director Henry Selick’s finest film is The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas. Primarily based on the story by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween City who’s rising bored with the identical scars and spooks yr after yr. Nevertheless, when he by chance falls into Christmas City, he decides he desires to provide the vacation a shot in his personal twisted approach.
The film’s terrific mixture of Christmas and Halloween is an ideal instance of the type of collaboration of creepy and whimsy that Coraline pulls off so properly. Nevertheless, additionally it is potential to see plenty of similarities within the tales of those two films. Each function a protagonist who discovers a brand new eye-opening world after touring by way of a magic portal solely to return to the belief that they’re grateful for the life they’ve.
2 Frankenweenie (2012)
A Boy Seeks To Resurrect His Pet Canine

Frankenweenie is a 2012 stop-motion animated remake of Tim Burton’s eponymous 1984 brief movie. It tells the story of younger scientist Victor Frankenstein, who brings his canine Sparky again to life and tries to cease his experiment from wreaking havoc throughout his city.
- Launch Date
- October 5, 2012
- Forged
- Charlie Tahan , Winona Ryder , Martin Short , James Hiroyuki Liao , Catherine O’Hara , Martin Landau , Atticus Shaffer
As soon as once more, Tim Burton’s aesthetics completely mirror these used to perfection in Coraline. Frankenweenie is definitely primarily based on a brief movie Burton made early in his profession. This stop-motion animated manufacturing follows a younger boy who’s heartbroken when his beloved pet canine dies. This unhappiness leads him to aim to resurrect the canine just for the experiment to go wildly uncontrolled.
Having a lighthearted comedy tackle Mary Shelley’s story of Frankenstein is an ideal mix of horror and family-friendly enjoyable. Like Coraline, it balances the creepiness with some genuinely shifting moments and a candy message at its middle. Whereas there are plenty of films with useless canine that go away viewers in tears, Frankenweenie delivers huge laughs and manages to maintain it a light-weight story from starting to finish, regardless of the premise.
1 ParaNorman (2012)
A Younger Boy Can Communicate To The Useless

ParaNorman is a stop-motion animated film a few younger boy who makes use of his skill to see and talk with the useless to save lots of his city from an historic witch’s curse. The voice forged contains Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jodelle Ferland, Bernard Hill, Tucker Albrizzi, and John Goodman.
- Director
- Sam Fell
- Launch Date
- September 13, 2012
- Forged
- Anna Kendrick , Kodi Smit-McPhee
Laika Animated Studios has been very efficient at creating the kinds of animated films that supply one thing for youthful audiences to be thrilled by whereas additionally being fascinating sufficient for adults. ParaNorman is one such film from the studio that actually leans into the horror components of its storytelling greater than any of its different movies. The story follows a younger boy named Norman who can communicate to the useless. Nevertheless, this uncommon skill quickly places him at risk as he uncovers a darkish secret.
Like Laika’s different films, the animation in ParaNorman is wonderful, with the world that’s constructed for the story being engrossing and vivid. Whereas it’s a extra comedic story than Coraline finally ends up being, they’re each nice adventures of younger protagonists within the creepy supernatural world. The creepiness is balanced with silliness in addition to some genuinely sturdy characters.