Coraline Soundtrack As Creepy-Awesome As The Movie

Last week I got to check out Coraline 3D. I went with a few people who had read the book and told me that it was an eerie story about a girl who explores an alternate universe, but naively, I assumed that the fact that it was animated meant it probably couldn’t be too jarring, because apparently I still assume (incorrectly) that some animation automatically signals a children’s film.

Coraline is creepy. I really enjoyed it — the animation, the plot, the characters, the fact that it was in 3D. I shouldn’t have been surprised that the storytelling would be interesting, considering the fantasy/horror novella was written by Neil Gaiman. I did come out satisfied and pleasantly surprised though, and I also knew right away that I had to have the soundtrack.

Even more than the visuals, I think the sound design in this movie and the score are really what make the atmosphere. It’s the difference between just having the sort of children’s adventure I’d regularly associate with Disney or Nickelodeon and something more mature. There are no power chords or heavy rock percussion. Instead, the use of strings, chimes, bells, and haunting choral elements all help to establish a world that haunts viewers. Tracks like “The Famous Mister B” are almost uncomfortable to listen to, simply because the instruments and notes chosen become so jarring. And intentionally! Later numbers are supposed to resemble earlier points in the movie turned on their heads. Taking a song like “Sirens in The Sea” and bringing the first lyric back later as a ghostly echo is a common thing in movies and music, but it definitely creates a haunting tension when used as Coraline enters a theater that had been full of life in a previous scene.

Composer Bruno Coulais and the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra Budapest are primarily responsible for the score of the film. They Might Be Giants also lend a song sung by Coraline’s other father in the film. If you have some time and $10, I recommend going to see the film. It’s a great movie, and the soundtrack will stick with you.

Coraline Sountrack – Sirens of the Sea

Coraline Soundtrack – The Theater