The story arc:
- Ordinary world: Coraline is a young girl who moves with her parents to a new house in the countryside. She is bored and unhappy with her life, as her parents are busy and neglectful, and the house is old and creepy.
- Call to adventure: Coraline discovers a small door in the living room, which leads to a parallel world that is similar to her own, but better. There, she meets her Other Mother and Other Father, who are kind and attentive, and who offer her everything she ever wanted.
- Refusal of the call: Coraline is tempted by the parallel world, but she also notices some strange and sinister things, such as the fact that everyone there has buttons for eyes. She decides to go back to her real world, but promises to visit again.
- Meeting with the mentor: Coraline meets a black cat, who can talk in the parallel world, and who warns her about the dangers of the Other Mother. He tells her that the Other Mother is a witch who lures children into her world and steals their souls. He also tells her that she is not the first victim, and that there are three other children who are trapped in the parallel world.
- Crossing the threshold: Coraline returns to the parallel world, hoping to rescue the other children. She finds out that the Other Mother has kidnapped her real parents and locked them behind a mirror. She also learns that the Other Mother wants her to stay in the parallel world forever, and that she has to sew buttons on her eyes to do so.
- Tests, allies, enemies: Coraline refuses to sew buttons on her eyes, and challenges the Other Mother to a game. She bets that if she can find her real parents and the souls of the other children, she and they can go free. If she fails, she will stay in the parallel world and sew buttons on her eyes. The Other Mother agrees, and gives her a limited time to complete the task. Coraline faces many obstacles and dangers along the way, such as the Other Father, who is turned into a monstrous puppet; the Other Spink and Forcible, who are turned into giant bats; and the Other Bobinsky, who is turned into a huge rat. She also meets some allies, such as the cat, who helps her to see through the illusions of the parallel world; and the ghost children, who guide her to their souls, which are hidden in the form of eyes.
- Approach to the inmost cave: Coraline manages to find the souls of the other children, and returns to the living room, where the Other Mother is waiting for her. She also finds her real parents, who are trapped in a snow globe. She demands that the Other Mother let them go, but the Other Mother reveals that she lied about the game, and that she will never let her go. She transforms into a grotesque spider-like creature, and tries to capture Coraline.
- Ordeal: Coraline runs away from the Other Mother, and tries to escape through the small door. However, the door is locked, and the key is in the Other Mother’s hand. Coraline tricks the Other Mother into throwing the key at her, and catches it with the help of the cat. She opens the door, and pushes the snow globe through it. She also throws the cat at the Other Mother, who is distracted by him. She then slams the door shut, and locks it with the key.
- Reward: Coraline returns to her real world, and finds her parents safe and sound. They have no memory of being kidnapped, but they are more loving and attentive to Coraline. Coraline also frees the souls of the other children, who thank her and move on to the afterlife. She also keeps the cat as a friend, who can still talk to her in her dreams.
- The road back: Coraline decides to get rid of the key, as she fears that the Other Mother might still come after her. She plans to throw it down a well in the garden, but she is attacked by the Other Mother’s severed hand, which followed her through the door. She fights off the hand, and drops it and the key into the well. She then covers the well with a heavy lid, and seals it with cement.
- Resurrection: Coraline celebrates her victory, and enjoys her new life. She makes friends with her neighbors, such as Wybie, a boy who gave her a doll that looks like her; Spink and Forcible, two retired actresses who live downstairs; and Bobinsky, a circus performer who lives upstairs. She also reconciles with her parents, who are more involved in her life. She realizes that she has everything she ever wanted in her real world, and that she doesn’t need the parallel world anymore.
- Return with the elixir: Coraline returns to her house, and finds a surprise party waiting for her. Her parents and her neighbors have prepared a cake and gifts for her, and they celebrate her birthday. Coraline is happy and grateful, and she shares her story with them. She also sees the cat outside, who winks at her and disappears. She smiles and closes the door, ending the film.
Characters: The main characters of the film are:
- Coraline: The protagonist and the hero of the story. She is a young girl who moves to a new house with her parents. She is bored and unhappy with her life, and she discovers a parallel world that offers her everything she ever wanted. She realizes that the parallel world is a trap, and she escapes from it. She also rescues her parents and the souls of the other children. She learns to appreciate her real world and her real family and friends.
- The Other Mother: The antagonist and the villain of the story. She is a witch who creates a parallel world that lures children into her trap. She pretends to be a kind and loving mother, but she is actually cruel and selfish. She wants to steal the children’s souls and sew buttons on their eyes. She tries to keep Coraline in her world, and she transforms into a monstrous spider-like creature. She is defeated by Coraline and locked in her world.
- The cat: The deuteragonist and the mentor of the story. He is a black cat who can talk in the parallel world, and who warns Coraline about the Other Mother. He helps Coraline to see through the illusions of the parallel world, and to escape from the Other Mother. He also becomes Coraline’s friend, and he can still talk to her in her dreams.
- The other characters: The supporting characters and the allies or enemies of Coraline. They are the inhabitants of the real and the parallel world, who have different roles and personalities. They include Coraline’s parents, who are busy and neglectful in the real world, but kind and attentive in the parallel world; Wybie, a boy who gives Coraline a doll that looks like her, and who helps her to fight the Other Mother’s hand; Spink and Forcible, two retired actresses who live downstairs, and who are friendly and eccentric in the real world, but glamorous and vain in the parallel world; Bobinsky, a circus performer who lives upstairs, and who is weird and funny in the real world, but impressive and talented in the parallel world; and the ghost children, who are the previous victims of the Other Mother, and who guide Coraline to their souls.