Coraline Page #12

INT. OTHER FATHER’S STUDY - SAME

Coraline opens the door and finds the Other Father

sitting at the piano, his back to her, hitting the note.

She speaks in her bravest voice.

CORALINE:

Hey you! Where’s the Other Mother? I

want to go home.

The Other Father turns around. He looks ill; his hair

messed and his glasses askew. He speaks, his voice slowed-

down.

OTHER FATHER:

All will be swell, soon as Mother’s

refreshed. Her strength is our strength.

The WHITE-GLOVED HANDS POP OUT from the piano. One COVERS

HIS MOUTH, the other WAGS A FINGER in his face.

OTHER FATHER (CONT'D)

Mustn't talk when Mother’s not here.

CORALINE:

If you won't even talk to me, I’m gonna

find the Other Wybie. He’ll help me.

She turns to go.

OTHER FATHER:

No point; he pulled a long face...

He PULLS DOWN the corners of his mouth impossibly far.

OTHER FATHER (CONT'D)

...and Mother didn’t like it.

The PIANO HANDS pop out again, aggressively SHUT HIS

MOUTH and SPIN HIM away from Coraline. Frightened, she

runs to the door that leads outside, and pulls it open.

EXT. OTHER HOUSE - NIGHT, FULL MOON

She runs out the back porch, towards the Other Garden.

OTHER STEEP HILLSIDE TRAIL

She crosses the trail, the Other House in the distance.

ENTRANCE TO OTHER ORCHARD

She runs down the path.

OTHER ORCHARD:

Coraline runs past trees that are LUSH WITH GREEN LEAVES

AND RIPE RED FRUIT.

She’s panting hard, and has to slow to a fast walk. The

further she goes, the LESS TREE-LIKE the fruit trees

become.

She hears the CAT MEROWWW . Surprised, she looks down.

CAT:

And what do you think you’re doing?

The cat trots along by her feet. She blinks.

CORALINE:

Well, I'm gettin' outta here. That's what

I'M doing.

The sky starts to BRIGHTEN and the apple trees become

WIRE-THIN SHAPES OF TREES.

CORALINE (CONT'D)

Huh? Something’s wrong. Shouldn’t the

old well be here?

The remnants of the trees and the sky and the ground give

way to a PALE, EMPTY NOTHINGNESS. No ground or shadows.

CAT:

Nothing out here ... it’s the empty part

of this world. She only made what she

knew would impress you.

CORALINE:

But why? Why does she want me?

They walk over the horizon.

CAT (cont’d)

She wants something to love, I think.

Something that isn't her... Or maybe

she’d just love something to eat.

CORALINE:

Eat? That’s ridiculous, mothers don’t eat

daughters!

CAT:

I don’t know. How do you taste?

OTHER HOUSE REAPPEARS

A SHAPE RISES in front of them in the whiteness and

becomes the beautiful OTHER HOUSE. Coraline and the cat

slow, then the front yard and topiary, the sky, hills,

white gravel drive and the poplar trees behind them FILL

IN.

CORALINE:

Huh? But how can you walk away from

something and still come back to it?

The cat curls its tail into a question mark, and tips its

head to one side.

CAT:

Walk around the world.

CORALINE:

Small world.

Coraline shivers. The cat suddenly TENSES, focuses on a

shrub.

CAT:

Hang on-

He bounds towards the shrub and chases out a CUTE

KANGAROO MOUSE in uniform with a TINY TRUMPET. Before

Coraline can blink, he’s PINNED IT DOWN.

CORALINE:

Stop, he’s one of the circus mice!

With a SWIFT BLOW of its paw, the cat KNOCKS the mouse

into the air, and catches it in his mouth. He gives a

QUICK, KILLING BITE - CORALINE GASPS - and the mouse

TRANSFORMS into a BIG DEAD RAT. Coraline is stunned. He

drops the rat on the ground.

CAT:

I don’t like rats at the best of times,

but this one was sounding an alarm.

The cat picks the rat up and heads off. Slack-jawed,

Coraline speaks with admiration.

CORALINE:

Gooooood kitty.

Coraline looks to the house with a determined look.

On the porch, she takes out a HEAVY CANE from the

UMBRELLA STAND and hits it into her hand.

INT. HOUSE, OTHER HALLWAY - SAME

Coraline, standing in front of the living room doors,

TESTS the cane in her hands, and peers down the hall for

danger. It’s dead quiet -- no piano, no sounds of

anything.

She JAMS the cane through the doors' handles, and PULLS

with all her might. One HANDLE AND LOCK BREAK and the

door swings open into the pitch black living room. The

hall light casts a narrow path directly to the Other

Little Door on the far wall, cracked open. She steps into

the room.

INT. OTHER LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

A huge ARMOIRE BUG suddenly crab-steps in her path,

blocking the little door, and all around her things start

to glow. The room has been TRANSFORMED into an amazing

BUG MUSEUM, with all sorts of glowing, living specimens

in the place of the old furniture and furnishings. The

radiators are now big caterpillars, the Nordic Track a

serving bug.

The Other Mother speaks out, startling Coraline.

OTHER MOTHER (O.S.)

They say even the proudest -

The sofa, now a LARGE BUG, turns in place to reveal her

sitting on it.

OTHER MOTHER (CONT'D)

--spirit can be broken ... with love.

She’s all smiles, button eyes shining, one hand held out

in a behold my handiwork gesture.

A BUG CHAIR scoops up Coraline and brings her to the

Other Mother.

The Other Mother takes a candy dish from the servant bug.

OTHER MOTHER (CONT'D)

Of course, chocolate never hurts. Like

one?

She extends a CANDY DISH filled LIVING CHOCOLATE BEETLES.

OTHER MOTHER (CONT’D)

They’re Cocoa Beetles from Zanzibar.

Coraline is disgusted. The Other Mother takes back the

dish and BITES OFF THE HEAD OF ONE. It’s the first thing

she’s eaten in the film.

CORALINE:

I want to be with my real mom and dad. I

want you to let me go.

The Other Mother FROWNS, swallows. She speaks with a

FRIGHTENING STEELINESS in her voice.

OTHER MOTHER:

Is that any way to talk to your mother?

Coraline is mad, and feeling mad makes her brave.

CORALINE:

You aren't my mother.

The Other Mother STRAIGHTENS. Her button eyes, now DEAD,

stare into Coraline's.

OTHER MOTHER:

Apologize at once, Coraline!

Coraline stares right back, not blinking.

CORALINE:

No.

OTHER MOTHER:

(tensely)

I’ll give you to the count of three.

One...

Then she stands up, GROWING TALLER.

OTHER MOTHER (CONT'D)

...two...

She grows TALLER STILL and SCARIER like a super model on

steroids.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

...THREE!

This TALL OTHER MOTHER GRABS Coraline by her NOSE and

DRAGS her to the hallway.

CORALINE:

Ow, what are you doing!

INT. OTHER HOUSE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

She PULLS Coraline down the hallway to the mirror at the

end. Coraline flails at the Tall Other Mother with her

fists.

CORALINE:

Ow, that hurts!

Tall Other Mother SHOVES Coraline RIGHT THROUGH THE

MIRROR as if it was water!

INT. CLOSET-PRISON BEHIND THE MIRROR - CONTINUOUS

Coraline HITS the ground hard. The Tall Other Mother,

head thrust through the mirror, stares down at her

angrily.

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