Coraline Page #15

CORALINE (CONT'D)

How did this happen?

INT. PARENT’S BEDROOM - SAME

From under the bed, the cat drags out the BUTTON-EYED

DOLL, REMADE into HER MOTHER on one side, and HER FATHER

on the other!

CORALINE:

She’s taken them.

Coraline, enraged, THROWS the doll. FIRE LIGHT comes up

on her face as the background DISSOLVES TO:

INT. LIVING ROOM, FRONT OF FIREPLACE - SAME

CLOSE ON DOLL:
BURNING in the FIREPLACE.

Coraline and cat watch until the fire burns out. She

takes a breath and looks up at the mantel.

ANGLE ON snowglobe, the one of the FOUNTAIN BEARS from

the Detroit Zoo. Coraline cradles it, remembering.

CORALINE:

They’re not coming back, are they – Mom

and Dad. Not on their own.

The cat blinks. She looks over at the locked little door

in the corner wall.

CORALINE (CONT'D)

Only one thing to do.

CUT TO:

INT CORALINE'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

Series of quick shots of Coraline getting ready to go.

Pulls her collecting bag from the closet, her puffy vest,

her boots; grabs a candle and garden shears, puts them in

the bag. She stands to go, taking her cap off the chair.

The ODD PIECE OF CANDY, the triangle green one with the

hole, drops to the floor. She hesitates a moment, then

sticks it in her bag.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - CONTINUOUS

We hear the click of the door being unlocked. It opens to

reveal the cat, and - holding a lit candle - Coraline.

She leaves the key in the lock, like always, takes a

breath and crawls forward.

The candle casts huge, flickering shadows along the wall.

The cat, his voice returned, SPEAKS to her.

CAT:

You know, you’re walking right into her

trap.

CORALINE:

I have to go back.

With great feeling, she explains:

CORALINE (CONT'D)

They are my parents.

CAT:

Challenge her then. She may not play

fair but she won’t refuse. She’s got a

thing for games.

Coraline thinks about it, remembering.

CORALINE:

Hmmm, okay.

The door at the end of the tunnel clicks open, the candle

BLOWS OUT and the cat VANISHES IN THE DARK. Coraline

tenses when a voice calls out.

MOTHER:

Coraline?

CORALINE:

Mom?

There, framed in the open door, back-lit in blue,

Coraline’s REAL MOTHER, with neck brace and dressed in

her shopping clothes, calls.

MOTHER:

Coraline, you came back for us!

CORALINE:

(relieved)

MOM!

She runs forward eagerly and-

INT. OTHER LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

--out the Other Little Door, throwing her arms out to hug

her real Mom.

MOTHER:

Darling!

(voice shifting)

Why would you run away from me?

Coraline sees her mother's hand GROW as it wraps around

her. Alarmed, she PUSHES AWAY and sees the DECOY MOM grow

into the TALL OTHER MOTHER.

The room LIGHTS UP with the glowing bug furniture and a

fireplace fire.

Coraline tries her best to be brave.

CORALINE:

Where are my parents?

The Tall Other Mother's button eyes GLITTER.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

Gosh, I have no idea where your “old”

parents are. Perhaps they’ve grown bored

of you and run away to France?

Her teeth gleam.

CORALINE:

They weren’t bored of me. You stole

them!

Other Father, a FOOT SHORTER than before, his sagging

face a pale PUMPKIN color, his hair VINES, comes up

behind Coraline.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

Now, don’t be difficult, Coraline. Have a

seat, won’t you?

Other Father, GURGLING happily, herds Coraline onto the

walking bug chair.

The Tall Other Mother, standing by the little door, turns

to it and CLAPS her hands.

A moment later, a HUGE RAT skitters out of the tunnel -

FILLED AGAIN with spider webs and children's things -

carrying the KEY from the real world door.

The Tall Other Mother takes the key, locks the door, and -

while the armoire bug assumes guard position - she

SWALLOWS THE KEY.

CORALINE:

(offhand)

Why don't you have your own key?

OTHER FATHER:

Only one key.

The Other Mother PULLS A VINE growing from his ear,

SHUTTING HIS MOUTH.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

Shhh!

(sunnier)

The garden squash need tending, don’t you

think, pumpkin?

She turns him around, her hands under his arms and drags

him out.

OTHER FATHER:

Squish squash, pumpkin sauce...

After a beat, Coraline hears the very faint SOUND OF A

FINGER ON GLASS, just like when her mother wrote HELP on

the mirror. Coraline jumps to her feet, looking around

the room for a sign of her real parents.

CORALINE:

(loud whisper)

Mom, Dad, where’d she hide you?

A muffled screen door slams O.S. and the Tall Other

Mother calls to her from the kitchen.

TALL OTHER MOTHER (O.S.)

Breakfast-time!

Coraline leaves frame.

INT. OTHER KITCHEN - NIGHT

Coraline pauses in the doorway.

CORALINE (V.O.)

(to herself)

Be strong, Coraline.

She sits at the kitchen table in her regular place, her

back to the sink.

Tall Other Mother, humming happily, prepares a mushroom

omelet and bacon. Fragrant cinnamon buns bake in the

oven.

At the table’s center, Coraline sees the box with her

BUTTON EYES with needle and thread. A bead of sweat rolls

down her forehead. As casually as she can, she asks:

CORALINE (CONT'D)

(anxious, trying to be cool)

Why don’t we play ... a game? I know you

like them.

The Tall Other Mother's button eyes FLASH.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

Everybody likes games.

CORALINE:

(nods)

Uh huh.

Bacon sizzles and spits on the stove.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

What kind of game would it be?

CORALINE)

An exploring game ... a finding things

game.

Other Mother tries to act disinterested, but her fingers

drum with excitement.

OTHER MOTHER:

And what is it you’d be finding,

Coraline?

Coraline hesitates.

CORALINE:

My real parents.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

(dismissive)

Too easy.

She folds the omelet over in the pan.

CORALINE:

And, and the eyes of the ghost children.

Tall Other Mother smiles: now it’s getting interesting.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

Huh.

The meal ready, she turns from the stove and takes the

food to Coraline.

TALL OTHER MOTHER (CONT'D)

What if you don’t find them?

CORALINE:

If I lose, I'll stay here with you

forever and let you love me.

(indicates button box)

And I'll let you sew buttons into my

eyes.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

Hmmm... And if you somehow win this game?

CORALINE:

Then you let me go. You let everyone go –

my real father and mother, the dead

children, everyone you've trapped here.

The Tall Other Mother smiles a malicious not in a million

years smile.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

Deal.

She holds out her hand. Coraline doesn’t reach.

CORALINE:

Not till you give me a clue.

Tall Other Mother snorts, her smile sours. She slowly

circles Coraline, and speaks as if talking to a very

stupid child.

TALL OTHER MOTHER

Oh, right... In each of three wonders

I’ve made just for you, a ghost’s eye is

lost in plain sight.

CORALINE:

And for my parents?

Tall Other Mother - standing behind her in front of the

sink - smiles wickedly and just starts TAPPING HER BUTTON

EYE with her finger nail. Coraline turns away from her.

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