Halloween viewing: Laika edition

In keeping with with my tradition of viewing new Halloween appropriate movies each year, my original plan was for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and The Corpse Bride. I had thought maybe Coraline too, but also really wanted to do Parasite and The Host. I didn't think I would necessarily get all of those done by Halloween, but that was the thought.

When I started searching at the library, The Corpse Bride and Coraline both showed up in a Laika Binge Box.

Binge Boxes are relatively new to the library, inspired -- I imagine -- by all the new premium streaming services.

I had forgotten that The Corpse Bride was Laika. In fact, it is not theirs really, but they did work on it. The box had one DVD case with The Corpse Bride and then a 4 disc set with Coraline, ParaNorman, The Box Trolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings. Obviously, that was set up before Missing Link came out.

That was tempting. After all, those movies all have their eerie elements. What really tipped the scales was finding out that OMSI was having a Laika exhibit, so I could view view some models from the movies.

https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2021/10/omsi-15-days-of-laika-through-october.html

There is still almost a week before Halloween and I have watched them all. 

It is partly a matter of having a job forcing me to use my time better. I planned the viewing times very carefully and it worked out.

(Also, E.T. is at the library waiting for me now, and I will get to my Bong Joon Ho viewing fairly soon. I may need to consider if he has other works that I want to include.)

For thoughts on the movies I did watch, I probably liked Coraline the least, and yet it was the one I spent the most time on. There will be more on that tomorrow. For the others, I kept finding them surprisingly touching.

My intention was to watch them all in order of release, which I mainly did. The Corpse Bride and Coraline were reversed, but contract work could be considered to be a separate timeline from own works anyway. The first thing that really got to me happened in The Corpse Bride.

The dead have come up to the surface for a wedding. The living are upset, but then there is a pause as one living child approaches a group of the dead. It is tense, and then "Grandpa?", and then everyone starts recognizing each other, and reuniting. It is beautiful.

Communication with the dead is initially more alienating (and inconvenient) in ParaNorman, but you later learn that the reason that Norman's dead grandmother still lingers is that she made a commitment to always look out for him. The part that really got me was the truth of the curse coming out, and that there was room for learning and healing. Other communicators had been able to keep a balance with the curse, but Norman was able to end it. Maybe his youth helped.

(Also, did Scraps in The Corpse Bride inspire Bud in ParaNorman?)

There were some themes of loss and reunion in The Box Trolls, but the one that hit me hardest came last.

I will say that from a visual standpoint alone I preferred the aesthetic of Kubo and the Two Strings. With the other films it was kind of like why does everyone have to look so weird and ugly? Of course you collaborate with Tim Burton! Even the color palettes were not attractive to me. 

Kubo looked a lot better. Also, those witch sisters were really creepy, and there was a better sense of community with Kubo's village.

Kubo also hurt me more. I was warned it would happen, but it didn't help.

I still have that weak spot for parental loss, and that was there, but the parts of the loss that were related to memory? Ouch. If you want to focus on the importance of stories, it makes sense, but ouch.

I don't think it devastated me as much as Coco, but it's in the vicinity.

None of that is a reason not to watch. It's probably good to get the crying out some times. 

I'm just noting that it happened.