I recently finished Katy Towell’s Charlie and the Grandmothers, a spooky story about a boy and his sister sent to visit a grandmother they never knew they had. It’s a tale of children forced to become heroes in the face of losing family to an evil no grown-up ever seems to notice.
Not exactly an original plot line, but for the record, it was the perfect touch of creepy while driving to visit Bo’s grandmother.
The story actually put me in the mood for the soundtrack to Coraline, a lusciously eerie stop-motion animated film based on Neil Gaiman’s award-winning book. Scored by French composer Bruno Coulais, the music embodies innocence, adventure, malice, terror–all of which comes together to create what I’d like to call “dangerous whimsy.”
The opening music is brilliant for this. I could certainly say the visuals add to the eerie factor, but let’s just focus on the music for now.
Strings play a major role throughout Coulais’ score. They are often light, be it the pluck of the harp strings are the airy-melodies of the violins. There’s an assured delicacy to their movements, like spiders upon their webs. Brass is rarely applied. Children sing harmonies in major and minor keys using French gibberish, which has got to be one of the most gibbery gibberishes there can be.
Two particular stars shine more in this music than anything else, I think: the harp, and…and that sound…darnit, I wish I knew what it is! It’s like the sound of one’s wet finger moving round and round a glass’ rim: a note, but not quite.
The harp follow Coraline as she explores her new home, moving as her child feet through all the boring rooms of the house and eventually discovering the little door behind the wallpaper.
Coulais made a brilliant choice in keeping the harp and singer separate from the rest of the orchestra: the audience is seeing just how alone Coraline is as she struggles to find what could make this new home worthwhile. There’s also the loving touch of whimsy here as she explores the house, what with the harp’s off-beat touches and major-key melody.
But then we are taken through the door, and we meet the Other-Mother.
Here Coulais uses chimes, piano, and of course, those children singers. This time, though, their key is minor, turning all the harmonies into something…off-putting. That sound of the fingertip on glass hums ever in the background, making the music itself feel just slightly unreal. A xylophone and finger-cymbals keep the feel of the music light and playful, but all the harmonies are now in a minor key. The playfulness is gone, replaced with a sense of wonder, but wonder that one wants to step away from instead of toward.
Such is the joy of dangerous whimsy. Of course whimsy is a bit of the fantastic, a bit of fun. A bit of youth, and a bit of innocence. Dangerous whimsy is the whimsy that hunts the youth and innocence, luring with the fantastic and the fun to…well. The Pied Piper of Hamlin lured children into a mountain. Grandmothers lured Charlie into imagination mines. The Other Mother lured Coraline into her web of wonders to take her eyes. And because this is all whimsy, adults are either blind to it or duped into compliance with it.
Our stories’ heroes deserve a world of wonders in which to both thrive as well as struggle. Whether your hero’s 38, 18, or 8, the villain–or even the setting–must engage the hero. Distract the hero, entice the hero, scare the pants off the hero. Whatever you do, the hero can’t know for sure what’s going on until she’s in too deep to stop. Give your hero a show of whimsical wonders, and she’ll never know the malice that creeps beneath.
Can’t open the music files? Special thanks to @ZoolonHub for finding a link to the soundtrack that will open outside the US.
The video/sound links don’t work. It’s likely a UK thing, but I found them on YouTube anyway. If it is a UK thing, and anyone else is stuck here’s the whole soundtrack; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkNQJqi90fA
I better not listen to it in full right now, I’m composing! From what I have listened to so far, this is exceptional.
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Ack! I’ll edit the post to make sure that link is in, too. Thanks, Friend! And yes–this one’s a lovely surprise. He hasn’t done much else that would come to America. I’m intrigued by Coulais, to say the least. 🙂
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He has a whole mass of work on YouTube.
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Good, because I need to do some serious digging. 🙂
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Oh dear, I’m in China now and can’t access YouTube and many other sites. Am even having trouble reaching some blogs. Will have to remember to return next month.
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That’s okay, Peggy. You just be safe where you are!
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I got it and it is great, just like this post xxxxxxxxxxx
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Ah, you’re a lovely one, thank you! 🙂 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Aw Nah you are xxxxxxx
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(blushes) 🙂
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A lovely post, Jean. The music is amazing – creepy and slightly otherworldly… Thank you for this – I’m still struggling with flu and it has really cheered me up:)).
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Boo to the flu, but yay to liking the music! I was so excited when Bo bought it for me. If you can catch the film, I highly recommend its viewing for a fun little escape. Feel better soon! 🙂 xxxxxxxx
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Thank you for your kind good wishes, Jean. I keep looking forward to the morning when I roll out of bed feeling remotely human again…
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Oy, I know the feeling…
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:))
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Always enjoy your posts, Jean! Have a great weekend!!
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Why thank you, Kevin! Your photography rocks!
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😁 Thank you!
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Oooh, I this is beautiful! I still haven’t seen the film, but I enjoyed the book- would you say the movie kept to the spirit of the book? I confess, I have a hard time not getting irritated with book-to-movie adaptations. They always want to change my ahem, I mean their, characters. (Shakes fist in the air and cries “Hoooobbbiiiiitttt!!!)
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LMAO! Actually, I think the movie did a lovely job. It makes things a smidge less menacing, and the new character Wybie adds a good kid-age foil to Coraline. Seriously, I think you’d dig it. Biff loves it. My five year old boy who can’t handle water cups tilted one way, LOVES it. Blondie won’t even touch it!
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Could that unidentifiable sound in the score, ” like a wet finger moving around a glass rim…” be the use of a Singing Bowl, like the Tibetan ones?
Have only seen the film which I found suitably unsettling. The book I’m sure is bound to be even better. 🙂 x
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‘Tis! And you know, I bet you’re right….though with the a choir singing French gibberish, I almost hope it *was* a person surrounded by dozens of glasses filled with varying amounts of water. 🙂
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You never know. That would indeed make a very unique sound for a unique film! 🙂
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Great post, love the music!
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Thank you for sharing, Jean. What a fantastic work by Bruno Coulais, and thanks to George for finding the link 🙂 Now I just have to watch the film xxxx
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Oh yes, do! It’s such an amazing feat of stop-motion animation.
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Music alone is a treat 🙂
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Also true! 🙂
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Loved this movie and anything, really, by Neil Gaiman. I have purchased your recommendations before and you’ve never steered me wrong!😘🙏
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You won’t regret this one, either! I actually forgot one track I wanted to share that was super-creepy, but I’ll leave that for you to discover. 😉 I’m actually hoping to study Gaiman a bit more…
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I love that his writing span age groups. I don’t like having to pigeon-hole my own writing in order to market. He seems to be immune that.😊
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I know, right? Yesterday in the library I saw his latest picture book about a tiger teaching a princess…Cinnamon, I think it was called.
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He’s awesome. I think I have a bit of a writer’s crush.😘
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I can’t help but dig him–he was mentored by Diana Wynne Jones! 🙂
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I named my daughter Coraline 😊
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It’s an awesome name. 🙂
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This is great. Bought it in a charity shop for 50p – such great fun.
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It’s such a great movie, and book! Very different in their own ways, but still lovely.
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