Henry Selick Developing CORALINE Companion Film THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE with Neil Gaiman
Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christman) is teaming back up with author Neil Gaiman for an adaptation of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which will be a “companion piece” to Coraline.
The film is said to be “almost a sequel” to Coraline and in the story, “Instead of a child going to this other world with a monstrous mother, it’s a monstrous mother who comes into our world to wreak havoc on a kid’s life.”
Selick has a 35-page story treatment and a ton of artwork and concept designs for the stop-motion project, which he is currently shopping around Hollywood.
There is interest from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio studio ShadowMachine, but Selick also says Coraline studio Laika is “the best talent and the best resources,” and labeled Laika CEO Travis Knight as a “genius” at the Annecy Animation Festival.
Coraline is a dark fantasy that follows the story of a young girl named Coraline Jones who discovers a hidden door in her new home. This door leads to a parallel universe that mirrors her own world but is eerily different.
In this alternate world, Coraline encounters her "Other Mother," a sinister figure with button eyes who offers her a seemingly better life. However, as Coraline delves deeper into this world, she realizes that the Other Mother has malevolent intentions and aims to trap her there forever.
With courage and wit, Coraline must outsmart the Other Mother and rescue her real parents, ultimately learning the importance of bravery and the value of her own world.
Source: Variety