Film Review • Hero's Journey Archetypes

 

I chose Coraline (2009) a film adapted from Neil Gaiman's book of the same name, to pick out the Archetypes of a Hero's journey even though 'Hero' is technically a male term and a 'Heroine's tale' might be slightly different. The archetypes are kinda simple in this film, as well as the actual steps of the Hero's journey that Joseph Campbell give.

The hero of this film is Coraline, she saves herself, her parents, and three ghost children all from the Shadows grasp.

The shadow of this film being the Other Mother, her desire is to keep Coraline in her world, the intention that we gather from this is from the ghost children who say that the Other Mother ate their lives.

Before Coraline crosses the first threshold, being the door to the Other Mothers world she discovered the door due to a doll made by the other mother and later chases mice to find that the door is open. Both the mice and the doll could be considered the Herald of this film. The character Bobinski is also linked to the mice, Bobinski comes warning her to 'not go through little door' being the way into the Other Mothers world.

The trickster of the story is a little difficult to pin down, it could be the Other Father who seems to want nothing but to be kind to Coraline but is under the Other Mothers control, along the same lines it could be anything the Other Mother willed into reality, the other versions of all the normal character. Bobinski himself could be the trickster as he seems to be a little crazy but he seems to know what is going on due to the mice he's training. The Doll could be the trickster as it looks like a doll, but is only the eyes of the Other Mother in the real world.

The Shapeshifter is of the same variety, it could be anything the Other Mother controls as most characters appear alternate as the film reaches its climax, ms. Spink and Forcible combine together into green and pink twisted versions of themselves, Bobinski appears to be made of rats.
The Other Mother is an actual shapeshifter, she goes from looking like Coraline's actual mother to a stretched-out version to a spiderlike creature made of needles.

There are plenty of Allies, being the Cat, both forms of Wybie, and the mice. The Cat also appears to be the Mentor, giving Coraline advice as she goes along her on her quest, originally helping her by stopping the rats and being how she gets away from the Other Mother by being thrown and clawing out the Other Mothers eyes, giving Coraline a chance to escape.

The Cat and Other Mother are possibly both Threshold Guardians, the Other Mother preventing Coraline from returning, and the Cat telling her it's not safe much, later on, he is not an immediate guardian but he does tell her to not return.

Joseph Campbell's Heros Journey in this film:
(these are all theoretical)

Call to adventure
Exploring the new house and finding the little door.

Supernatural aid
The doll moving and showing her the door.

Crossing the first threshold
Entering the little door for the first time.

Belly of the whale
Finding out that the Other Mother is really Evil and not good whilst also being trapped in her world.

Road of Trials
When Coraline has to find the eyes and her parents.

Meeting the Goddess
This could just the Other Mothers presence in general, as she appears to be the god of her world being able to create things.

Temptations
The Other Mothers creations designed to keep Coraline happy and wanting to stay.

Atonement with the father
This could be where she realises how much she loves and misses her actual parents, prompting her to go back and rescue them.

Apotheosis
This could be the same as Atonement with the father, but it could also be when she Prepares to go back and face the Other Mother with the 'good luck charm', or finding out how the charm works.

The ultimate boon
Having saved her parents and getting home.

Refusal to return
The Other Mothers hand is still linked to her even though its been removed and in the real world.
The warning the ghosts give her.

Magic Flight
This could be when she escapes the Other Mothers world or getting away from her hand as it tries to drag the key around Coraline's neck back, dragging her along in the process.

Rescue from without
like the last it could be when she throws the Cat at the Other Mother or when she remembers the well to throw the key into to get rid of it.
Or when Wybie stops the hand from dragging her away.

Crossing the return threshold
Throwing the Other Mothers Hand in the Well, and being free of her will.

Master of two worlds
Having locked the door and removed the hand, she has prevented the other mother being able to get out through the door and is home with her parents.

Freedom to live
The final scene shows her gardening with her family, a task she was asking them to do from the very beginning but wasn't able to as her parents were working.