The outside of the antiqued box, numbered 11/50.
Opening it is magic! Inside is a key and the password 'PUPPETLOVE' to the www.theothercoraline.com website which unlocks a clip about the world from a puppets point of view - and great teasers for the puppets for the film. The letter is sealed with wax and, appropriately, a black button.
Inside the envelope is a letter from the Coarline Team."Since ancient times, strangers who work on feature films have sent strangers with great websites mysterious gifts in the hope that they can connect over a mutual interest and come to love each other. Some people think that receiving random gifts from strangers in the mail is illicit. Not when the gifts are awesome, right?"
A detail of the included photograph. Pay attention to the Other Fathers arms/hands...
Because here they are! They're 'JOINTED/WIRE/SILICON' and include the metal square tubing at the end where they'd join onto the puppet. An actual part of the film! I know stop-motion is so tactile but being able to touch a part of the puppet used is an amazing experience! Seeing the tubing on the end, and feeling the resistance of the wire in the fingers is a learning experience in itself, I feel like x-raying them to see how the finger wires are joined inside ;) I'm incredibly thrilled to have this part of movie history, and this box will find a prized place for display!To quote from the letter: "Led by Henry Selick, the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, this team has created the first stop-motion feature shot in 3-D. Based on the beloved best-selling children's classic by Neil Gaiman, Coraline is a fairy-tale nightmare steeped in classic storytelling, craftsmanship, and the old-fashioned art of moviemaking magic. That means everything is handmade. Every leaf, drawer pull, and roast turkey. Even the rusty shower water."
I was looking forward to this movie already - now I can't wait!! C'mon February, and c'mon IMAX to show it here in 3D!!
22 comments:
The fact that the arms plug in is very encouraging...
Vinton's experimented with that design for at least a decade, and it proves that it's better to use softer wires in the arms and make them modular.
That approach has worked for me in the past, but clay weight was always a problem.
I'm starting to wonder if maybe a more suitable type of armature for top-heavy puppets is short and squat legs with a big head, big hands, and scrawny arms.
Wow, that's quite a tresure!
Wonder if anyone else got an anonymous package from the coraline team or if you're the only one. We may never know!
Thanks for sharing the password...that video with Selick is funny! I don't have a cell phone so i'm really glad you posted this.
Sweet arms! :)
That is a truly special gift! Congratulations!
OH
MY
GAWD!!!!
So cool, seeing those arms nested in that velvet-lined box like that... a true piece of stopmo history. Even just seeing it on your blog makes me want to reach out and touch them.
Oooooooh! Aaaaaahhh! Woooowwww!
[these are meant to be sounds of awe and fascination - thought I'd clear that up in case you thought I was in pain]
That's about the coolest thing I've heard of! Kudos to the Coraline team. You're so lucky to have captured their heart. It's like being chosen from the common class to marry a prince.
Super cool !!
lucky duck.
jriggity
Hey Emmy!
Wow! that's a cool gift you have got!! That old look of the box and all that from the movies is really a treasure.. :) they should also have included few old sketches too but all looks so cool, Congratulations!! :)
Would you mind posting the paragraph from your letter that tells why your blog was selected to receive the gift? Thanks!
Over at http://www.animationarchive.org/2008/11/more-on-our-coraline-suitcase.html they are collecting the boxes that have shown up ont he web.
Eleven so far...
YAAAAY, EM! You're famous!
Hi, Neil. You wrote a good story, here. I want to read the book as much as see the movie!
Thanks for the link to the site - it's great to keep track of the boxes as they crop up. Some amazing ones on there!
The individual part of the letter is:
"The plain truth of the matter is, we are pretty obsessed with stop-motion. Like you. That's why we admire emmyymme. Your contribution is artistic and inventive. Way to keep learning and experimenting. Henry likes to say the magic of stop-motion is that it's a live performance: "You can start some place and know where you want to end but you can't say how exactly you'll get there." Please keep up the super work. We'll be reading.
That is super cool! I'm thrilled for you and thrilled to be a part of this lucky group. Here is a link to my box if you are interested:
http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/?p=1028
http://flickr.com/photos/12579280@N00/3099221243/in/set-72157610975473371/
If you haven't seen it already!
Someone who received one of the boxes was tempted with an exposed part of father's arm, and he dissected it!
The insides are pretty ingenious, and no need for you to xray! :D
Congratulations!
PS: there is accumulative list of all the boxes here! Im going down the line and found yours! :D
http://flickr.com/photos/12579280@N00/3099221243/in/set-72157610975473371/
If you haven't seen it already!
Someone who received one of the boxes was tempted with an exposed part of father's arm, and he dissected it!
The insides are pretty ingenious, and no need for you to xray! :D
Congratulations!
PS:
http://www.animationarchive.org/2008/11/more-on-our-coraline-suitcase.html
lead me to your website, I am going down the list clicking each one off! This has been some of the most genius forms of viral marketing, and a few other companies are doing it as well! Thank you for sharing yours! :D
Ok, now I'm jealous and wish I had posted more of my stopmotion obsession online at the stopmo forum!!! ;DD
Keep it up, emmyymme! I can't wait to see what you do with your project!
This may be of interest. ..
Coraline Feature on WK Radio: An interview with Henry Selick and Travis Knight. Friday, Feb 6, 10am PST.
Coraline, a new film directed by Henry Selick (James and the Giant Peach, The Nightmare before Christmas), opens Friday, Feb. 6th. It is the first animated feature film from Laika, the cutting edge collective of designers and filmmakers run by Travis Knight (son of Nike founder Phil Knight). Coraline is based on the popular children’s book by Neil Gaiman, a fairytale / nightmare story about a young girl who finds a passage way to an alternate reality in her home.
Ketzel Levine (of NPR) interviews Henry Selick and Travis Knight for WK Radio.
Tune in www.wk.com/radio
Friday, Feb. 6th 10am PST
http://radio.wk.com/uploads/image/coraline(1).jpg
ok i know your not going to agree to this but i want this box. and if you ever tire of it or dont want it any more tell me cause i would love to take it off your hands. you can email me at
aro_mis00@yahoo.com asap please
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