Summary
- Despite the original Coraline being a beloved stop-motion classic, a sequel, Coraline 2, is highly unlikely due to the animation studio president's firm stance against sequels.
- Neil Gaiman, the author of the original Coraline novella, has not written a follow-up novel and would only consider it if he comes up with a better idea than the first book.
- While it's unlikely that Coraline 2 will happen anytime soon, Neil Gaiman hasn't completely ruled out the possibility and expressed that a sequel would have to surpass the original in quality.
While the original Coraline is considered a creepy stop-motion classic, with there ever be a sequel: Coraline 2? The original Coraline was based on the Neil Gaiman novella of the same name, with The Nightmare Before Christmas' Henry Selick directing. The story follows Coraline, a young girl who discovers an idyllic alternate world filled with doppelgangers of people she knows, including her parents. These doppelgangers have buttons where their eyes should be but when she's tempted to stay for good, Coraline discovers her new parents have a very dark secret.
Despite being a kids' movie, Coraline deals with some dark themes and topics, in addition to featuring truly unsettling imagery. With Neil Gaiman's Coraline book that creeped out adults and horrified children, the movie adaptation quickly became a beloved stop-motion classic. It was both a critical and commercial success, and it was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. Coraline has built up a steady fanbase since 2009. While the story ends on a happy note for the title character, there's still wiggle room for more, and Coraline 2 would be a welcome continuation of the story.
Travis Knight Has Ruled Out Coraline 2
Laika is the animation studio behind Coraline, in addition to other acclaimed projects like ParaNorman and Missing Link. Travis Knight is the president and CEO of the company, and in a 2016 interview, he ruled out producing follow-ups to any Laika projects including Coraline 2. He takes a firm stand against sequels, believing too many reboots, remakes, or follow-ups are produced, and he wants to focus on producing fresh ideas (via Collider).
"I take a firm stand against sequels. My industry brethren are a little shocked at how firmly I’m committed to not doing sequels... There are these serials, these continuing stories that are a regurgitation of the same things we’ve seen over and over again. And I have no interest in doing that."
That's a pretty definitive stance, though Knight did take the helm for Bumblebee, a reboot of the Transformers franchise, showing his viewpoint may have softened slightly. Considering the stop-motion look of Coraline added so much to the movie, it would be difficult to imagine another animation studio besides Laika tackling Coraline 2.
Neil Gaiman Would Write Coraline 2 Under One Condition
Another stumbling block for a possible Coraline sequel is that Neil Gaiman hasn't written a follow-up novel. Gaiman has been very busy in recent years on adaptations of his work, including American Gods and Good Omens, starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen. On the topic of writing Coraline 2, Gaiman once stated in a Twitter response he'd be open to writing a sequel novel — but only if he thought of a better idea than the original book.
Given how prolific the author is elsewhere, the odds of him sitting down to write a Coraline sequel appear slim right now. While the following for the original remains strong, the lack of interest from both Laika and Gaiman in actively developing a sequel makes Coraline 2 unlikely. That's not to say it couldn't happen one day, possibly with a different creative team, but for now, Coraline will remain a beloved cult gem.
Neil Gaiman Won't Rule Out Coraline 2
Fans have continued to ask Neil Gaiman about a Coraline sequel, and in 2022, he gave them some fresh hope for Coraline 2. Gaiman repeated his stance on needing an idea as good as the original book before he started a new one, and he stands by that. However, the author went on to say he hasn't come up with a better idea yet but left the door open (via ComicBook.com).
"If you're gonna do something, it needs to be a Toy Story 2 or The Godfather Part 2 level sequel where you're actually upping your game. So I absolutely wouldn't rule it out, but would absolutely want to go 'Okay, that is the thing that is just even cooler than Coraline.'"
Neil Gaiman has been keeping busy in the TV world, first with overseeing American Gods and Good Omens and then adding the Sandman adaptation to his work pile. With all this work that isn't even writing, one would think that when Gaiman returned for a novel, it would be something fresh, new, and different from what he has done before - especially after he has done so much work on his old stories. However, as far as a Coraline sequel is concerned, never count out Coraline 2.