Henry Selick is working on an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, which he describes as “almost a sequel” to Coraline.
Henry Selick, the animator behind some of the best stop motion films of all time, is currently working on what he describes as “almost a sequel” to his much-loved 2009 movie, Coraline. It’s an adaptation of The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, a 2013 novel written by British author Neil Gaiman, who also wrote Coraline.
Like Coraline, the book is a dark fantasy about childhood; indeed, Selick sees the story as almost a mirror image of that earlier work.
“Instead of a child going to this other world with a monstrous mother [like Coraline],” Selick told Variety, “it’s a monstrous mother who comes into our world to wreak havoc on a kid’s life.”
Although Selick first talked about adapting Gaiman’s book about two years ago, Variety reports that a 35-page treatment has now been written, joined by concept art intended to drum up interest from a studio that can back it. Coraline was produced by Laika – the company’s first ever feature film – while Selick’s most recent film, Wendell & Wild, was produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw.
The Ocean At The End Of The Lane may find a home at one of those production companies, though Variety suggests that ShadowMachine, the studio that made Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, may also be interested.
Henry Selick isn’t the most prolific of filmmakers, but his work is generally wonderful. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) needs no introduction, and 1996’s James And The Giant Peach was absolutely charming – though mystifyingly, it failed to find an audience in cinemas. Monkeybone, a hybrid of live action, puppets and animation, was an even bigger misfire.
Coraline saw him on surer ground again, though, and was both a box office success and acclaimed by critics – it even got a nomination for Best Animated Feature.
Of stop motion’s unique appeal, Selick said to Variety, “Our films have always had a smaller market. But they last longer, and will have a much longer life… The best stop motion films aren’t just of this moment. They’re for all time.”
More on The Ocean At The End Of The Lane as we get it.
