At the end of October, I was invited by Laika Entertainment to a sneak peek here in NYC of their upcoming 3D stop-motion animated feature Coraline. I got to see 30 minutes of the film, after which writer/director Henry Selick came out for an audience Q&A.
Soon after the screening, I got an email from the Coraline Team out in Portland, OR, telling me to be on the lookout for a package from them specially made for me with me in mind and that I will be one of 50 people slated to receive such an item — each being one of a kind.
This is a big deal for me, because I’m a great fan of the Coraline book, I love stop-motion, and c’mon, it’s Henry Selick, director of The Nightmare Before Christmas. There’s a reason I can’t stop writing about this project! Anyhow, so I couldn’t imagine what they’d be sending, but the other day it arrived — a handcrafted aged box with an oval plate that read “Handmade in Oregon – 14/50.” Inside the box was a weathered letter with a wax seal with a black button just like the ones used in the film. The letter explained why I was getting such a unique gift and a bit about how it was made. From what I can tell, from the few other people online I saw who’ve gotten their own box, most of the message is a standard form letter, but there’s one paragraph that specifically addresses the recipient. My paragraph has some nice things to say about Geeks of Doom (we’re artistic, hilarious, unconventional…), but probably the coolest thing it said was …
THAT’S WHY WE ADMIRE GEEKSOFDOOM – (GREATEST NAME EVER).
Pretty cool, right? I’m so very flattered.
Now, about the box … it has two compartments: for the top portion, the lid of the box comes up revealing pieces of the hair from the puppet used for one of the characters with a label that said, “6 Plaits of Venus Wig For Miss Forcible“; the bottom portion was a drawer that slid open from the front and inside was a piece of paper with a quote from the book (by Neil Gaiman), a still from the film of Miss Forcible wearing the Venus wig (with a label underneath “Still No. 300-301 – F’s Birth of Venus Act”), and a skeleton key with a tag reading “Coraline dot Com – password: ARMPITHAIR.”
Apparently, everyone also got a password, which when put in at www.coraline.com unlocks a featurette about the film (see list of known passwords below). My password, most appropriately, unlocked a video about how the hair was made for the puppets.
I was super excited to receive this special gift, especially since the scene where Miss Forcible dresses in her Birth of Venus costume for a play that Coraline goes to see in the “Other” world was part of that thirty minutes of footage I got to see.
Check out the pictures from my box here below (sorry some are a bit fuzzy, my camera is just about to stop working forever).
Thanks so much to the Coraline Team in Portland for this awesome gift, it will be treasured always!
Here’s the passwords so far (via Neil Gaiman):
stopmotion : the Biggest Smallest movie ever made.
buttoneyes : Meet the cast…
moustachio : Bo Henry, art director of Coraline, shows off his remarkable moustache tricks.
armpithair : Every hair in the film was placed there by hand…
puppetlove : Director Henry Selick explains what it must be like for the puppets in the film.
sweaterxxs : Micro-knitting. That’s right: micro-knitting.
UPDATE
Here’s the location of the Coraline boxes (as they are found):
#2 – Kiss The Librarian
#5 – Fashion Piranha
#6 Wendy Knits
#13 – SlashFilm
#14 – Geeks of Doom
#22 – Toycutter
#24 – Despoiler
#33 – Cleolinda
Anyone else who’s received a box, leave a comment with the link to your Coraline box post!
Hi!
I’ve posted photos of Box #5, if you’re curious to see what else the good Coraline folks put together!
Comment by Suzi — November 24, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
Oops, forgot the link:
http://fashion-piranha.livejournal.com/40454.html?mode=reply
Comment by Suzi — November 24, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
[…] Boxen: #5 – Suzi @ Fashionista Piranha #13 – Peter @ Slashfilm.com #14 – Eve @ Geeksofdoom.com #22 – John @ Toycutter.com #24 – Despoiler @ Despoiler.org #33 – Cleolinda Dit bericht […]
Pingback by Animatie — November 25, 2008 @ 5:32 am
Hi! Thanks for sharing! I’ve posted pictures of my box (#2) as well here at http://kissthelibrarian.wordpress.com.
Comment by KisstheLibrarian — November 25, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
http://wendyknits.net/archives/2556
Comment by Wendy — November 25, 2008 @ 5:33 pm
[…] Boxes: #2 – Here, Kiss the Librarian #5 – Fashion Piranha #6 – Wendy Knits #13 – SlashFilm #14 – Geeks of Doom #22 – Toycutter #24 – Despoiler #33 – Cleolinda Possibly related posts: (automatically […]
Pingback by Diary of a Fangirl — November 25, 2008 @ 7:51 pm
[…] OneBox TwoBox FiveBox SixBox ElevenBox ThirteenBox FourteenBox Twenty-TwoBox Twenty-FourBox Twenty-NineBox […]
Pingback by Samurai in New York — November 28, 2008 @ 4:50 pm
Hello!
I have box 34/50.
I was just soo excited! I’ve been a fan of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” since I can remember seeing the first trailers 15 years ago.
So when I recieved this I was ecstatic!
I was running a Nightmare Before Christmas cult on VampireFreaks.com & they were kind enough to look me up on myspace.
I went to work & gloated about it all night long; anyone within a 15ft radius had to hear the story (complete with unecessary embellishments) & see the pictures.
I have since started a Coraline group. :D
Comment by NIcole — December 2, 2008 @ 3:29 am
Pictures please, Nicole… Another box just surfaced at Lines and Colors.
Comment by Stephen Worth — December 3, 2008 @ 6:09 am
Hello!
NO. 46/50 for your inspection!
http://thekreep.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/coraline-film-team-honors-the-kreep/
in e†ernity,
Brazillia R. Kreep
Comment by The Kreep — December 14, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
That is sooo cool. My friend and I were watching one of the behind the scenes vids and decided that the venus act, with the giant jiggling bossoms, was going to be the scariest part of this film! ;) I’m so thrilled for you. If you are interested, my box is here:
http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/?p=1028
Comment by Carl V. — December 16, 2008 @ 9:05 am
[…] #10 – M Flem Jr. @ StopMotion Magic #11 – Emmy @ Emmyymme #13 – Peter @ Slashfilm.com #14 – Eve @ Geeksofdoom.com #15 – Charley @ Lines and Colors #22 – John @ Toycutter.com #23 – ToyrsREvil #24 – Despoiler @ […]
Pingback by in your basement — December 27, 2008 @ 2:50 am
#21 is NOTCOT
Comment by pimpsc00by — January 14, 2009 @ 3:20 pm
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 http://www.wk.com/radio
Friday, Feb. 6th 10am PST
http://radio.wk.com/uploads/image/coraline(1).jpg
Comment by ava — February 5, 2009 @ 2:07 pm
[…] Box Fourteen: Geeks of Doom"Artistic, hilarious, unconventional… That’s why we admire GeeksOfDoom (Greatest Name Ever)." […]
Pingback by Coraline Mystery Box Roundup — February 6, 2009 @ 6:01 pm
Count me among the jealous! Great stuff though from the Coraline ad team, and I was glad to see the movie lived up to the hype!
http://thefutureofads.com/2009/02/09/coraline-raises-the-bar-for-influencer-outreach/
Comment by Cory O'Brien — February 10, 2009 @ 1:43 am
[…] is the one Geeks of Doom […]
Pingback by Faded Ink — February 25, 2009 @ 8:07 pm