as someone who grew up with the movie, it was hard not to compare the book to that level of whimsy and the fascinating characterizations. it fell short of the movie's beauty for me, but the book was definitely more focused on the horror rather than character building. it was faster paced and showcased coraline's wit and bravery really well. the ending was certainly more unsettling (though weirdly drawn out) and the audiobook music/singing was wonderfully odd.