"Coraline is kind-of relentless, like animators like me. She's going to get there one way or another and she's not going to be tied in place because her parents won't allow her to do something. She's going to find a way to get to what she wants. Of course, what she wants can get her into deep trouble and that brings up the other aspect about her I love -- how brave she is. She doesn't have guns or superpowers but she still faces incredible evil and manages to win. You can read the book in much less than a day, and so when you're working on it you do have to think the character through. You talk to animators and figure out what the poses are which'll work for her. You have to define her and it doesn't just happen. Over a long period of time you get to know her on different levels."