A Trip Down ‘Coraline’ Lane

Photography by Cortlan Souders

 It was a beautiful, cloudy day outside the Portland Arts Museum when I encountered a spectacular artifact: a large sculpture of the mystifying and elusive cat from the movie “Coraline,” painted with large yellow flowers across its body.

I was intrigued to find more information about this beautiful sculpture, so I looked into the matter and dove into a life-altering portal.

I found from the Travel Portland-sponsored event called “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail” that the Portland-based animation studio for the Coraline movie, LAIKA, had created the installation event. LAIKA sent out 31 sculptures of the elusive cat to local artists in Portland to put their own fun twist onto the feline canvas to commemorate the movie’s 15th anniversary.

These sculptures were then placed across all of downtown Portland for people to seek out and find. Being an avid fan of the film, I had to experience this hunt. So, on a cool, breezy Sunday, I went downtown with my sister to experience the wonders that awaited.

Using the trusty map from Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail website, our first stop was the Pittock Mansion in Portland’s West Hills. Words can’t even explain the pure beauty that radiates throughout the plain when you look out over Northwest Portland and beyond from the mansion’s landscaped yard. I could only imagine the view when this building was constructed. But we walked away, and took a picture of our second official statue, a plain, black cat with deep-blue eyes, just like from the movie.

FURTHER DELIGHTS

Next, we traveled downhill to the Pearl District in Northwest Portland, where we fervently scrambled to find the 30 more felines. We saw another cat that was all black, but covered in these beautiful, sculpted flowers that looped around its body and were concentrated in its left eye and right ear.

We saw a lovely family also taking pictures with the cat, and seeing the joy on their faces lit me up. As a matter of fact, I had several quaint interactions on my walk. We kept crossing paths with people on their own journey for the cats, and I loved hearing their detailed lists of where to go next as we passed by.

We saw a man dressed in Scottish garb serenading the streets with his bagpipes, an older gentleman walking throughout the park with a chunky bulldog blinged out with chains and jewelry in a baby stroller, and a crowd of people watching a fashion show event.

Throughout the day, we also faced a wave of greens, burgundy, and white: A Timbers soccer game had been played that day, and it was so fun seeing everyone wearing all their jerseys, Adidas sweatsuits – and a surprising amount of Hawaiian shirts. 

Other notable cats we witnessed on our journey were one made out of cake, an usher tentatively waiting to help a guest, an alebrije, and another one covered with Portland’s classic rose icon.

But the cats weren’t the only amazing works of art we saw that day. We saw the Tikitotemoniki Totems, which are four 30-foot tall metal sculptures towering over the single street near Jamison Square in the Pearl District. We also viewed the adorable bronze statues of various animals in downtown fountains that are now sadly shut off. 

By far, the favorite piece of art I saw that day in Portland was the grand statue of Portlandia. How she gracefully glides across the trees outside the City of Portland’s (administration) building, the sheer detail in the hair and robes, and the message of salvation she embodies, are all so amazing.

MAGICAL DAY’S WORK

As the sun was drifting further west, our time was waning to find our cats. But we had to find at least one more. My sister and I decided to take our last trip to the Willamette riverfront. Seeing the Hawthorn Bridge with the sun rippling across the waves behind it was stunning. We viewed our final cat – my favorite of them all. 

This cat had a basic, black coat across its body, but the artist had painted a lavish amount of details from the Coraline movie. It showed the monstrous transformation of the twin sisters, April Spink and Miriam Forcible, from the other world. A large circus tent ran through the spine, with marching band mice swirling around. My favorite touch was the moon being covered by the Other Mother’s hand holding a button.

People have their spurts and opinions about Portland, but this day was honestly magical. Being a farm boy all my life, I never had too many opportunities to explore Portland, in-depth. But I got to see all the wonders and quirks of this city that people hold so dearly. As the moon took its place in the sky, my sister and I decided that a bountiful feast of Panda Express food was fitting reward for a good day’s work.

The cat sculptures were removed after Oct. 10, after a 10-week run – and now they all will be auctioned off on Oct. 30 as a fundraiser for OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. The auction takes place at the Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts, at 1000 SW Broadway St. in downtown Portland. If you want to bid and potentially own one of these curious cats for yourself, buy a ticket and support the fundraiser!

Cortlan Souders