Going ParaNorman: A Movie Review

*minor spoiler alert.

Director: Chris Butler and Sam Fell.

Writer: Chris Butler.

Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

Stop-motion animation is a lost art and to see how this technique has evolved from its early days requires visiting the world created in the movie ParaNorman. This film does not rely on an all-star cast of performers to attract its audiences. Instead, it relies on the appeal of making the sleepy New England town of Blithe Hollow come alive with the production team's great attention to detail and vibrant use of colour.

Instead of hard physical details, this movie incorporates a careful use of CGI to make the supernatural elements truly etheric. When audiences get to see what Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee) has to deal with on a daily basis, the results of incorporating CGI into a fully-built world and into a seamless movie is just amazing.

But there is a good story in this film’s heart. Because everyone knows Norman can see and speak to dead people, he’s labeled a freak. His rotund pal, Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), is the prerequisite sidekick and together, they just deal with life as it comes. But when Norman’s Uncle Prenderghast (John Goodman) kicks the bucket, there is a duty this young tyke has to fulfill.

Apparently, Norman is the next Babcock who will inherit the duty to protect the town from a centuries old witch’s curse. He is by no means ready for it, and in what he learns from his encounters with the walking dead, maybe he will become the next avatar. The advice he dispenses is great, and that is what some audiences may leave remembering after watching this film.

With a terrific cast of voice-actors to keep the dialogue going, there is never a dull moment. Each character is unique, and their quirks stand out. That also includes the undead that Norman meets. Also, the movie has plenty of in-jokes, like references to Halloween and The Frighteners, for the adult viewer to enjoy. There are times where this film moves like a classic B movie from the 50's and the graphic design of the end title sequence makes that very evident.

Also, this horror action-adventure comedy has all the charm from similar stop-motion products like Coraline. That should come to no surprise when considering writer/director Chris Butler worked on Henry Selick's movie as storyboard supervisor. A bit of that style has rubbed off into this production, but it adds further nuances from other stop-motion hits like Corpse Bride, especially in the set design. Only this time, ParaNorman is less surrealistic.

Even though the title suggests the presence of a variety of monsters, the focus here is on two staples: the witch and zombies. Hopefully more films will be produced to put ghosts, werewolves, vampires and doppelgängers to the fore, but who knows. Sadly, Hollywood box office numbers tend to make or break a potential franchise.

A book series is no doubt very evident, since new adventures with Norman and his gang are now available in book stores. It may answer a few lingering questions of why Norman’s ghostly grandmother is lingering around. The missing details in the film involving the Babcock family are relatively minor and are forgivable, otherwise the movie would have dragged on. The universe is no doubt very big, and more stories can easily be told in other formats.

Normally these films take many years to produce. The number of frames that have to be photographed is mind-boggling, and not many filmmakers wish to embrace this old method of animation anymore. Hopefully another product will not take more than three years to arrive. Some reviewers might be giving up the ghost by then.

Overall: 7.5 out of 10.

The film's homepage is here:

The Paranorman Official Website

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Posted in: 2012,anime,anime movie review,computer generated imagery,film comedy,ghosts,movie review,season of the witch,supernatural,witch,witchcraft,zombies