ParaNorman

Review

ParaNorman (Animation, Comedy) (2012)

Director: Chris Butler, Sam Fell

Writer: Chris Butler

Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Jeff Garlin, Anna Kendrick

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Being able to see and communicate with ghosts, a young boy is treated like an outcast, with nobody believing his gift. They’re unaware that soon, this child would be the only one keeping the spirit world at bay.

Being only the second feature film following Henry Selick’s acclaimed ‘’Coraline’’. Animation studio Laika has made Butler and Fell have given themselves a challenge, using cutting-edge techniques at the time and a kid-friendly approach to horror themes. It has been produced by the aforementioned Laika and distributed by Focus Features in North America and Universal Pictures internationally.

Having the ability to commune with spirits freely, Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) grows up an unusual child despite residing in Blithe Hollow; a town rich with history and the supernatural. With everyone turning their collective backs, Norman finds a friend in Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), somewhat of an oddball himself; he believes in the ability of his buddy and after a confrontation with Norman’s estranged Uncle, it seems the town is on the verge of a supernatural event which only one strangle little boy can thwart.

While not straying from other similar animation features too much, ‘’ParaNorman’’ resurrects the stop-motion film craze with fervour. Scrumptiously short compared to many 2-hour features, it’s a clear and digestible venture into the dark corners of horror while remaining on the fringes of the truly scary.

With an eccentrically quirky visual that might not appeal broadly, it’s eerily reminiscent of works by Tim Burton and Henry Selick—thriving in a jovial niche that services horror as a mere diffusion to carry other more salient integrals within ‘’ParaNorman’’. Like Smit-McPhee’s Norman, it is unafraid to challenge genre while embracing bygone cinema, ensuring the sense they intend to set is provided with immense clarity and purpose.

In a brief time, not even five minutes in, said clarity is already breached—with Norman seen viewing an old-school horror flick with his grandmother behind him, commenting on the gratuitous violence. Since this happens as rapidly as it does, I’ll spoil it and say his grandmother is long dead, which is mentioned in the subsequent scene. The subtle jokes and one-liners provide something most live-action comedies fail to achieve, that, combined with a soundtrack and animation style, becomes quickly endearing.

Positively haunting, ‘’ParaNorman’’ presents a familiar take that is able to use the past of stop-motion as a diving board inspired by those that came before it to be enjoyed by those fans of films like ‘’Coraline’’ and ‘’The Nightmare Before Christmas’’, being further enhanced by a charming soundtrack composed by Jon Brion. As someone not too keen on projects by the aforementioned filmmakers, I was drawn in and pleasantly surprised in this case, as expertise and skill weigh heavier than preference.

Verdict

Paramagnicent.

8,0