As a fan of zombie films, and a single father, I headed off to see ParaNorman with a pretty jaded outlook. Surely there was no way an animated zombie film was going to satisfy both my son and I. In my mind, someone was going home a little disappointed. I couldn’t have been more more wrong.
Although far from a perfect film, ParaNorman manages to blend zombies, horror, comedy, stunning visual effects and some important life lessons into one giant cocktail of zombie win.
Basic Plot Summary:
This film tells the story of town outcast Norman (voiced by Smit-McPhee). Norman has the ability to see and speak with the dead. Naturally, nobody believes him. Although his family tolerates his “gift” for the most part, the rest of the town treats bullies him mercilessly. Kids at school knock him over, chant hurtful nicknames and even scrawl insults on his locker with a marker in bold black brutality.
Norman takes it in stride as best he can. However, keeping his chin up gets much more difficult when the long dead participants of an ancient witch trial haunt Norman during his performance at a school play. It leads to a very scary vision and an embarrassing outburst. He has a lot to deal with and his family and the community are anything but understanding.
Bullies and insults quickly become the least of Norman’s worries. His uncle (a bigger outcast than Norman) warns him he must use his gift to stop the ancient witch’s curse that has haunted their town, Blithe Hollow, for hundreds of years. After some soul searching Norman realizes he is the only one who can save the town. He decides he must face his fears and do what is right. Along the way he’s forced to deal with zombies, new found friendship, adults and peers who just don’t understand, and his own fears and emotions.
Toward the end of the film Norman begins to understand the zombies aren’t so horrifying after all. He also comes to the enlightened realization that the gifts of compassion and forgiveness are just as useful as his gift for talking to the dead. He’s able to combine them all to save the day!
Why are the zombies chasing Norman? What common bond exists between the modern townspeople and the ancient witch trial judge and jurors? How does Norman end the witch’s curse and save the day? You’ll just have to watch for yourself and find out!
What’s Great:
This is an absolutely gorgeous movie. The combination of stop style animation and CGI effects creates a visually stunning film unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I actually went into this film expecting to be blown away. I knew work was being done by Laika, the animation studio behind 2009’s Coraline. I knew they were planning some great things. In the buzz surrounding the film’s production I watched a few behind the scenes videos on the animation process. I knew things were going to be good. I expected things to be good. The animation still stunned me.
The level of detail is awesome. This is definitely one of those films you want to watch a second time just to see all the little things you missed while following the plot. Of course I love the stop animation, but the CGI effects were just as well done and just as fresh and innovative.
The scenes toward the climax of the film involving the dark storm-filled sky spinning and churning had me in love with animated films again. Seeing the witch manifest as a smoky skull in the sky was incredible. The final confrontation between Norman and the witch was a visual and emotional roller coaster of epic proportions.
Sadly, the visual greatness of the film almost overshadows the plot. No worries because there is still a great story here. One of the things I really loved were the subtle messages and life lessons hidden along the way. There is an abundance of positivity for those children and adults willing to hear it.
This film really touches on the fact that pain, fear and ignorance are often behind bullying and intolerance. Sometimes fighting fire with fire only compounds the problem. But what do I know? You only care about the zombies!
What About the Zombies? I love the zombies in this film. Some have criticized this film for being a little too gory and too scary for younger viewers. Personally I think it’s just about right. As a zombie fan I’d love the walking dead to be heavier on the gore. As a parent (and I use that term loosely) I realize this is an animated family film; I think it balances comedy and horror well.
There is plenty of subtle humor along with the slapstick stuff. There is pretty much something for everyone. I particularly loved the frequent nods to 1980’s horror films. Of course, few films are perfect in every way and ParaNorman is no exception.
What’s Not So Great:
Even though it finishes with a run time just over 90 minutes (lightning quick in today’s world of 2 and 3 hour monstrosities) ParaNorman does drag a bit at times. There are slow points and portions of the plot that seem to be present only to keep the younger viewers invested. About 2/3 of the way through the movie, just before the final climactic encounter, the film stalled a bit for me. I could sense it in my fidgeting son seated beside me as well. Fortunately just as he started to wiggle, and my mind began to drift off to review post movie errands, we were sucked back in.
Another minor annoyance for me was the over the top modeling of some of the characters. Exaggeration is key in comedy, but some things in this film are over done. Odd angles and exaggerated features on Norman’s parents for example are almost distracting at times.
At a few points I was left with the feeling that perhaps there was something missing with the plot. I’m honestly not sure whether the story is a little flat and thin on its own merits, or if the problem is the amazing animation and stunning visuals simply overshadow everything else.
Our Rating:
ParaNorman gets a 4.5 out of 5 rating. Most importantly, it passed the most difficult test of all: the pee test. That’s right! My son was so engrossed in the film he never once asked to get up and use the restroom! In all seriousness I’d highly recommend you go check this movie out. It’s not perfect, but with the amazing animation it doesn’t need to be.
The Final Word:
Overall I loved this movie. It’s a great family film with amazing special effects. Yes it happens to have zombies in it too. If you are solely seeing this film for zombies you may be a little disappointed. They aren’t overly spectacular on their own. What is nearly spectacular is this film experience as a whole. I say nearly because the film wasn’t without its flaws. That being said, this is a beautiful film with a decent story and some great emotion invoking scenes at the end. Anyone who has ever been outcast, misunderstood, or bullied will definitely relate to this film on a deeper level than the casual viewer.
ParaNorman brought the summer of 2012 just what it needed: a great animated family film done in a fresh and creative way. Oh yeah, and ZOMBIES!
About the Film:
http://www.paranorman.com
Directors: Chris Butler, Sam Fell
Voice Actors: Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kodi Smit-McPhee, John Goodman, Casey Affleck
Rating: PG
Studio: Focus Features
Genre: Animation
Run Time: Approximately 92 minutes
Release Date: August 17th, 2012
What did YOU think? Have you seen ParaNorman? What did you think of the film? If you haven’t seen it do you plan on doing so? We’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Saw ParaNorman <3 it thought it was amazing diff must see!!
It looks sweet I’m going to see it.
This was an amazing flick! The visuals were amazing! The story was touching and the main character goes through amazing growth. I saw this movie in a packed theater. All of the kids in the audience laughed and shrieked and ahhhhed at all of the right moments! Highly recommended, my niece is 9 and she loved it. May be a little scary for younger ones.
Very cute movie…watched it wth my grandkids, and we all loved it