Meet Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-Mcphee): he`s your regular misunderstood, introverted grade-schooler, except that this kid sees dead people, kinda like a less endearing Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. Norman lives in a small town that soon gets invaded by zombies, thanks to an ancient witch`s curse. Norman gets the heads up from his crazy (dead) uncle (John Goodman), and assembles a motley crew of allies, including his teenage sister (Anna Kendrick), chubby classmate (Tucker Albrizzi) and school bully (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to solve the situation.
Quite admirably, Paranorman is a film that will probably entertain older viewers: the film`s satirical humour never lets up, the characters are sympathetic even though they`re painted in broad strokes, and there`s even an underlying theme about how fear inhibits one`s empathy for others. Despite being an animated movie however, Paranorman possesses several scary moments that may be emotionally troubling to kiddies of a more sensitive temperament; the more protective parental sorts would be well-advised to take note.
While some may find the animated style a bit too misshapen to be endearing, Paranorman is an entertaining bit of animation that`s got a good-hearted message beneath its macabre exterior. Even zombies have feelings, folks.
Summary: Macabre stop-animation comedy that may be less entertaining to kids than to their caretakers.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Raphael Lim
2nd Review
Dr Dolittle could speak to the animals, and he was celebrated and praised as a result. On the other hand, small-town kid Norman Babcock (Smit-McPhee) can speak to the dead, but is shunned and mocked as a result. Norman lives in Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts, famous for its Puritan witch-hunting heritage the place is to witches what Rachel, Nevada is to UFOs. Norman has a great love for horror movies and is a zombie aficionado, owning a zombie-themed alarm clock and toothbrush in addition to old film posters.
He is saddled with a special ability and can see, speak to and interact with restless spirits, cursed to wander the earth. This gets him ostracized at school and earns the ire of his shallow, ditzy older sister Courtney (Kendrick). He is picked on especially often by the thuggish, dim-witted bully Alvin (Mintz-Plasse). The only kid in school who seems to like him is the portly Neil (Albrizzi), who possesses some eccentricities of his own and is excited by the prospect of his friend being an actual necromancer. Courtney has eyes for Neil`s hunky and clueless older brother Mitch (Affleck), who becomes the gang`s designated driver. It so happens that Norman`s crazy old uncle Mr Penderghast (John Goodman) is about to kick the bucket, and tasks Norman with reading an incantation from a grimoire, in order to appease a witch who was executed 300 years ago to the day by seven Puritans. The Puritans are cursed to rise from their graves and wander around the town as zombies; and as the residents go into frenzy, it`s up to Norman, Neil, Mitch, Courtney and Alvin to restore the town to normalcy.
ParaNorman is easily one of the very best films this reviewer has seen this year, animated or otherwise. It`s an outstanding showcase of technical artistry, a display of a mastery of craft and a well-told tale with a strong emotional core. ParaNorman was created using stop-motion animation, one of the most painstaking mediums to work in ever. In these days of studios practically belching out cheaply-made 3D animated films, it is refreshing and heartening to see a movie made with so much love and hard work, with CGI used to enhance and augment the traditional puppets, models and backgrounds as opposed to replacing them altogether. If making a movie is akin to creating a world, then a film like this is probably the ultimate example. There are rich atmospherics, a markedly non-gimmicky (albeit not entirely necessary) use of 3D and some remarkable character designs that help the viewer get a rough understanding of the characters` personalities just by looking at them.
Beyond and probably even more so than its visual flair and appeal is the story`s heart. On the surface, it appears to be a ghoulish comedy, a fun romp with a few haunted house-style frights and nothing more. However, this is really a tale of courage and compassion, about the power of acceptance and how it`s perfectly fine, cool even, to be different. Everybody can relate to being under-appreciated, and we`ve all felt like outcasts at one point or another. Just like superhero comics like Superman or the X-Men, ParaNorman is a fantasy in which the main character proves his worth, the very qualities for which he is shunned coming into play and ultimately saving those that scorned him. Kodi Smit-McPhee of Let Me In fame is excellent as the voice of Norman, and the rest of the voice cast provides similarly evocative and, when need be, over-the-top vocal performances that really tie it all together.
This is also a loving homage to horror film clichÃ