2012 has been a strong year for animated films. While
computer animation rules the roost, it’s good to know that older forms like
stop-motion are still being kept alive. Disney released Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie and Universal produced Paranorman from Laika Studios, the same
animators that brought us Coraline.
Despite being stronger pictures, neither of those pictures did as well as
Sony’s Hotel Transylvania, which
boasted garish CG-animation and a big-name voice cast with Adam Sandler and
Selena Gomez. Out of all three horror themed films, ParaNorman, is undoubtedly the cream of the crop.
Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee) lives in the sleepy New
England burg of Blithe Hollow and suffers from the same problem as the boy from
The Sixth Sense. He sees dead people,
all the time. In fact, they’re his only friends, from his late grandmother
sitting on the living room couch to the female aviator whose parachute is
tangled up in a tree. The people who are still living either openly mock Norman
or avoid him like a leper. His mother (Leslie Mann) tries to understand, but
his exasperated father (Jeff Garlin) seems like he wants to put Norman in an
institution.
Norman’s gifts are called upon when he is visited by the
spirit of his crazy Uncle Prenderghast (John Goodman). 300 years ago an evil
witch placed a curse on the Puritans who burned her at the stake. For centuries, a chosen few have kept the
witch at bay by reading from a book. With Prenderghast gone, the burden is
placed on Norman. When he fails, the dead rise from the grave to plague Blithe
Hollow.
Right away, you are struck by the incredible set designs and
puppet work of ParaNorman. The
hardworking folks of Laika painstakingly crafted the film over a two-year
period. The animation alone would win it style points, but there’s substance
thanks to a script by storyboard artist Chris Butler, who also made his
directorial debut here alongside Sam Fell (Flushed
Away, The Tales of Despereaux). They’ve
boldly made a kid-friendly zombie movie imbued with a palpable sense of pathos.
A second act twist turns ParaNorman
right on its ear when we learn that intolerance and mob mentality are far more
frightening and tangible than a horde of the ravenous undead. The plot thickens
in the third act when Norman learns the heart-wrenching truth about the legend
of the witch. The filmmakers never forget to bring the humor with the funniest
gag involving a slow moving race between the zombies and a vending machine.
The voice acting is superb with youngsters Kodi Smit-McPhee
and Tucker Albrizzi portraying Norman and his overweight pal, Neil. They’ve
bonded over their shared status as social outcasts. Anna Kendrick is terrific
as Norman’s cheerleader sister, Courtney, and Casey Affleck is hilarious as
Neil’s older lunkhead brother, Mitch. There’s also Christopher Mintz-Plasse as
school bully Alvin, Tempestt Bledsoe as the sassy town sheriff, and Elaine
Stritch as Norman’s granny.
ParaNorman draws
inspiration from a variety of classic horror tales ranging from the works of
George Romero to Washington Irving’s The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow. There’s an
amusing gag with a hockey mask ala Jason Vorhees and an opening prologue
parodying the type of scary movies shown on late-night TV. The score by Jon
Brion is a mix melancholy and suspense with the retro-synth sounds of John
Carpenter.
ParaNorman is a
remarkable achievement in storytelling and stop-motion animation. It conveys a
powerful message about acceptance and forgiveness without being preachy or
pandering. Recommended without hesitation for movie fans young and old.
Rating: *** (*****)
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