ParaNorman
Rating: 4.5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
Laika really broke out with Coraline, which is still hailed as a spooky classic to this day. For their follow-up, they decide to craft a more accessible and comedic animated horror film titled ParaNorman, following a kid named Norman who can speak to the dead. While ParaNorman may not be as advanced or really swings for the fences like Coraline, it is still incredibly fun and a perfect gateway movie for younger audiences interested in horror. While I do think this film's predecessor is superior, a part of me may seriously like Laika's Sophomore attempt more.
Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) just wants to be a normal kid. However, that proves challenging when he is constantly talking to the dead, which makes the other children at school poke fun at him and his family start to worry. However, when a ghostly storm appears with a vengeance and starts to bring the dead back to life in the form of zombies, Norman's skill to talk to the dead may actually prove useful. Partnered with his sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), his friend Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), Courtney's boyfriend Mitch (Casey Affleck), and bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Norman must stop at nothing to make sure the dead go back into the ground and no one is hurt.
The first thing we need to talk about is the stellar animation here. I truly believe Laika has crafted the best stop-motion animation ever on film, and Paranormal is simply another example of that. From the way they are able to craft these characters and these jaw-dropping settings is truly inspiring. It's actually crazy to think about how these are real sets that have been constructed when watching this film, and it makes you appreciate a film like this so much. Even today, it still makes me wonder how they are able to capture every single frame in this movie and conjure up enough patience to complete the shoot. Because of that, I would say this sort of animation is deeply underrated.
In terms of the story and characters here, I think it could have used a little bit more. The story feels a little unfocused at times, but I would easily say I genuinely enjoyed this movie more than I did Coraline, if you want to compare the two. This entire plot is a lot of fun and really brings back the vibes from the 80's and 90's coming-of-age films. They craft these perfect characters that fit the mold of films of this caliber, and the movie does move at a very quick pace. I love this story of acceptance and being proud of what makes you different, and I think the character of Norman is really well-crafted. If they had maybe focused the story a little bit better on one idea and maybe were a little more bold in its storytelling, I think this could have easily rivaled what they did before.
With that being said, the character design and the actors who brought them to life are phenomenal. I love how they designed these characters and gave them so much personality throughout their animated design. Each character is incredibly unique and different, and I think Laika is perhaps one of the best animated studios to make each character so unique. At the same time, the voice actors really embody these roles and make them unique to their own vision that they have. It is incredibly obvious they are all having a lot of fun with these characters and this plot, and the actors and animators work hand-in-hand to make sure these characters pop off the screen.
What I love about this movie so much too is that it serves as the perfect introductory horror film for younger audiences. This movie is the right amount of scary and thrilling, but not enough to terrify the younger audiences who are interested in a movie like this. Films that fit into this genre struggle sometimes in the sense of making it too scary or not thrilling enough, but this picture seems like it found such a great blend of comedy and soft horror elements.
ParaNorman is genuinely one of the best family films to watch during the Halloween season, and I have so much fun with this one. I really do think this is perhaps one of the most fun movies Laika has crafted, and everything from the animation to the characters makes me appreciate this film so much more. I think there is something for everyone here, and this is the perfect movie to kickstart the Halloween season in every household.
Comments
Post a Comment