ParaNorman Reviews

I love the way LAIKA are giving the world of computer 3D animation a run for their money. ParaNorman is a great little film. The detail is as good as the story, both are of a high quality. It's a bit scary for kids though but as an adult (and if I was a kid still) this would definitely be the one I'd go for. Stop motion all the way baby, it's sad how you don't seem to see many good story and good animation films, it seems to be either one of the other. More please.

Fun movie!! Lots of chuckle moments...

'ParaNorman'. Hilariously clever visual gags, a lovable central character, and beautiful stop motion. Deserves the best animated feature.

Is it stupid to say a "kid's film" is too heavy-handed with its message? That would be my only complaint of 'ParaNorman'. A little more subtlety would not have been missed, and I do only mean a little more.

Oh, and 'Frankenweenie' has a lot to learn from this. The way that thing fell apart made me marvel this further.

I really enjoyed the look and feel of this flick. The world they created was spot on for this story and it all worked. Much like a friend of mine I think the first hour or so is solid and very entertaining. It starts to fall apart a little as the film wraps up though. Not that it's a bad ending it's just not as solid as the beginning and middle.

A powerful film both in terms of it's awe-inspiring stop-motion animation and it's unexpectedly complex themes and commentary.

A fantastically entertaining and strangely powerful film. Norman is a boy who can talk to ghosts, which leads to him being ridiculed by everyone in town. But when his uncle tells him of a witch's curse, it's up to Norman to save the day. ParaNorman has a strong message behind it and handles it in a way that isn't sappy in the slightest. It was strange seeing mature themes handled in such a delicate but emotional fashion, especially for a family film. The vocal work is fantastic with Tucker Albrizzi stealing the show with his quick and clueless onel-liners throughout. Smit-McPhee has a delicate voice that doesn't seem as though it should suit an animated tale, but it does completely. The animation is beautiful, even when bringing the dead back to life and the film does well to provide a number of action sequences that mix chills and laughs in equal measure. The only issue is that the film does have a lot going on and the ghosts are pretty much dropped for the majority of the film. A great adventure and I hope we'll see a sequel.

It suffers from a pretty limp middle section, but ParaNorman makes up for it due to a charming voice cast, brilliant score, hilariously edgy jokes, unique animation style, and a fantastic, heartfelt third act.

"PARANORMAN is an enjoyable tale for the whole family. The story is fun. There are lot of great characters too. I loved the brother's, Neil and Mitch. All the actors did great with their characters. The movie is just a lot of fun. I liked that it's different from any of the other animations that have been out. *SPOILER* Some people had issues with a scene near the end of the movie where Mitch tells Courtney that he has a boyfriend. Really people. I think it's pretty safe to assume that it's the 21st century and kids know all about homosexuals. I think it's pretty ignorant to try and shield them from something that is in the every day world.*END OF SPOILER* Anyways, I think a lot of people will enjoy this dark, funny, imaginative movie that has brought something different to the animation world."

The stop-motion works great and the film is surprisingly very funny (I was expecting something more along the lines of "Coraline"). There are a few references to classic horror films as well, which is pretty cool. It's a decent story, although near the end things get a bit too sentimental for my taste which sort of strays from the tone of film. Otherwise, it's very entertaining and I found myself laughing quite a bit. There's some adult humor in there as well, which I always love to see in 'kids' films.

Finally we get another 'Nightmare Before Christmas' type flick! Been waiting for this and yet amazingly it isn't Tim Burton behind the camera or script. Can't deny that's the first thought that entered my head...'this is a Tim Burton film...surely!'.

But no this isn't, its completely Burton free and what's more its pretty darn good. Visuals up first of course, what can I say, they look flippin great!. A blend of clay-mation with a hint of CGI in places but in that nice old school way which hasn't been made deliberately perfect. Characters, buildings, backgrounds etc...are not created exactly symmetrical but with a slightly twisted and dare I say...Tim Burton-ish approach (can't get around saying that sorry). Kooky is a good description word here.

The colour palette is also quite nice and offers a bold yet shaded range giving off a cozy comicbook feel. Animation wise its really slick too, smoother than other well known clay-mation films and with great depth in backdrops and vista's, loved the evil looking sky towards the end.

The whole zombie thing is cool and for some reason made me think of 'Thriller', I guess because this film actually has some quite semi scary moments. Usual mix of hocus pocus, curses and regular 'kids film type characters' but big close ups on undead faces, screaming howling zombies, zombie limbs flying off, evil witch forces and the odd small jumpy moment make this more for the older teen viewer. Visuals will entice the kids but the content will be appreciated more by slightly older kids/teens.

The story does turns out to be quite sweet in the end I might add, the finale is quite moving and in a way detracts from what has gone before really. Almost a total swing in mood from horror comedy to nice fairytale bookend.

Lots of nice touches throughout, I really liked how Norman is the only person who can see ghosts around the town. Nothing original there but a nice spooky 'Beetlejuice' 'The Frighteners' flavour, wish we had seen much more of that.

I knew I would like this as the whole concept is right up my alley and I'm sure anyone who enjoyed films like 'Nightmare Before Christmas' 'Corpse Bride' 'Monster House' etc...will enjoy this. Not overly original and characters aren't overly inspired but a fun haunted little ride with some cute lines of comedy and lovely visuals, just wish the ending wasn't so weepy.

Quite funny, sometimes surprisingly clever, and with just enough darkness to surprise. A nice quirky approach to the "it's okay to be different" theme, this time more than just a little chastizing to those trying to maintain the status quo. Visually impressive and fast-paced; I personally could have used a touch more of that insubordinate edge, but it's fun.

The superb animation combines 3D stop-motion and CGI effects in a dazzling visual spectacle, but the plot drags with an irregular pacing and only occasional funny jokes. An average experience that ends on a cliché message about how bullying is bad.

Norman is an 11 year-old boy with a very unusual gift - he has the ability to see and speak to the no longer living! His own family thinks he's out of his gourd for talking to his dead grandmother and he's regarded as a freak by his mean and bullying school mates. Until one day, when dark, ominous visions suddenly assaults his extrasensory mind; making him aware of a terrible curse that rests upon his home town. A vindictive witch, who has a score to settle with the town inhabitants, sets to raise the dead from their graves, which becomes the point of departure for a hair-raising adventure, rife with zombies, phantoms and many a skin-crawling moments.

Chris Butler, who here make his directing and screenwriting debut with the somewhat more experienced Sam Fell (Flushed Away, The Tale of Desperaux), delivers a visually goluptious, if uneven yarn, that takes the rather ancient stop-motion technique (the first creation of its kind came already in 1897) and hones it to its ideal condition. Not least as it has applied a set of cutting-edge 3D printers to generate faces for its characters.

For all the confectionary to the eyes, however, the film is marred by its unbalanced tempo and somewhat bromidic structure. I welcome all the fun references to old horror favourites like Friday the 13th and Halloween, but the narrative hobbles too much, at the same time as many of the characters seem a little too stereotypical and normative to fully engage. Norman's bimbo of a sister is one such case - the dim-witted muscle package Mitch, another.

The voice-acting, however, is consistently on top, with wholehearted efforts by names like Christopher "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse, John Goodman and Bernard Hill. The ensemble is also gilt-edged by fresh talents in the genre in the form of Casey Affleck and Anna Kendrick. Humor-wise it's very hit-and-miss; it never really amounts to more than a couple of chuckles and it feels like the script would have done better with hiring in a writer of more comical aptitude. Not that Butler's dialogues don't fill their function, but they lack a certain geist, to lift it beyond banality.

As an amusing fun-for-the-moment escapade, it works more than well though. The macabre theme, which also has a great deal to say about people's ignorance and odium to remove their blinders, is neatly interweaved with the colorful animations, which are of prime and first-rate caliber. The absence of blood may perhaps be lame to those who hankered for an animated Braindead, but as a G-rated family feature it's adequately scary and fits well with the given format. Then again - you may not want to retell it as a bedtime story to kids below the age of 6. Just a tip for all the parents out there who value their beauty sleep.

The gorgeously animated stop-motion film ParaNorman is a terrific sight for the eyes. There's a certain magic to stop-motion, the tangible nature of it all, the knowledge that these intricate worlds actually existed. Like Coraline, the previous film by the same animation house, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in this handcrafted world. The animation is so fluid, so sprightly, and displays a rich artistic tone. The story, about a kid who can see ghosts, is noticeably less ambitious. The characters are a tad one-dimensional (bratty older sister, dimwitted jock, socially awkward chubby best friend, etc.) and the plot is fairly predictable, but what really elevates ParaNorman is its sense of humor. I was laughing heartily throughout the movie, not just a giggle or a chortle but good, solid laughs. ParaNorman has an irreverent sense of humor with some surprisingly adult-oriented gags (nothing to worry about parents). With these virtues, the movie becomes an entertaining horror comedy aimed at young teens and older adults. It's a fun movie, short of a saggy second act, and the animation is aces.

Nate's Grade: B

Best animated film of 2012 thus far. Funny, heartfelt and filled with great horror references throughout, ''ParaNorman'' is a delight for the whole family.

Paranorman takes a recycled coming-of-age story, a cliche horror premise, a cast of boring archetypes and turns it into fresh heartfelt adventure full of charm and laughs.

Loveable characters, sharp script, and just... and overall feeling of honest heart looms in the air as Norman overcomes loneliness to save his town.

It goes to show that reiteration doesn't necessarily mean a bad product. That formulas are there because they work and that genre bending can never really go wrong.

It also features some of the best character design, animation style, and storyboard work I've seen in a long time. A truly enjoyable experience!

The weird kid who sees ghosts is a town's only hope to save them from a zombie invasion brought about by an ancient witch's curse. Quality animated entertainment in the CORALINE mold; adult fans of cheesy horror movies should dig it, too---this is the first time I've caught a visible boom mic in an animated movie.

It has some of the best Stop motion animation I've seen before, and the film itself is also very well handled. The humor may be hit or miss but its performances are decent and the designs of the Zombies are very cool and the climax is very well handled.

"Brave" is probably my favorite animated movie of the 2012 Summer season. But, "Paranorman" is right behind it, and I'm sure will eventually grow on me so much, I put it above that. About a boy named Norman who can see dead people, and he has to stops a witches curse before zombies could destroy their town. All the while he deals with parents that don't understand him, a fat best friend, a snobby sister, and bullies. I took my 6 year old nephew to see this, and this is the perfect way to introduce a child to horror movies(hey I was watching Freddy at that age). It teeters a good line of what is scary, but it doesn't ever go over. My nephew loved it, as did I. I found it hilarious, with good twists, especially one involving the jock character. I didn't see this in 3D, but I imagine it looks amazing in 3D. The animation is also stop motion, which is rare nowadays, and it works great and is very refreshing. So many cartoons look the same these days, it's nice to see one that's a little off kilter. Horror fans, cartoon fans, or just movie fans in general should check this out, with or without a kid present.