Horror fans will know they are in for a treat from the opening moments: a box-shaped, degraded "Feature Presentation" logo gives way to a scene of a zombie pursuing a frightened woman, a scene set to a John Carpenter style electronic score (which is revealed to be a film our hero is watching with the ghost of his grandmother). Though it is an animated film with a PG rating, ParaNorman is a true genre triumph. It has an understanding of and respect for horror elements, from the design and movement of zombies to the mysterious autumn atmosphere captured by films such as Carpenter's Halloween, far richer than many of its R-rated contemporaries. The storyline and its mostly uplifting conclusion won't surprise any seasoned film fans (in general, the film is not as nuanced or moving as Coraline), but the lead character is solid and sympathetic, and it is an absolute delight to spend 90 minutes marveling at the stop-motion world on display, from the foreboding orange and red skies to the last grotesque detail on the macabre posters covering the walls of Norman's bedroom.

B+

Excellent film. I knew I'd at least enjoy it based on the trailer, but not this much. 'Frankenweenie' has a lot to live up to now.

9/10

There's some outrage over this movie by moviegoers. Here's a user review on IMDB:

ParaNorman is marketed as a kids movie. Parents, be warned... it is not. The movie itself is a fairly violent, scary movie. Alone, not the best suited for young kids. But it is laced throughout with homosexuality, curse words, liberalism, and even a scene that can be construed as necrophilia and adult sex with children. The animation and storyline, although fairly well done, are overshadowed with these not-so subtle intrusions. Sprinkle in some truly disgusting and gross scenes, and wow... what a movie for young kids.

I was truly appalled and outraged at this film. It is truly sad if this is what kids films have become. My advice, avoid this film completely. Take the kiddos to see a good-hearted and quality film like Diary of a Wimpy Kid.


The reference to homosexuality was also mentioned on my theater chain's Facebook page. And you can read other mentions of the film's "inappropriate" themes on the IMDB board: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1623288/board/threads/

Personally this makes me want to go see the movie more, along with the horror aspect (I'm a sucker for the fall atmosphere that David mentioned).

Really?

- In tags for Mike and anyone else.

ParaNorman - 7/10 ( B )

I thought it was cute. Better than Coraline.

ParaNorman had some authentically scary sequences towards the end - - too bad it had to be overly dependant on blusteringly chaotic action and childish humor the rest of the time.


3 out of 5.

A triumph of atmospheric visuals and mood, but suffers from inconsistent storytelling. The titular hero is infamous for talking to ghosts, but this ability is never utilized once the zombie/witch spookiness begins. It's a bizarre choice that makes the initial plot feel like an excuse for the positive messages towards the end. SPOILERS

B-

I had a great time. Perhaps my favorite animated film of 2012 so far.

The idiots who criticize this because it has one hilarious joke about being gay need to join the 21st century. And yes, it was scary for kids but so was Snow White.

Not being a horror fan I enjoyed myself. Far preferred the second half where anime, sentiment, and childhood confrontation with unacceptance dominate horror spoofs and mild spins on cliche characters. The underlying homosexual current and generally liberal themes are fantastic and I love to see here. Agi is the best piece of the film and the lasting image in my mind. It felt a little to easy, safe, not as risky or honest as Coraline in many ways. I laughed, I was on the edge of my seat, and had far more to think about as the awesome credit song played than I expected to walking in though.

There's a homosexual "current" in this movie? Other than the one line near the end?

It's not prevelant but I found Neil's interest in Norman as more than friendship or admiration. It's easy to read the outcast, unaccepting, aspects as just a weirdo-geek thing, but I saw it as a parallel to homophobia. There's the father's comment at the beginning, something to the affect of "I'm accepting but I won't tolerate limp-wristed hippie stuff in my house, people talk."

Eh, it's far too heavy-handed and on-the-nose, especially towards the end. And it seems curiously out-of-touch with contemporary thinking. Yes, we know, being different is not a bad thing. No need to pound it into our heads repeatedly.

But the animation and voice work is impressive, so I'll give it a pass.

I liked it a lot, the animation is amazing. Tons better than Frankenweenie.

B+

Laika can really do no wrong. This makes for a perfect double-feature with Monster House as Halloween entertainment for kids and an introduction to horror movies. The 3D and the animation were amazing and in particular the first hour is exhilarating. My gripe was the same as Moviedude has mentioned, though. They introduce Norman's powers/gift and never make any use of it. Why bother then? I am sure there could have been other ways to present him as an outsider.

This movie was okay, I guess. I'm sure the animators worked very hard on the animation, but it isn't as appealing to me as the Aardman films or The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is technically well made I guess, but it is still about a zombie apocalypse, which is not my cup of tea.

B-