ParaNorman however decides to kind of go against the grain and make an animated film that is arguably more aimed at the parents than the children. Out is the fast-paced, inane actions of such characters like in the Looney Toons and in are some subtle nods to 80s horror and a much deeper storyline than you'd expect from a light children's film.
ParaNorman follows the titular character Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) who is considered an outcast at school because he openly admits that he can speak to the dead. The only person who will believe in him is overweight, Neil (voiced by Tucker Albrizzi) who can sympathise with Norman because he is also considered an outcast. They live in a town, Blithe Hollow that believed to be under a Witches curse, however most of the residents use this to their advantage to sell to tourists rather than actually fear the Witch. One day, Norman's estranged Uncle dies and his ghost tells Norman that he must read from a special book in order to keep Aggie the Witch (voiced by Jodelle Ferland) at bay. However, when Norman initially refuses, a mystical storm engulfs the town which also raises the dead. Norman must team together with his friend Neil, his sister Courtney (voiced by Anna Kendrick), Neil's older brother Mitch (voiced by Casey Affleck) and the school bully Alvin (voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) in order to save his town and learn the truth behind the Witch's curse.
Now, where ParaNorman firstly succeeds (especially in attracting it's older audience) is it's subtle and brilliant nods to 80s horror. In the opening 5 minutes, Norman tells him Mother that he is watching "sex and violence" (when the 1980s were the height of the Video Nasty 'outbreak' for many horror films), the quiet beat of the retro soundtrack just oozed the feeling of George A Romero's Living Dead original trilogy and Norman's passion for zombie films was just the cherry on the top of the cake for horror fans. While the film still does feature some immature sight gags and bodily function jokes, it almost felt like the children in my cinema audience were taking a sideline, because ParaNorman definitely felt like it was a film for the grown-ups.
Secondly, and most importantly, ParaNorman felt like a fully developed story in something that you would find in a more grown-up film. Without giving the finale away, the Witch's curse is revealed to be down to how the town had double crossed the witch, how they had misunderstood her and how people can sometimes be quite ignorant to one another. It wasn't your typical 'boy falls in love with girl' or 'outsider becomes popular' storyline that you would expect to see from a children's film. While some people may argue that the complicated storyline in ParaNorman can lose it's primary younger audience, I would happily sit here and argue otherwise with them. The film still does include adolescent problems that you would expect in a children's film (like Norman's sister trying to attract the attention of Mitch or how Norman deals with bullies at his school), but they almost feel sidelined, especially when it comes to the grand finale.
However, ParaNorman not only has strengths in it's storyline, but visually it is gorgeous to look at. The set design of the town is pretty simple, but it keeps out attention on the loveable detail paid to the characters. In a world where we are now bombarded with CGI animation that seems devoid of any soul behind it (like the Madagascar and Ice Age series, to name but a few), it's refreshing to see film companies like Laika Entertainment and the crew behind it devote the time, effort and love behind stop-motion animation. Let's just hope that other film companies see this so we can get more traditional stop-motion and hand-drawn animations out there!
One of the only issues and buzz with ParaNorman at the moment seems to be the age rating given to the film. In the UK, it's rated a PG which means that anyone can see the film, but Parents may wish to check out the film first before taking younger viewers. While some people online have taken to complaining about the homosexual reference thrown into the film at the end (I don't see the problem really), I'd probably largely warn parents over the horror elements to the story. There are a couple of jump scares (the biggest one being an extremely loud witch's scream) which could be considered inappropriate for younger viewers, but the film's finale is pretty heavy going for the younger viewers when the Witch's identity is revealed. Let's just say, the towns folk weren't too kind to the Witch or her family and the Witch must find peace to move on to the afterlife and leave her grudge behind her.
Overall, ParaNorman is a delight for the grown-ups, providing some laughs and loving winks towards the horror genre to compliment the beautiful looking film with the brilliant voice acting. However, some could argue that it's a little too much for younger viewers, so would you want to be seen in the middle of a cinema showing an animated feature without any of the little sprogs in tow?!
**** / *****
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