Leave it to the people who gave us Coraline to provide the year's most original, imaginative, and downright strange animated movie of the year. Fortunately, ParaNorman is also one of the best, and establishes the folks at LAIKA as not only masters in the unique art of stop-motion animation, but some of the finest storytellers working in any genre.
Norman sees dead people. It's not just some leftover joke from The Sixth Sense, Norman actually can see and talk to the spirits of the dead. He actually seems to get along better with them than he does with actual people, as the townsfolk in Blithe Hollow look at him with suspicion. He's just a little too weird, and so Norman is mostly a loner, with the exception of the spirit of his dead grandmother(Elaine Stritch) and his jovial buddy, Neil(Tucker Albrizzi), who is an even bigger outcast. His parents(Jeff Garlin and Lesley Mann) don't understand him, and his cheerleader sis, Courtney(Anna Kendrick), is embarrassed by him. Not to mention he's constantly the target of moronic school bully, Alvin(Christopher Mintz-Plasse). It's no wonder that Norman sinks further into indulging in the supernatural realm than reality.
It isn't long before the people of Blithe Hollow will come to start looking at Norman a little bit differently. The town was the sight of a witch hunt 300 years earlier, leading to a curse that most of the people have written off as just another silly legend. When the spirit of Norman's uncle(John Goodman) reveals to him, in rather hilarious and disgusting fashion, that the curse is real and only the boy can break it, Norman finds himself in the position of savior. Like any boy Norman's age, he doesn't take to the sudden shouldering of responsibility willingly, and it's not until zombies emerging from the ground that he starts to take it seriously. Joined by Neil, Courtney, Alvin, and Neil's blockhead older bro(Casey Affleck), they embark on a wild night chasing down and getting chased by the undead.
Directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler, the latter also having written the script, have undertaken a difficult task in trying to create a zombie story with coming-of-age touches. Other than his supernatural gifts, Norman will be familiar to kids who have often found themselves on the outside looking in at a world they don't quite fit in. A film clearly geared towards families, Norman's journey to become someone comfortable in his own skin is a recognizable, universal theme. But where the film really thrives on a narrative level is in the way it uses humor and classic horror movie elements to build Norman's world. ParaNorman isn't just funny, with some great background sight gags, but it also has a ton of heart. At it's core, this is a straight forward story about finding compassion and common ground with those who are different, a relevant message for both young and old alike.Led by animator and LAIKA President, Travis Knight(also a former rapper named Chilly Tee), the attention to detail and level of emotion captured in these characters is a cut above. It takes a rare sort of person to devote oneself to the grueling stop-motion process, which is why movies of this sort are so few, but what sets LAIKA and ParaNorman apart is that they don't shy away from cramming as much stuff on screen as possible. Most stop-motion films endeavor to keep things simple, but there's a lot going on here, with huge crowds, flying spirits in glowing vapor trails, and ominous, swirling clouds of doom. To that end, it does get a little dark and disturbing towards the end, but even younger kids should be able to handle it without bedtime nightmares. Shot in 3D, the technology serves the story well by fleshing out Blithe Hollow and providing the occasional jump scare.
ParaNorman is a true labor of love, and it's obvious from every single beautifully crafted frame. Smart and funny enough to appeal to kids and adults, ParaNorman is the clear choice right now for Best Animated Feature.
