Paranorman

Mr. Pat

1 day ago

4 min read

President Baby is eight years old, and, for me, one of the hardest things as a father so far has been trying to get him into horror movies. Lincoln likes asking about horror and learning about who did what, but he hasn't taken to the more tame options. I remember watching Tremors when I was in preschool and loving it; my main man doesn't share my enthusiasm or disposition when it comes to sitting down and watching something scary. In order to ease him into it, we all watched...

Paranorman (2012)

Let me get this out of the way right from the jump: I love everything about this movie. I adore the animation, the cast is great, the story is wonderful, the baddies are interesting and nuanced, and the major antagonist can go from legitimately scary and looking awesome one second to heartbreakingly sympathetic the next. It has humor, it has heart and it's a love letter to 80s adventure horror. I don't know if I'd put it on my list of perfect movies, movies that I can't think of a single complaint about, but it's very close. In case you're wondering what those movies are, in no order: Army of Darkness, Hot Fuzz and Robin Williams' Jumanji.

Before we get into the movie, we need to talk about the cast because it's sincerely great. Even the lesser-known actors and actresses are very good. But here are some of the big names voicing characters: Anna Kendrick, John Goodman, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jeff Garlin, Ariel Winter, Jodelle Ferland and the king of Rohan himself, Bernard Hill! That is a fantastic cast, and looking at the talent behind the microphones and the brilliance of the animators, it's a shame we never got a follow-up trip into the universe this movie inhabits.

So, we meet Norman Babcock, and he's a bit of an outcast. Why is he an outcast? Well, he can see and talk to ghosts. And it's not like in The Sixth Sense where it's his little secret; no, everyone knows the claim and, let's just say that hasn't made him popular. Later, we find out that his uncle, the local looney, can talk to dead people too. You see, the town is cursed by a witch, and Norman's uncle has been in charge of keeping her at bay by reading to her a fairy tale on the anniversary of her death. Unfortunately, the uncle passes away, and it's up to Norman to put her to sleep for another year. If he fails, the dead and the witch will make for a very bad time for the townsfolk.

That's the story in a nutshell, and it's a blast to watch play out. There is no one on his side except for the perpetually optimistic Neil. He's a sweet kid and is the only person in town who isn't phased by Norman and his gifts. Their friendship is barely a day old, but Neil is the type of friend everyone wishes they could have. He doesn't understand what's going on, but he's down to help in any way he can, and he even stands up to those bullying Norman. Outside of the two friends, the main group tagging along is a blast to watch because, outside of Neil, none of them set out to help Norman. Every other person came along kicking and screaming, but in the end they come together and help out in their own way. The moment they all come together is really sweet and is completely earned when they finally get out of the way and let Norman lead in the situation they're all powerless to do anything about.

It's scenes like that that make this movie so good. Everything about this movie ranges from good to wonderful, and a lot of that is due to the story. It gets incredibly deep and heartfelt in a way that doesn't seem tacked on. The final showdown with the witch is fantastic. Visually, she is awesome. I love the look of her when she and Norman are squaring off on a clock tower. It was even one of my Zoom backgrounds during COVID. But that's not even her best form. The best way I can describe it is that she's a bolt of lightning in the shape of a young girl. Their confrontation hits hard too when you realize why she is the way she is and the conclusion to their standoff left me misty when it's almost entirely solved by words.

Watching this, I couldn't help but think of Batman vs. Superman; one where you realize the whole thing would have been over in five minutes if the two just talked to each other. But then someone will come along and say, "Yeah, but then you wouldn't have much of a movie!"

I reject that premise entirely. Paranorman shows you can have a satisfying ending by having two characters talk to one another. In fact, with everything that came before in this movie, I'd say what they went with was the perfect and most satisfying way it could have ended. I loved it, and it was one of the only times, during my pick for movie night, that Lincoln's attention wasn't elsewhere. Paranorman is awesome!