Nato – ParaNorman (2012)
I miss writing these articles weekly because they always give me a chance to catch up on the few movies I might have missed. Animated movies are near and dear to my heart, but somehow ParaNorman evaded my gaze since its release a few years back – something I happily changed when Remy suggested this week’s topic. Coming from Laika Entertainment, most notably known for Coraline, this stop motion beauty lived up to the hype pumped into me by a few obsessed friends, making my ignorance of this title even more confusing – but that’s all in the past now!
Norman is your average social outcast who possesses a special talent that lets him communicate with the dead who still have unfinished business. While he’s bullied for his strange talent and looked down upon by his own family, it turns out Norman is the only one who can save his quaint little town from an invading zombie curse, proving to the world that his undead whispering isn’t just a fabricated story built to gain attention. Can Norman defeat the zombies and vanquish the curse before bedtime?
Despite obvious praising of Laika’s unmatched stop-motion presentation, ParaNorman is like a class in Horror 101 for much younger audiences. Children won’t know most of the references, but you’ve got Halloween, Friday The 13th, Suspiria – hell, our filmmakers even work in a Manos: The Hands Of Fate reference. When you’re getting references of this caliber mixed with absolutely gorgeous visual nightmares that highlight both art and terror, it’s hard to deny the rambunctious amount of fun that awaits viewers.
Norman is a relatable character most children can connect with, themes of death are dealt with on a very mature level, and horror elements make a nice introduction for families who may not be ready for something even as tame as Gremlins – ParaNorman is the real deal when it comes to children’s horror.
Published: Jun 10, 2014 11:52 pm