Charming, hilarious and deeply human, ParaNorman is everything anyone could ask for in an animated film. Package that with eye-popping animations and a child-friendly story, and the end result proves- without an ounce of rhetoric- that there are still movies out there that can be 'fun for the whole family'.
Eleven-year-old Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is having a hard time fitting in at school. He's reserved, eccentric and he sees dead people. Labelled a freak by his classmates and a burden by his family, Norman spends his days watching Z-grade horrors and adding to his gruesome collection of zombie paraphernalia. When his estranged uncle (a delightful John Goodman)- whom Norman is forbidden from speaking to- warns him of the annual witch's curse, he thinks nothing of it. That is, until the undead rise from their graves and Norman, with his supernatural abilities to contact the grand witch, is the only one who can restore order.
From there, the rest of the film isn't hard to figure out. The outcast must become the hero through pure happenstance, and all the terrified residents of the cleverly-named Blithe Hollow are forced to look at him differently. Meanwhile, all the kiddies learn a valuable lesson about being yourself while mum and dad tag along with fake smiles. The formula is textbook, but co- directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell blend it so seamlessly with the story it feels not only original, but more importantly, real.
As with many animated films, the supporting cast can resemble a case of 'spot that star' more often than not, but bit players Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz- Plasse and Curb Your Enthusiasm's Jeff Garlin all round out their wonderful characters in their own unique ways, contributing enormously to the immersion of a film many might expect overpowered by self-indulgent star power. Ironically, it is the only unknown among the cast, Tucker Albrizzi (TV's Big Time Rush) who steals the show as the dimwitted but headstrong Neil, with a chock-full-of-one-liners performance that effortlessly bridges the inevitable generation gap between viewers.
The whole experience is underscored by Butler's script; a brilliantly satirical, comical and, at times, masterfully subtle showing that pushes ParaNorman into the upper echelon of its genre.
The film's DVD release comes packaged with an UltraViolet copy, allowing viewers to access the film online, on PC and on the mobile. The latest innovation in home release cinema, UV boasts a high-definition improvement over the now-outdated digital copy (although it can be accessed and downloaded in a similarly simplistic manner). Where the latter could only download copies of the film in standard definition, which lead to a noticeable disparity in visual quality between computer copies and their flawless Blu-ray equivalents, UV brings the technology up to speed, resulting in a sharper image most noticeable on smaller screens like those of smart phones.
The innovation pairs up beautifully with ParaNorman's lovingly-crafted animations and enthralling chase sequences. And if visuals play second fiddle to story, just take solace in the fact that you can now get a laugh out of Norm's ignorant grandma wherever you are.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*
Eleven-year-old Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is having a hard time fitting in at school. He's reserved, eccentric and he sees dead people. Labelled a freak by his classmates and a burden by his family, Norman spends his days watching Z-grade horrors and adding to his gruesome collection of zombie paraphernalia. When his estranged uncle (a delightful John Goodman)- whom Norman is forbidden from speaking to- warns him of the annual witch's curse, he thinks nothing of it. That is, until the undead rise from their graves and Norman, with his supernatural abilities to contact the grand witch, is the only one who can restore order.
From there, the rest of the film isn't hard to figure out. The outcast must become the hero through pure happenstance, and all the terrified residents of the cleverly-named Blithe Hollow are forced to look at him differently. Meanwhile, all the kiddies learn a valuable lesson about being yourself while mum and dad tag along with fake smiles. The formula is textbook, but co- directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell blend it so seamlessly with the story it feels not only original, but more importantly, real.
As with many animated films, the supporting cast can resemble a case of 'spot that star' more often than not, but bit players Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz- Plasse and Curb Your Enthusiasm's Jeff Garlin all round out their wonderful characters in their own unique ways, contributing enormously to the immersion of a film many might expect overpowered by self-indulgent star power. Ironically, it is the only unknown among the cast, Tucker Albrizzi (TV's Big Time Rush) who steals the show as the dimwitted but headstrong Neil, with a chock-full-of-one-liners performance that effortlessly bridges the inevitable generation gap between viewers.
The whole experience is underscored by Butler's script; a brilliantly satirical, comical and, at times, masterfully subtle showing that pushes ParaNorman into the upper echelon of its genre.
The film's DVD release comes packaged with an UltraViolet copy, allowing viewers to access the film online, on PC and on the mobile. The latest innovation in home release cinema, UV boasts a high-definition improvement over the now-outdated digital copy (although it can be accessed and downloaded in a similarly simplistic manner). Where the latter could only download copies of the film in standard definition, which lead to a noticeable disparity in visual quality between computer copies and their flawless Blu-ray equivalents, UV brings the technology up to speed, resulting in a sharper image most noticeable on smaller screens like those of smart phones.
The innovation pairs up beautifully with ParaNorman's lovingly-crafted animations and enthralling chase sequences. And if visuals play second fiddle to story, just take solace in the fact that you can now get a laugh out of Norm's ignorant grandma wherever you are.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*