PARANORMAN REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Not all Halloween-themed films have to be horrifying features, full of violence and gore and only suitable for older viewers. Like a lot of animated films have proved, such as Monster House, Frankenweenie and Coraline, they can be scary but still suitable for the whole family. The same can be said for Paranorman, a dark, animated feature released in 2012.

A small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he'll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst, of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

When this was first released over five years ago, I didn't bother watching it as I passed it off as a 'silly children's film'. However, I've since released that not all animated features are aimed solely at children, a lot of them can be suitable for the whole family. This includes Paranorman. It's dark tone and the zombies may scare younger viewers, however, it never loses its humour and, because of this, keeps everyone entertained throughout its 93 minute runtime. 

When we first meet Norman, we can instantly see that he is very lonely and is isolated from his family and, even worse, is bullied at school. This is because he talks to the dead and everyone else thinks he's weird and crazy for doing so. However, it's Norman's rare gift that will eventually save the world from a curse that wakes up the dead. The writer, Chris Butler (who also co-directed with Sam Fell), has succeeded in creating a likable character. Despite his loneliness and the constant bullying, he doesn't stop being who he is. And, of course, he gets scared when he hears of the curse from Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman) who has recently passed away. However, he soon develops into a brave protagonist towards the end of the film. His loneliness soon fades away when he develops a friendship with Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) who is also bullied, due to him being chubby. However, he has an upbeat personality and doesn't let the bullying get him down. He's the perfect friend for Norman as he stands by him and helps him stop the curse.

The voice cast is effectively chosen and features recognisable names such as Anna Kendrick as Norman's older sister, Courtney, Leslie Mann and Jeff Garlin as Norman's parents, John Goodman as Mr. Prenderghast and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Alvin, the school bully. All give solid performances, however, the stand-out is Smit-McPhee as Norman. He doesn't just read his lines, he says them with honest emotion which makes Norman seem like a real character. 

Because of its 93 minute runtime, Paranorman moves at a brisk pace and is never anything less than a thoroughly entertaining feature. I think that this is the type of film that will appeal to older viewers, as the jokes are aimed at them. However, if you have a young child who doesn't mind a scare every now and then and can handle zombies, then I highly recommend giving it a watch. Directors Butler and Fell wanted Paranorman to appeal to most viewers and, with that, they have succeeded. 

What stood out to me the most about Paranorman was its visually impressive animation. The level of detail in each frame such that you'll inevitably miss masses, but what you won't miss is the sense of this as a rich, three-dimensional world that you fully believe in, despite the outlandish extremes it's frequently taken to. It's because of this that Paranorman was nominated for an Academy Award in 2013. 

The narrative may be nothing we haven't already seen or heard of before, however, it's entirely worth watching if you're looking for a very entertaining and funny film with a dark and creepy tone to watch a Halloween.

7/10