When I was a young lad (we're talkin early to mid 90s here) there was a monopoly on children's movies. It was held solely by Disney. No other studio dare touched animated feature films. Then, post 2000 a slew of computer animated movies came racing to the theater. For some reason, it took that long for studios to realize that kids movies make money! In my childhood years, some of my favorite animated classics included: Toy Story, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, A Troll In Central Park, and The Brave Little Toaster. These movies were great because they catered not only to me, but to my parents as well. There was something for everyone. The writing wasn't lazy, settling for the easy pratfall or random fart joke. It had mature humor that both children and adults could laugh at. There were "inside-jokes" that would go right over young one's heads and make the adults giggle. They were smart movies with a message.
Then, something happened. Disney kept on with its near-perfect track record with Pixar studios producing nearly the only watchable children's movies. But, other studios, in an attempt to capitalize on those little things we call kids, put out shit. Pure shit. Just animated pieces of turd there to take your money and make you cringe as you see your child's brain cells dissipating. Studios would release one good animated movie (Shrek, Ice Age) and follow those up with fifteen shit-covered sequels (seriously, how many Land Before Time sequels can they make?? They're about to catch up to time!) But, every now and then, a (non-pixar) animated movie will come along and remind you why you enjoy watching them in the first place. This, for me, is Paranorman.
Paranorman is a delightful family film that isn't afraid to treat your child as if he or she was an adult. What I mean by that is this: from now until the end of October there is going to be a cavalcade of horror movies released, most of which will be R-rated and none of which will be appropriate to bring your child to. It's a shame that there are only a handful of halloween-themed children's movies to even watch. I mean, seriously, how many years in a row are you going to be able to watch Hocus Pocus before wishing there was something else out there appropriate for your kid. Now, there is.
Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is an outcast kid with a gift-- the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. He's a misunderstood loaner who's parents don't even seem to understand him. His only friend is just as much a weirdo as him and his sister wants nothing to do with him. He's constantly tormented at school by bullies and students who think he's out of his mind. But, somehow, Norman gets by. He's closer with the spirits than anyone in the real world. His childhood consists of watching zombie movies with his already deceased grandmother. He's happy, he's content, and he's not really searching for a purpose to his gift. Perfect acceptance. However, one day, this loveable little pariah is visited by his estranged Uncle Prenderghast (John Goodman) who tells him he's responsible for the safety of the entire town. He must use his gift to keep the town safe during the one night a year that, of course, the dead will rise unless he stops them. With no intention of accepting such responsibility, Norman disregards the message and, again of course, the dead rises to terrorize the town.
What's great about this movie is that it doesn't hold back. I don't mean it goes for cheap shocks and gore, because that would defeat the purpose of a family film. But, it doesn't hold back on the thrills, the jumps, the aura of creepiness throughout. Children will be scared of this film-- and that's okay! It's refreshing to see a film that doesn't cater to societal expectations that all children's films should be sugar-coated and contain nothing of substance. Yeah, they're going to get scared, but they're going to love the hell out of getting scared. For every moment of terror, a moment of smart humor follows it. It never leaves the tension lingering too long before supplying that laughter as a relief. It doesn't pretend there's no such thing as death. It doesn't worry about possible post-credits discussions parents may or may not need to have with younger children's questions. It's a horror movie for kids, that parents will enjoy too. And, like the movies from when I was younger, there are jokes for both old and young alike. A few, I was even a little surprised made it into a PG film, but isn't inappropriate enough to warrant a higher rating.
While the ending may leave a little bit more to be desired, the movie works. It's smart and funny and scary. A winning combination. Norman is a perfect protagonist, too, because he's not looking to be accepted. He's not looking to win over everyone in the town. He's not even looking to win over his parents. He's just looking to be left alone. He doesn't want to have the responsibility of saving a town who hates his guts, but knows there's no one out there to do it. The animation is also a worthwhile reason to see the film. Tim Burton-esque, the entire movie is shot using hand-made models. It's quite a sight to see. So, when you're trying to weed through the crap Halloween films have to offer, here's one you'll know is a sure thing.
B
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