ParaNorman: A Fun, Often Beautiful Look at Tolerance

Laika Entertainment, the company that brought us Coraline, teams with Coraline writer turned director Chris Butler and director Sam Fell (Tales of Desperaux) to produce an enjoyable and often visually striking film with ParaNorman. While the film is not necessarily gripping throughout, it manages to communicate some important life lessons for children in innovative ways while also keeping the adults in the audience entertained.

Premise: A young boy who can see the dead is thrust into a daunting journey to stop a witch’s curse before it is too late. Result: A beautiful film that through stunning visuals transcends the genre to communicate a powerful lesson.

ParaNorman centers on Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a lonely child with a strange but familiar ability: he see’s dead people.  This gift, however, feels like much more of a curse as he finds it impossible to make friends, is bullied constantly by Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and gang, and even his family can’t understand him.  Whether it’s his mother Sandra (Leslie Mann), who is confused by him, or sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), who is embarrassed by him, or father Perry (Jeff Garlin), who is frustrated by him…no one seems to understand what Norman is going through.

But this all changes when he meets Mr. Penderghast (John Goodman), actually his estranged Uncle who has the same propensity towards “The Dead.”  He warns Norman that the mantle must be passed to him as Penderghast nears the end himself, that Norman must keep The Witch’s Curse at bay. This Curse is based on legend that many years prior, a horrible witch named Agatha Penderghast (Jodelle Ferland) was executed for witchcraft, and to punish her inquisitors, if she is not appeased, the dead will rise.

The first half of the film is rather slow, as characters are introduced including chubby and adorable Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), who befriends Norman virtually against his wishes, crazy Mrs. Henscher (Alex Borstein), the children’s teacher, and Neil’s brother Mitch (Casey Affleck), the dumb but lovable jock. The pacing here is ponderous, the storyline rather cliché and unremarkable but fortunately attention is kept long enough through stunning animation.

Long enough to reach the second half of the film, where the Curse begins to take shape.  It is here that the laughs become a bit more frequent and the story more gripping. As the Curse begins to take hold, we are introduced to some amusing new characters in the form of the zombified inquisitors who chase the children throughout the town.  The anarchy they create is comedic brilliance, as it seems the townspeople, wise to the zombie ways after years of horror-flick indoctrination, amass and overcome the hapless zombies, whose expressions of mortal terror are priceless.

But the true gem in this film is the way it instructs, the lesson it is attempting to teach.  While the Curse is terrifying in its own right, wreaking cyclone-like devastation in its wake, the revelation of the true nature of the Witch, and of unwarranted persecution is the truly powerful experience. Norman is exposed to the truth, the nature of evil with humans rather than the monsters they supposedly fear; hear we see that the true monsters at what we become when we attempt to persecute that which we do not fully understand.

This lesson is demonstrated with remarkable aplomb, not only through crisp messaging in the story, but through awe-inspiring visuals.  The Witch herself is not something we have seen before in animation, the true struggle which threatens to tear her and her world asunder are impeccable, brilliant, and robust in their attention to detail.  This is done so well as to communicate the true sadness behind the horror, a feat rarely accomplished in traditional film.  This supports the resolution of the film which not only hits the lesson home, but also manages some signature humor.

Overall, ParaNorman is a beautiful film and a nuanced version of an albeit familiar concept.  But it is this innovation that sets it apart so that its lesson, as well as the means it uses to communicate it, is impactful and memorable.

Rating: 7- A refreshing Champagne that a cute bartender comp’d you!

Case 39: A Better Than Expected Film in the Long Line of “Creepy Little Girl” Movies

Director Christian Alvart (known for other terror films like Pandorum) strung together a film in the “Creepy Children” genre of horror film-making that actually delivers the “Creepy Child.”  Unlike some predecessors (think the recent version of The Omen),  where the evil child seems overdone or just distant, this film provides us a terrifying glimpse into what terror looks like in the form of a child. 

Premise: A social worker fights to save a girl from her abusive parents, only to discover the evil she has unleashed. Result: A chilling tale that is ultimately worth watching.

The film begins with Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) as an over-worked Social worker trying to get hold of her life.  In the midst of this search for meaning, Jenkins discovers a new case, her 39^th, of a little girl, Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland), who is apparently neglected by her parents.  For their parts, Edward Sullivan (Callum Keith Rennie) and Margaret Sullivan (Kerry O’Malley) are played beautifully as the crazed parents, who appear in every scene as frenzied, desiccated beings almost alien in appearance.  The audience instinctively hates them, their eerie manner, their silent, heart-wrenching glowers, especially when juxtaposed with the adorable Lilith, who is ultimately believable as a terrified and repressed little girl.

So naturally, Jenkins senses that “something” is wrong and becomes obsessed with saving this girl from her allegedly abusive parents.  In fact, she manages to stumble onto the scene just in time to save the girl from a horrific death as her parents lock her in the oven.  The scenes are crafted beautifully – the zombie-like visage of manic parents as they engaged in acts so cruel that the audience cannot help but turn away.  But she is saved, and as the parents are locked away awaiting psychiatric treatment, the little Lilith manages to seduce Jenkins and becomes her foster daughter.

And then, the horror begins.  Acts of horrific violence and murder are unleashed on the unsuspecting Jenkins, where her cases become possessed and friends begin to die. As the terror unfolds on screen, and Jenkins becomes aware, the true genius of the film begins.  Here, Lilith is portrayed perfectly by Ferland, balancing a childish innocence with a terrifying ghoulish conduct.  It is not only the frighteningly adult comments, filled with cruelty and rage, but the subtle delivery; her movement, every insincere smile, every giggle is nuanced, where the audience can sense the soulless horror that lies behind the supposed innocence.

Additionally, Alvart crafts suspense masterfully, giving the audience very little idea of how things will turn out.  Typically, his foreshadowing is spot on, although there certainly could have been better uses for the element of fear causing death.  For instance, when Jenkins’ friend Doug (played surprisingly well by Bradley Cooper) succumbs to a terrifying end at the hands of his greatest fear, we get the slightest sense of having sense this before.  Nevertheless, the majority of the story suffocates the audience behind a blanket of frustration, as Jenkins becomes more and more unable to escape Lilith’s deadly grasp.

The end of the film is ultimately unsatisfying and somewhat rushed.  The scenes are as hectic as Jenkins’ driving and the audience isn’t given time to properly register the result.  Additionally, the final sequence seems riddled with plot holes, many of which could have been avoided by a tightening of the script.  This ultimately drags the film down from great to good.

Overall, strong acting, strong direction and a fantastically morbid villain, make this film engaging, even if some glaring mistakes plague the film’s latter half. 

Rating: 7- A refreshing Champagne that a cute bartender comp’d you!