Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Elaine Stritch, John Goodman
Directors: Chris Butler and Sam Fell
Oscar History: 1 nomination (Best Animated Feature)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 4/5 stars
There's a brief lull in August and September where the fall television season hasn't started, the summer blockbusters have come and gone, and the shiny allure of the Oscar season is starting to light up your "to view" lists. During this time, I try to catch up on reading, exercising, maybe even picking up the phone and attempting to interact with my fellow man. However, I still have that urge to sit in a darkened theater and involve myself with a risky "late Summer" film, risky in the sense that most of what's thrown out here is the tripe that wasn't going to make enough money to be released in June, but it's not going to make a dent at the Oscars. It's not quite as bad as being released in March, but it's close. And so, this calm and peaceful Saturday, I decided to take a chance on a strange little kid named Norman.The fantastic nature of ParaNorman, made by the same studio that brought us the wonders of Coraline, is that it goes so far beyond its premise, and in fact, our main character almost doesn't need to be able to talk to ghosts, which he can. He could just as easily have been a boy that's into ballet, into collecting thimbles, into Revolutionary War reenactments. The point of the matter is that Norman is unusual, and in a town that wants him to conform to what's expected. This is a movie with a message, that it's okay to be different, and that judging someone for being unusual (or for stereotyping) can lead to dire consequences, and surprises, including some for the audience.
For as an audience member, I'll admit rather freely that I was about thirty minutes in and I was thinking that we'd gone through yet another stock animated retread-your standard weird kid who will save the town, fat kid who becomes his friend, vapid older sister who is oblivious, neanderthal jock who is as dumb as a rock, and a bully who will eventually be saved by his bullied victims. And yet-that's not the case in this movie. (SPOILER ALERT) In the end, the vapid older sister is the one who not only stands up for her brother against her parents, but does it without compromising herself. Ditto the bully who strikes out with every girl, and is really a massive dork underneath the punching. And in one of the most stunning developments in animated progress, the jock, Mitch, (voiced by Casey Affleck) turns out to be gay, which I believe is a first for mainstream animated films-correct me if I'm wrong in the comments.
The film also goes into some genuinely dark and scary places-mob mentality (headed by a stock drama teacher that still delivers guffaws courtesy of vocal maestro Alex Borstein), and the death of a young girl who is accused of witchcraft and terrorizes the town only to be saved by Norman. The film is also extremely beautiful and eye-popping, considering the advancements that stop-motion is able to allow, and the many hilarious sight gags littered on the billboards and signs throughout the town.
There's a lot more to discuss (mass consumerism of a tragedy, the clear anti-bullying message, the lack of a score making this seem more like an Oscar-nominated short than a feature length summer film, but I want to hear from you on it, and if you haven't seen it-go out and support what is one of the more daring animated films to hit mainstream theaters in a while.
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