ParaNorman Review

By Nur Mirrah Amit, Year 2, Diploma in Mass Media Management

(Courtesy of Laika Entertainment)

In the town of Blithe Hollow, Norman Babcock is a boy who can speak to the dead, but no one besides his eccentric new friend, Neil, believes his ability is real. One day, Norman's estranged eccentric uncle tells him of an important annual ritual he must undergo to protect the town from a curse cast by a witch it condemned centuries ago. Eventually, Norman decides to cooperate, but things don't go according to plan. Now, a magical storm from the witch threatens Blithe Hollow as the accursed dead rise. Together with new companions, Norman struggles to save his town, only to discover the horrific truth of the curse. With that insight, Norman must resolve the crisis for good as only he can.

Even though I’m definitely not one for animation films, I caught a screening of ParaNorman a few days back. I was bored when I was deciding what to watch and as much as I thought I would be a disappointed by the overall film, I generally liked it. Here’s why:


What I love about the movie:

It’s extremely easy to follow the storyline. It’s a PG movie so you can expect three quarters of the theatre to be filled with kids below the age of 10. But the story’s so good and entertaining that it manages to keep the kids quiet and focused. The movie also includes some really good values like the importance of family, being comfortable in your own skin and not judging others before knowing their story.

What’s not so great about the movie:

I was expecting the animation to be similar to The Incredibles or Dr Seuss: The Lorax. It turned out to be a different kind of animation all together. The graphics were good and its cinematography almost made the characters look like they were in 3D. It will be a little difficult to get used to the animation in the first few minutes of the movie but rest assured, you’ll be fine after that phase is over.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 popcorns

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Mirrah is a Year 2 Mass Media Management student who, as her mother had reiterated, “reads all the time!” She consumes as many as three books a day in her spare time, and enjoys classics and romance novels by authors such as Mari Mancusi, CS Lewis, and Sophie Kinsella. She aspires to write for political science magazines like Time and Newsweek in the future, and also has an interest in fashion writing.