Review No.184: Paranorman

Plot: A young lad named Norman Babcock has an uncanny ability to converse with dead people but those around him don't believe he can with his parents thinking he's going through a phase while his classmates see it as an opportunity to bury him. When Norman starts having visions about a famous witch trial his uncle, who also has a similar ability, tells him that he will soon need his powers to save the town. So follows the most important night of Norman's life which sees an unlikely group of his friends, enemies and family members join together to help Norman in his quest.

Positives: An animated children's film that doesn't treat its main audience as idiots this cartoon horror does include some genuinely scary moments however it's abiding message is that we are afraid of a lot of things that we simply just don't understand. The script, written by co-director Chris Butler, has plenty of humour but also some genuinely real characters a quality that is very rare in an animated film. The animation lends itself well to the story as it is fairly gloomy at times but this very much the mood of the film while all of the members of the undead are drawn beautifully. Of the voice cast The Road's Kodi Smit-McPhee perfectly captures this awkward adolescent while Elaine Stritch is great as his long dead grandmother and Casey Affleck is the biggest surprise as Mitch the jock.

Negatives: The directors gave themselves quite a lot of content to cram into 90 minutes and I felt either the film should've been longer or one of the subplots removed. I also believe that the content isn't suitable for some younger children but I suppose at the same time if it were removed it would lose the edge that makes it so great.

Verdict: A great animation for kids and adults alike that genuinely has something for everyone though I do wish it could've been a little longer overall I really enjoyed it so for that reason it receives an 8/10