Film Studies - Paranorman [W5 Movie Review]

Paranorman is American 3D stop-motion animated film produces by Laika, directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler. The message in this movie is let audience to understand the importance of acceptance. Whether someone have different skin colour, religion, sexuality or special ability, they should be treated equally.

The movie starts in a small town of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts, a 11 years-old protagonist, Norman Babcock has the ability to see and talk to the dead person, but no one believes him and seek him as a freaks, even his family is ashamed of his ability and think he is just making nonsense story, only his best friend, an overweight boy, Neil Downe believes him. An old man, Mr Prenderghast asked Norman to inherit his regular ritual and died after this encounter. Norman is later instructed by Mr Prenderghast soul to find a book and read it to complete the ritual before sundown, but the ritual is ruined by Alvin, a school bully and both of them end up being chase by zombies. With the help of his best friend and sister, he realize those zombies is actually wanting to tell the truth of the witch curse. Norman successfully stop the witch curse and save the town in the end.

Paranorman is classified as a hybrid genre film. This is because it consists genre of horror, fantasy and comedy.  This movie is similar to Train To Busan which also under the unnatural sub genre because it consists unnatural ghost which it does not exist in the real life. As an example, Norman have interaction with the ghost he saw on the way to school but the other people looked him as a freak who talk to himself.

Comedies founded in this film is slap stick and parodies, slapstick is a kind of humor performed with exaggerated physical activities which exceed the boundaries of normal physical comedy. In Paranorman, slapstick is presented where the zombies are chase after Norman and his friends, these zombies walk into an alley with a man buying his food at the vending machine. As the zombies walk nearer, this man scream and run away. The cutscene of zombie walking nearer and nearer is repeated as the item in the vending machine finally drop down, the man come back to fetch his food with screaming and runaway again.

Man come back for his food at the vending machine

Parody is a work created to imitate, make fun of, or comment on an original work to its subject, author, style, or some other target. Example of parody in this film is the scene after Norman is asked by Mr Prenderghast to get the book at his home. His best friend, Neil has appeared with a mask similar as the mask wore by Jason Voorhees. It's a mock to the movie Friday the 13th as Norman is shocked by this mask but actually it is nothing scary about it, instead it is funny because Neil trying to convince Norman to play together as usual.

Neil with a hockey mask

In conclusion, the movie has taught audience to concern about school bullies, true friends is always there to give support. Other than that, even sometimes we will have dissension among family members, they will still help you out if you have problems. The moral of this movie is care not how others see you, instead care how you see yourself. Like brother of Neil, he has finally confess himself have a boyfriend