Paranorman Review

     Paranorman, from the makers of Coraline, continues the trend of stop-motion animation being a home for scary movies for kids. I'm not sure what it is about the medium, but it seems like, while CGI animation is dominated by cute, kiddie fare and hand drawn animation is all but dead, stop motion seems to deal almost exclusively with creepy, but kid friendly, stories. It is also the most consistant of the animation mediums.
     There must be a reason for this consistancy. My guess is that it's the amount of effort that goes in. Computer animation is easy, or at least easier. It's regularly used, even in live action movies, over practical effects because it's easier and cheaper to just do things in post-production. Stop-motion animation, however, requires a ton of effort. The animators have to move the characters and objects into position for every single frame. If they're putting that much effort in, you can be sure they're going to make sure its for a product they can be proud of.  And the good news is that they can be very proud of Paranorman. They have created a wonderful film that should please both children and adults just the same.
     Paranorman's premise is cute, but creepy: a bullied child who can see and speak to ghosts must save his town when the dead begin to rise. The film starts of as a gleefuly macabre exercise, using its premise largely for humor which is actually very clever. As the story moves forward, however, the film's tone changes. It gets much more dramatic and thoughtful. It's wonderful and surprising that a film with these animated characters can have this level of heart and intensity, while simultaneously remaining fun for the audience no matter their ages.
     And that's an important thing to stress. This is a family film, not a kids film. The difference is that kids films are made solely for the very young, with little care as to whether or not their parents will enjoy it, since the parents have to buy a ticket anyway. Family films, however, are meant for a whole family to enjoy together. This means that it has jokes and a story that are simple enough for children to enjoy, but it may have more mature themes and layers so that older children and adults can still enjoy it. Paranorman very much fits that bill. It has some very easy, broad humor, but it also has some mature themes and some truly creepy moments that will easily scare younger kids. (things do get very intense towards the end) All of this comes together to make Paranorman a great film for a whole family to enjoy, with good humor, cool animation and a mature and creepy story that will engross everyone who sees it.
Grade: A-