Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

ParaNorman Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 9, 2021

Those used to the animated movie routine of princesses and anthropomorphized animals might find themselves shocked by “ParaNorman.” A macabre adventure that pays tribute to zombie cinema while working out its own scares and iffy stabs at irreverence, the picture is a stunningly animated effort carrying unexpected bite, taking its horror reverence seriously with a ghoulish tale of a community haunting that’s occasionally broken up by traditional cartoon shenanigans. Those tuned into the screen tributes and the surprising severity of the story will enjoy themselves immensely. Others would be well advised to pay attention to the PG rating, as “ParaNorman” creeps into a few dark corners that aren’t solved with musical numbers or cuteness.

Born with the ability to interact with the dead, Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) is an outcast with his family and schoolmates, unable to make friends with the living outside of Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), who has his own bullying problems. Tasked by his uncle (John Goodman) to accept a special role defending his town from the wrath of a witch, Norman reluctantly accepts the challenge, only to uncover a major zombie breakout threatening the locals, requiring quick thinking and horror movie training to avoid. Teaming up with sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), Neil, and his buff brother Mitch (Casey Affleck), Norman, armed with a special book, heads into the deep woods to fulfill his destiny, only to discover the situation is far more complicated than he was originally led to believe.

“ParaNorman” comes from Laika, the stop-motion animation studio behind 2009’s “Coraline.” Continuing the company’s gothic quest into the darker areas of junior adventuring, directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler (who also scripts) serve up an ominous tale of clairvoyance, dressed up as an outsider story of a boy finding his strange purpose in the world. Although there are plenty of jokes to keep the mood approachable, “ParaNorman” delights more in the macabre, with the titular character embracing a love of horror cinema (his ringtone is the “Halloween” theme), and his room is a shrine to zombies and their devotion to brain food. Of course, such playful grimness doesn’t sit well with his family or classmates, with bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) a particular irritant, eventually joining the gang when the undead hit the city streets. Making friends with ghosts, Normal is an odd duck, though he’s a boy who doesn’t revel in his outcast status. He’s just resigned to it.

Unsurprisingly, “ParaNorman” is a strange picture, blending monster moves with cheeky humor -- one joke spotlights Neil’s pubescent love of his mother’s aerobic workout DVDs. It’s a knowing endeavor, yet the pacing is off, finding the zombie outbreak and all the questions surrounding it occurring early in the second act, bringing the film to a climax long before an actual ending is in sight. Punchline speed is also lacking, missing finger-snap timing typically accompanying such sly writing. Perhaps Butler and Fell wanted to keep their effort subdued to offset intimidating genre elements, yet the unevenness of “ParaNorman” comes to test patience in the extended finale. It’s difficult to muster much excitement for the conclusion when the screenplay already attained a potent sense of closure halfway through the movie. It’s certainly not a boring feature, but one with a few loose screws in need of tightening.

Visually, “ParaNorman” is exceptional, with a clean, textured stop-motion look that’s dripping with details. The directors utilize exaggerated character designs and an autumnal atmosphere to generate an ideal Halloween vibe, which serves as a backdrop to weird happenings and subtle (and not-so-subtle) flashes of humor. It’s really something to see, keeping eyes dazzled while the story loses its footing midway through the chase. It’s a beautifully crafted picture.

ParaNorman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Originally issued on Blu-ray in 2012, "ParaNorman" returns to disc in 2021. The AVC encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation appears to use the same master as the previous release, offering a clean look at the animated highlights of the feature. Detail captures the textures of the frame, from character construction to highly decorated backgrounds that tour towns, homes, and ghost worlds, with their fluffier, swirling clouds. Color is compelling, with a rich sense of Halloween hues, offering crisp greens and reds. Costuming provides more primary punch, and skintones keep their intended bloodlessness, with tinges of pink. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition.

ParaNorman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix is active, with lively surround activity that delivers surprising separation effects at times, and some directional activity is detected. Music also goes circular, and there's a pleasing frontal push for scoring cues, which retain sharp instrumentation, including some introductory synth stings. Low-end comes alive during violent encounters, adding some weight. Dialogue exchanges are clear, preserving performance choices, also securing differences with ghostly characters.

ParaNorman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (ten pages) contain review blurbs and an essay by Bill Desowitz.

• Commentary features co-directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler.

• "Inside Laika: Discovering the Characters of 'ParaNorman'" (12:51, HD) is an overview of production labor and technical achievements, including an understanding of how CG-animation was used to enhance scenes where puppetry couldn't work. The featurette offers interviews with co-director Sam Fell, co-director/writer Chris Butler, producer and lead animator Travis Knight, producer Arianne Sutner, production designer Nelson Lowry, visual effects supervisor Brian Van't Hul, animation rigging supervisor Oliver Jones, and animation supervisor Bred Schiff.

• "Inside Laika: Revisiting the Puppets with Laika's Animation Team" (HD) is broken down into "Courtney Babcock" (1:25), "Mitch" (1:35), "Norman Babcock" (1:59), "Neil" (1:22), "Mr. Prenderghast" (1:43), and "Zombie Judge" (2:09). The interviews can be viewed with a Play All function.

• Feature-Length Storyboards (92:03, HD) presents an early version of "ParaNorman," explored thorough drawings.

• "Peering Through the Veil: Behind the Scenes of 'ParaNorman'" (HD) is the making-of for the film, broken down into "That's ParaNorman" (1:01), "Creating a World" (4:17), "Voicing 'ParaNorman'" (6:22), "Building Characters" (5:38), "Making Faces" (6:58), "Rigging the Game" (4:01), "Bringing the Undead to Life" (4:27), "Angry Aggie" (5:18), and "Weird and Wonderful." The featurettes can be viewed with a Play All function.

• "You Don't Become a Hero by Being Normal" (2:43) explores how the crew at Laika related to the characters of "ParaNorman," featuring interviews with lead hair fabricator Jill Penney, mold maker Matzilla Duron, co-director/writer Chris Butler, creative supervisor Georgina Hayns, producer and lead animator Travis Knight, and co-director Sam Fell.

• "A Normal Childhood" (2:03, HD) focuses on co-director/writer Chris Butler and his memories of being an outcast as a kid.

• "Playing as a Profession" (2:18, HD) focuses on co-director Sam Fell, who shares his wonder with the Laika work experience, remaining a kid-at-heart while creating stop-motion animation.

• "Making Norman" (1:34, HD) is a timelapse video highlighting the process of creating a Norman puppet.

• "This Little Light" (1:15, HD) is another creation video, this time examining how a single lamp is made for a library sequence.

• "Have You Ever Seen a Ghost?" (2:11, HD) is a jokey featurette concerning Laika employees and their own experiences with paranormal activity, featuring interviews with producer assistant Laura Merton, director of photography Tristan Oliver, costume designer Deborah Cook, head of set dressing Robert DeSue, puppet wrangler Alicia Cortes, writer/co-director Chris Butler, animator Jason Stalman, and actors Tempestt Bledsoe, Jeff Garlin, Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, and Alex Borstein.

• "The Zombies of 'ParaNorman'" (2:14, HD) highlights work on undead characters, featuring interviews with writer/co- director Chris Butler, producer and lead animator Travis Knight, co-director Sam Fell, actress Anna Kendrick, and rapid prototyping leads Morgan Hay and Kingman Gallagher.

• Still Galleries offer "Character Art" (2:05), "Concept Art" (2:06), and "Behind the Scenes" (2:06).

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:33, HD) is included.

ParaNorman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Without giving too much away, the story takes a sobering turn when fully examining the wrath of the witch and prowl of the zombies. It's a harsh revelation that's interesting in its dramatic ambition, but rough on the consistency of the picture. For a film with several jokes built around the pastime of nosepicking, it's unnerving to spy a climax that's essentially built around the murder of a child, though it's all handled tastefully by the production. While a movie that's already carried itself with a certain feel for the frightening, "ParaNorman" wheezes to a close, inducing seasickness from all the tonal shifts. The originality of the script saves the experience, along with widescreen splendor, but there's a lot about "ParaNorman" that's unsettling, and it's not all tied to the boy's interest in gore and ghostly pals.