ParaNorman - Blu-ray Review

'ParaNorman draws attention, at least in part, to the despicable ostracising of young homosexuals... what other animated film can claim to even have included a homosexual character, let alone take on such an issue?'

In a film that has already explicitly told us that it is concerned with the treatment of children who are mistreated because they are 'different' - outsiders that their relevant parents or societies cannot accept - a main character is revealed in the closing scenes of ParaNorman to be gay. That shouldn't be amazing, it shouldn't be noteworthy or important, but the fact is that it is noteworthy and important, something worth celebrating and talking about. ParaNorman draws attention, at least in part, to the despicable ostracising of young homosexuals, sometimes by those close to them. What other animated film can claim to even have included a homosexual character, let alone take on such an issue?

Of course, the fact that this film feels the need to do so is a fairly depressing indictment of our society, something which the film cannot really come to terms with, though nor should it necessarily have to. Those doing the persecuting in ParaNorman are eventually left to rather clumsily apologise, accept the error of their ways, and shuffle off, stage left. There's no other option for directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell really, but it also feels a bit easy, a bit too good to believe. Are adults with such mindsets about to apologise and admit their errors? I see no evidence to suggest this outcome.

Elsewhere, when ParaNorman is not using its Horror conventions to layer on the subtexts so beloved of its parent genre, a delightfully simple haunted narrative appears. Quickly assembling a miss-matched band, who all at least attempt to escape character convention, the film lurches around finding hilarity in witty scripting and riotous slapstick. That it remains both fun and occasionally overtly scary - in a zombie way, although it is scary too in what it has to say about us - is testament to how well crafted this is, how cleverly considered its message. The morals here are essentially the same as many children's fables - love people for who they are - but it never feels preachy, nor that what it is saying is that simple.

The clay visuals look incredible, with Butler and Fell showing the influence of past compositions on their distinctly new-minded creation. It is past surface beauty where the real worth of this film is found though. Somewhere amongst the muddy morals of Hollywood, a film emerges determined to entertain, educate and tackle a social issue no-one else had apparently even given lip service too. ParaNorman is hilarious when you watch it. Post screening it is depressingly needed, bravely conceived, beautifully executed.