ParaNorman - (August
17th, 2012): PG
Distributor: Focus
Features (Division of NBCUniversal)
Opening Weekend Box Office:
#3 with $14,087,050
Domestic Box Office
Gross to-date: $45,098,000
Gross Revenue: $62,598,000
Production Budget:
$83 million
Directors: Chris Butler and Sam Fell
With the critical and commercial
success of titles like James and the
Giant Peach, Chicken Run, and Coraline, there was once definite value
in the art of stop motion animation, but when weighed against the now-prevalent
practice of computer animation, introducing a project like ParaNorman to audiences in a now uncommon format could represent a
bit of a gamble. Based on early
trailers, the film certainly did look visually stunning, but the success or
failure of ParaNorman would
ultimately hinge on whether potential audiences could be sold on the unconventional
subject matter, and it didn’t look like Focus Features fully understood the
challenge. Questionable distribution
tactics aside, I just couldn’t understand why the overall marketing strategy
for ParaNorman seemed hell-bent on
focusing on the “villains” of the narrative as opposed to the semi-bankable
names that would be headlining the main cast.
We all saw the downright strange cross-promotions with the Summer
Olympics that featured the zombies participating in gymnastic events, or the
trailers that pushed the critical approval of the undead; that may be seen as
clever by older potential patrons, but did any of that seem like the right way
to target younger moviegoers?
All-in-all, it looked like the decision makers behind ParaNorman couldn’t decide which
demographic they wanted to target as their core audience (a costly mistake that
could spell disaster); but, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a
little bit curious to see if this odd film could still be entertaining.
Set in the fictional New England
town of Blithe Hollow, the narrative of ParaNorman
focuses on the titular character, Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a young
boy gifted with the ability to speak and interact with the deceased, a talent
that makes him the target of ridicule by both his classmates and family. Though Norman does find some solace in the
friendship that forms with Neil Downe (Tucker Albrizzi), a fellow social
outcast, things take an even stranger turn when Norman begins experiencing
disturbing visions and is then confronted by his seemingly insane uncle, Mr.
Prenderghast (John Goodman), who informs his nephew that he must soon perform
an annual ritual to save the town from a witch’s curse. Despite Norman’s best efforts, the ritual is
interrupted by the school bully, Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and as a
result, the ghostly witch appears and raises several cursed dead, who
immediately begin to pursue the frightened children. Confused by the ritual’s failure, Norman
enlists the help of his older sister, Courtney (Anna Kendrick), and Neil’s
older brother, Mitch (Casey Affleck), and together, they all make their way to
the Town Hall to research the town records and hopefully find answers to the
origin of the vengeful witch. After a
startling discovery concerning a dark secret that the town has been trying to
forget for generations, Norman realizes that his gift may be the only thing
that can save his family and newfound friends.
Gorgeous animation aside, the strongest
aspect of ParaNorman actually lies in
the deep and complex storytelling, which may be darker than you might expect
from a children’s film, but is nevertheless capable of keeping audiences
engrossed. In terms of humor, there are
plenty of tongue-in-cheek references to classic entries in the horror genre and
clever jokes to keep older audience members entertained, while generous amounts
of slapstick will keep kids thrilled.
And, for a children’s film, there are some genuinely scary moments with ParaNorman, with the narrative delving into
some surprisingly dark subject material that many filmmakers wouldn’t have the
nerve to touch within a children’s film.
While I cannot go too deeply into the secret surrounding the witch’s
curse without completely ruining the surprise, suffice it to say that the twist
is resoundingly deep and demonstrates considerably strong and mature
writing. Still, for as much as I enjoyed
ParaNorman, I do acknowledge that
many of the mature elements that I just praised can also run the risk of
alienating younger children and angering parents.
Be warned, while older children
will likely be thrilled by ParaNorman,
a little caution should be exercised before younger siblings tag along, as
numerous elements within this animated film flirt with the boundaries of what
can constitute an acceptable children’s film.
While the zombies are relatively harmless and innocently inept enough to
appeal to young audiences, there is no dancing around the fact that the witch
herself is fairly frightening and the circumstances surrounding her curse are
dark. And, in recent memory, animated
films have struck an appropriate balance of child and adult humor, but there
are a few jokes within ParaNorman
that can be perceived as crossing a line, and I couldn’t help but notice a few
reactions of disapproval from parents within the audience. Plain and simple, without trying to sound
like too much of a prude, trying to blend horror and humor is an undoubted
gamble and can be executed successfully, but a few elements of ParaNorman (such as a scene in which
Norman wrestles with his uncle’s dead body), still just come across as
inappropriate. So, in the end, while ParaNorman is by no means a bad movie,
the truth remains that members of the traditional audience for an animated film
should really be prepared for what they are walking into when they enter the
theater.
From a box office perspective, even
in the face of a surprisingly weak August weekend, ParaNorman was still decidedly underwhelming, only being able to
drum up a third place total of just over $14 million. In the “Short and Sweet” review, I hinted at a
questionable distribution strategy, and in that sense, I cannot help but feel
that a horror-based children’s film would have had a much stronger performance
during a late October release. Even if
parents did find the inherent subject material of ParaNorman too extreme for young children, I would like to think
that they would be a little bit more forgiving around Halloween, as the film
would be a relatively safe way to let kids get into the holiday spirit. Instead, the weakening summer box office has
undoubtedly taken its toll, and ParaNorman
is still struggling to recover its somewhat modest production budget, a fact
that will not become any easier to accept in the face of the traditionally
slower September numbers. If you are
still on the fence concerning ParaNorman,
all I can say is that, while there are certain enjoyable moments, the fact
remains that the project in its entirety doesn’t necessitate immediate theater
attendance.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
