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Paranorman has one of the best final confrontations...

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B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
Seriously, this movie is pretty underrated.. or at least less regarded than it should be as a Halloween movie. Not only is it just a fantastic movie from start to finish (with an exceptional soundtrack), but the final confrontation between Norman and the witch is truly an animated tour de force.

I absolutely love this movie.. and the moment she whispers in his ear.. I mean just that shot and everything after sends chills straight down my spine.

Also pretty brutal for a kids movie. I mean no blood, but she really beats the shit out of him, and it's animated with such weight and intense physics.. like he's really getting his ass kicked.

6a0168ea36d6b2970c017ee5c93961970d-800wi
 
A

Admiral Woofington

Member
Severely underrated. Not to mention it lost to some eh film for the academy award. Like a Tim Burton film of big hero 6 of some crap

Dealt with a lot of mature topics for a kids film. Also had a non stereotypical portrayal of LGBT in a positive light.
 
B

Bronx-Man

Banned
It's one of all-time favorite animated movies, just so gorgeously animated and it never talks down or go for an easy joke. Is it still on Netflix?
 
A

aett

Member
I have to admit that I thought the movie was a little underwhelming at first, mostly because I absolutely loved Coraline and had really high expectations for ParaNorman. But as soon as I got to the scene in which
it's revealed that the witch was a little girl with the same powers as Norman
, the movie had me 100% interested and the rest of the movie was amazing, especially that final battle.
 
EdwardTivrusky

EdwardTivrusky

Member
Yeah, i love this film and agree with everyone. It has something for all and is massively underrated, at least amongst my circle who hardly ever mention it.

Have to dig out my DVD ready for halloween :)
 
B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
aett said:
I have to admit that I thought the movie was a little underwhelming at first, mostly because I absolutely loved Coraline and had really high expectations for ParaNorman. But as soon as I got to the scene in which
it's revealed that the witch was a little girl with the same powers as Norman
, the movie had me 100% interested and the rest of the movie was amazing, especially that final battle.
Click to expand...

The movie actually gets better on repeat viewings precisely because of this. It so wonderfully sets up that he's just a "normal" boy and just wants to do stuff appropriate for kids his age (and thus the "kid-friendly" tone of the beginning), then stuff starts sucking for him out of the blue, and you find out the same thing happened 300 years ago finally coming to a violent/murderous end.. and you realize that the movie is actually a lot more grown up than you thought, and that kid-like setup just gives the actual plot that much more of an impact.

yeah, everything having to do with Aggie is absolutely heartbreaking. Extremely serious and deep content for a family-friendly movie.
 
B

Bronx-Man

Banned
I still have half the music from the score on my Spotify playlist which is a damn rarity for any movie I watch.

Yeah, it's time for me to shell out 8 bucks and get this again on Amazon.
 
Scarecrow

Scarecrow

Member
I remember being a bit underwhelmed when I saw it. I enjoyed Coraline and Boxtrolls more.

I'll give it a rewatch one of these days.
 
A

adelante

Member
The soundtrack for that scene was what stood out for me, cos it sounded pretty similar to The Fountain's Road to Awe... Probably why the music hasn't been officially released.
 
B

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
yes, like I mentioned above.. the movie starts out pretty firmly planted as a family-friendly movie, but then kind of lifts the veil back on the much more mature topics partway through. The design is brilliant, but it both affects the initial impressions of the movie as well the age at which the movie is in fact targeted for. The beginning seems to play to a similar audience as Hotel Transylvania, but then shifts to something more along the lines of Coraline..
 
B

Bobby Roberts

Banned
Admiral Woofington said:
It's such a shame they went from this to Box Trolls. Which was visually beautiful but had no soul
Click to expand...

It seemed to make sense: Most of this movie was also pretty emotionally stunted.

The presence of "mature" topics (they're not really that mature, either) isn't enough to give the film any real depth, because those themes aren't really executed very well. The movie is emotionally flat, and while the ending sequence is beautiful and very well concieved, it's also almost completely unearned. It just happens. A lot of Paranorman just kinda happens.
 
Reptars Revenge

Reptars Revenge

Member
Good movie but I can't even remember the final act besides the one character being gay. Wreck it Ralph should have won the academy award over Brave. Loved Brave but not as much as Wreck it Raph.
 
V

Violet_0

Banned
aett said:
I have to admit that I thought the movie was a little underwhelming at first, mostly because I absolutely loved Coraline and had really high expectations for ParaNorman. But as soon as I got to the scene in which
it's revealed that the witch was a little girl with the same powers as Norman
, the movie had me 100% interested and the rest of the movie was amazing, especially that final battle.
Click to expand...

I was invested from the moment Norman walked to school in the opening with the amazing main theme playing in background. The final confrontation with Aggie is perhaps my favorite scenes in any animation movie

I watched the Boxtrolls a while ago and I think it's a pretty charming and funny movie, but it doesn't quite have the emotional depth of Coraline or ParaNorman
 
B

Bronx-Man

Banned
Violet_0 said:
I was invested from the moment Norman walked to school in the opening with the amazing main theme playing in background. The final confrontation with Aggie is perhaps my favorite scenes in any animation movie

I watched the Boxtrolls a while ago and I think it's a pretty charming and funny movie, but it doesn't quite have the emotional depth of Coraline or ParaNorman
Click to expand...
You mean this one?
 
P

PBalfredo

Member
The final confrontation is the part of Paranorman I remember most fondly. The movie had a nice setup, though the middle riffed too heavily on horror movie tropes, which I felt was well worn territory and didn't interest me much. Once they got into the true nature of the witch, culminating in the final confrontation which was superbly animated and brought in some emotional weight the rest of the movie was lacking, it elevated the film as a whole. I still prefer Coraline (which also has a fantastic final confrontation) to Paranorman, but Paranorman's ending is still way up there for animated films.
 
A

Admiral Woofington

Member
BobbyRoberts said:
It seemed to make sense: Most of this movie was also pretty emotionally stunted.

The presence of "mature" topics (they're not really that mature, either) isn't enough to give the film any real depth, because those themes aren't really executed very well. The movie is emotionally flat, and while the ending sequence is beautiful and very well concieved, it's also almost completely unearned. It just happens. A lot of Paranorman just kinda happens.
Click to expand...
I dunno.
Dysfunctional family where the dad is outright disappointed in his kid, a kid who is bullied and ostracized for being different where the whole town judges him hateful, and the murder of a kid and the regret of those who took part in it?

It may have done so awkwardly at points but still pretty out there for a kids film
 
E

E the Shaggy

Junior Member
The reveal at the end that
the jock was gay
was great. I'm glad a kids movie was able to throw in something like that.
 
B

Bobby Roberts

Banned
Admiral Woofington said:
I dunno. Dysfunctional family where the dad is outright disappointed in his kid, a kid who is bullied and ostracized for being different where the whole town judges him hateful, and the murder of a kid and the regret of those who took part in it?
Click to expand...

None of that seems at all out of bounds for a kids story, really. And again - simply being present in the story isn't enough. Those elements have to add up to something, and for most of Paranorman, they don't. That ending sequence IS really good. It just doesn't really hit like it should because there's no strong emotional connection to anything that preceded it.

I like that they tried to go there with their story, I'm just underwhelmed with how they actually went there. It's a step down from Coraline, and BoxTrolls is a step down from this. Laika's filmography is a 45 degree angle pointing south.
 
P

PSqueak

Banned
E the Shaggy said:
The reveal at the end that
the jock was gay
was great. I'm glad a kids movie was able to throw in something like that.
Click to expand...

I think it's the only way you can pull a
gay joke
that is completely harmless and the payoff was absolutely hilarious.
 
D

DontBeThatGuy

Member
I'd forgotten about this movie, which is weird, since I really enjoyed it. Tonally, it reminded me Monster House, only better, with a more satisfying ending.
 
A

Admiral Woofington

Member
BobbyRoberts said:
None of that seems at all out of bounds for a kids story, really. And again - simply being present in the story isn't enough. Those elements have to add up to something, and for most of Paranorman, they don't. That ending sequence IS really good. It just doesn't really hit like it should because there's no strong emotional connection to anything that preceded it.

I like that they tried to go there with their story, I'm just underwhelmed with how they actually went there. It's a step down from Coraline, and BoxTrolls is a step down from this. Laika's filmography is a 45 degree angle pointing south.
Click to expand...

Well coraline came from a great author. The rest are original material as far as I'm aware


Regardless I watch these films due to appreciation for how much effort goes into animation
 
S

Shaanyboi

Banned
Abso-fucking-lutely

I was awe-struck with how perfectly executed that sequence was, from the score to technical and artistic facets of the animation.

Brutal and creepy and tragic... once it's over, you just have to exhale the breath you were holding in for the last little while. Leading into this bittersweet farewell to this tragic character, but not without both her and Norman having this final moment of connection.

Beautiful sequence.
 
F

farisr

Member
Definitely, while the movie itself overall was good, the finale really brought it up to another level. One of my favorite animated movies of all time.

Really wish they would release the music from that scene, I like that take on Road to Awe.
 
M

Morue

Member
I loved Paranorman. And that scene was indeed amazing.

Just searched for their next project : apparently, it's called Kubo and the 2 strings and it will be set in Feudal Japan.

Can't wait!!
 
D

Dalek

Member
I started this movie up for my daughter when she came home from school today. It's a perfect 10/10 for me. Great Halloween movie.
 
K

Kangi

Member
The whole movie reaches a new height the second you hear
a little girl's sobbing
during the flashback to the sentencing of the witch. Everything clicks after that, and everything becomes that much more dark.

Pushes the boundaries of what a kid's film is in so many ways.
 
H

HyperZone<3

Member
most kids films, even some good ones have some kind of positive, uplifting message that ends up being kind of banal through repetition.

"Follow your dreams."
"Friendship is the true treasure."
"Family is important."

You know, that kind of pablum. Paranorman's theme being, "Its never okay to hurt people" shouldn't be uncommon, but I would think is a far more valuable lesson for a kid (hell, adults too) then, oh, I dunno, pretty much the entire Dreamworks canon.
 
B

Bloodrage

Banned
It's not really a kid's movie, tbh. Most kids wouldn't get the message. But yeah, the ending is so good. Beautiful visuals.
 
T

Transhuman

Unconfirmed Member
Doctor Doom said:
How good is the 3d? I assume actual 3d cameras were used(not postconverted)?
Click to expand...

With the animators and builders working within the 3D environment, they know exactly how the film will look in 3D-- and they actually used technology based on the human eye to craft their own 3D camera. That's right, instead of using a typical 3D camera rig, they shot the film with a DSLR digital camera, and set it on a rig so that the camera would snap one frame from the "left eye" position, then scooch over and shoot from the "right eye." It's the same effect as a 3D camera rig that shoots from the two angles that make the 3D image-- but astonishingly, innovatively fitted to the stop-motion process.
Click to expand...

yes
 
D

Dog Problems

Banned
mayl3 said:
Good movie but I can't even remember the final act besides the one character being gay.
Click to expand...

I saw the movie in a theater and when that part happened a woman a few rows in front of me made a disgusted noise, got her kids and left. Sad she let her personal beliefs ruin a movie for the kids.
 
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