ParaNorman Review
Norman is a different type of kid; he’s popular, however not with the living. Norman is popular with zombies and ghosts.He not only speaks to dead people and understands them; he’s also very nice to them. The townspeople of Blithe Hollow think that Norman is a strange kid who continuously speaks to himself. His parents don’t understand him, and his teenage sister thinks he’s weird. Then one day Norman is accosted by his smelly, hairy uncle. His uncle tells him that it’s up to Norman to stop a witch’s curse which was conjured up to 300 years ago. If he doesn’t stop this curse, the dead will rise from their graves. Now it’s up to Norman to become a hero and save his town from this ancient curse. ParaNorman is an animated, comedic horror film for kids.
Rating: 3 and 1/2 buckets
Release Date: November 27, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 8+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Excessive
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Talking Points:
The premise of this film is a little creepy; a boy speaking to ghosts and zombies; however it has a very clear and powerful message to be kind to one another. It highlights the fact that if you’re upset and angry with someone you will be miserable – don’t let your anger consume you and get the best of you. The film also focuses on the problems of bullying, acceptance of others, and most importantly forgiveness!!!
Norman’s dead grandpa says to him, “There’s nothing wrong with being scared, Norman, as long as you don’t let it change who you are.”
Norman tells a witch that it’s okay to be different, that differences make us who we are, and gives us the power to help others. Great parent/child conversation.
This film may scare younger kids as Norman has many encounters with ghosts. Having said that, many of the scenes are portrayed as silly rather than gory. Kids were laughing throughout the film.
Norman first sees the ghost of his uncle in a toilet bowl; this was a very strange scene.
Sexual Content: Mild
- Norman’s sister flirts with a big muscular guy.
- Another character tries to impress girls by break dancing; he also talks about an adult video store.
- Norman tells his parents that Courtney (Norman’s sister) hides pictures of the high school quarterback in her underwear drawer.
Violent Content: Excessive
- The zombies are scary looking and rotting away. Ones ear falls off.
- There are battles with the zombies and the living, we see the zombie’s body parts flying all over the place.
- Villagers assault the zombies, and try to burn down city hall.
- Aggie (a witch) has dangerous powers. She caused wooden thorns to pop up from the ground, almost impaling Norman.
- We see Norman watching a movie, in the movie there is a zombie attacking a women.
- As Norman tries to retrieve a book from his uncle’s corpse, he repeatedly knocks the dead man’s head on a table.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- Words such as “a–,” and “sucks,” are said, and one character says “the f-word.”
- Name calling such as, “diarrhea mouth,” “stupid,” “fatty,” and “weirdo,” are used. Character’s also say “boobs.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: None
Will Kids Like It? Yes
Overall this is an entertaining film. Parents need to be aware of the strange premise, which may scare kids, and also the moderate profane language. Depending on the child, I’d say this is appropriate for kids ages 8 and up.
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