ParaNorman Review

The Heros Journey

Cat Barber

ParaNorman (2012)
ParaNorman is an American stop motion
animated film made by Laika studios and
directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler.
Laika studios are famous for created
beautiful stop motion animated features
such as Coraline (2009).
Its a story about a young boy called
Norman Babcock, who has the ability to
see and speak with the dead. As a result
he is treated horribly by people in his
family and from his school, as most
people believe him to be insane.
This all changes when zombies rise from
their graves to terrorize his home town.

Ordinary World- Blithe Hollow

Norman lives in the town of Blithe
Hollow.
The town has a famous story about an
evil witch who lived there and
threatened to curse the villagers by
using dark magic.
As the story goes the witch was hanged
by the neck and was vanquished from
the land. Good ruled over evil and Blithe
Hollow prides itself with the story, as the
local businesses are named after the
tale.
Norman learns of the story at school,
when he takes part in a school play
about the witch.

Meeting the Mentor- Grandma

One person that Norman confines in is
his diseased grandmother, who hangs
around in his house to watch over him.
Out of everyone in Normans family,
Grandma is the kindest and most
understanding of the boys troubles. She
is the person he trusts and goes to for
guidance.

Call to Adventure- Mr Prendergast

After a rehearsal of the school play,
Norman is encountered by a homeless
man called Mr Prendergast. It was earlier
revealed that this man is in fact a
relative of Norman from his mothers
side.
Prendergast starts talking to Norman
about his ability to talk to the dead, and
he speaks of how he has the same
power.
He then goes onto tell Norman that this
power is very important and there is
something that needs to be done.

Refusal of the Call

Norman doesnt listen to the words of Mr
Prendergast, as his family have told him
to keep away from the strange homeless
man.
Normans friend Neil wards off
Prendergast by throwing food at him.

 However this doesnt stop

Prendergast, even when he suffers
a heart attack at his home.
He then goes to see Norman again
and tell him about the awakening
of the Blithe Hollow witch.
Norman is then given a task by
Prendergast, where he needs to
retrieve a book from Prendergasts
home and read it at the witchs
burial ground.

 Norman then speaks to his

grandmother, asking what to do,
as he was confused and
frightened.
She tells him its normal to be
afraid, and the thing that matters
is what Norman will do with that
fear.
This is enough to convince
Norman to attempt what Mr
Prendergast told him to do.

Crossing the Threshold- Seizing the

Book
After speaking with his grandmother,
Norman peruses the book and goes to Mr
Prendergasts house, where he retrieved
the book from the mans corps.
He then goes to the grave stones of the
witches victims to read the book and
hopefully end the curse.
Its at this stage when Norman truly
leaves the world he knows and enters a
place hes not familiar with.

Belly of the Whale- Zombies Arise

When Norman attempts to use the book,
it doesnt work and the victims of the
witch rise from the dead as zombies.
Its at this point when Norman is in the
most danger, and the severity of the
situation is revealed.
Norman escapes from the zombies and
works out that the book didnt work
because it wasnt read at the witchs
burial ground.

Road of Trails- Town Hall

Since the book was read at the
wrong place, Norman goes to
find out where the witch is
buried. He is tipped that a
record of her burial place may
be recorded somewhere in the
records contained in the town
hall.
Norman and his friends go
through books and files to find
any record of the witch, and
whilst they do that the zombies
and the town locals are at war
with each other.

Meeting with the Goddess- Courtney

After Norman finds out where the
witch is buried he finds it difficult
to escape the town hall, as the
villagers are in riot outside. When
he tries to leave they only stop
him.
Its at this point when his sister
Courtney, stands up for him and
stands by his side. This convinces
the other friends to do the same.
Courtney represents the goddess
as she is a strong figure of love
and family in Normans life, and
this act illustrates how much her
opinion of him has changed from
the beginning of the film.

Atonement with the Father- Aggie

Norman find the burial
ground of the witch and
meets her spirit which he
must confront.
Aggie is a young girl who was
put to death for witchcraft,
and her soul remains restless
after her tragic death.
She is the one character in
the story that holds the most
power and the confrontation
between her and Norman is
the climax of the film.

The Ultimate Boon- Aggies Afterlife

At this point Norman
succeeds in getting
through to Aggie, and
they both find them
selves in a forest, where
Aggies true form is
shown.
Its here where Aggie is
comforted by Norman,
and then moves onto
the afterlife where she
hopes to be reunited
with her mother.

Crossing the Return ThresholdAggie Sleeps

After speaking with
Norman, Aggie falls asleep
and moves on.
This brings Norman back to
his own world, where he is
reunited with his family.
This is the crossing the
return threshold in the
story as the world is made
well again and Norman can
return home after
achieving what set out to
do.

Master of Two Worlds- Norman

The final scene in the
film that concludes the
story shows Norman
watching a film with his
family, including his
grandmother.
Here the family show
complete acceptance in
Norman and his ability.
This shows Normans
world at peace, as his
family have learned
about his powers and
are content with how he
is.

Illustration List

Figure 1, ParaNorman Poster- http://onehallyu.com/topic/60931-coraline-vs-paranorman-vs-monster-house/

Figure 2, Blithe Hollow- https://blithehollowzombies.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/blithe-hollow-massachusetts/

Figure 3, Grandma- http://www.universalpicturesinternational.com/intl/paranorman/intl/nz/characters/

Figure 4, Mr Prendergast- http://viewerscommentary.com/2012/08/26/theatrical-review-paranorman/

Figure 5, Mr Prendergast- http://paranorman.wikia.com/wiki/Mr._Prenderghast

Figure 6, Mr Prendergast- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzbbXJTi2_A

Figure 7, Grandma- http://www.coveringmedia.com/movie/2012/08/paranorman.html

Figure 8, Norman- http://www.scififx.com/2012/08/paranorman-contest/

Figure 9, Zombie- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuxocalq_N8

Figure 10, Norman- http://lylesmoviefiles.com/2012/08/17/review-paranorman/

Figure 11, Courtney- http://

grabpage.info/t/www.bing.com:80/images/search?q=ParaNorman%20Courtney&first=29&count=28&FORM=IBASEP

Figure 12, Aggie- http://www.suggestkeyword.com/cGFyYW5vcm1hbiBhZ2F0aGE/

Figure 13, Aggie- http://paranorman.wikia.com/wiki/File:Paranorman-disneyscreencaps_com-9410.jpg

Figure 14, Aggie- http://paranorman.wikia.com/wiki/File:Paranorman-disneyscreencaps_com-9662.jpg

Figure 16, Family- http://basementrejects.com/review/paranorman-2012/