"THEN THOSE HORRIBLE MEN CAME AND TOOK ME AWAY..."

*Aggie (ParaNorman).

In my review of ParaNorman I raised a nagging concern I had with the ethics of this film. "What can he possibly take against a children's film?" Well, I'll tell you.

Spoilers ahead...

The film revolves around a heinous crime that took place a hundred years previous. Tyrannical puritans put a young girl to-death for the crime of witchcraft. The fact that the said child was actually a witch is besides the point; the child was sweet and harmless, but the men responsible were driven by fear- they did not understand the child, hence they perceived her as a danger. So she was burnt (what you might call 'virgin fuel').

The vengeful spirit of this witch-girl returns in the present day to exact a terrible justice. Coinciding with this, the puritans responsible for her execution are resurrected as zombies. The zombies are initially presented as antagonists, yet through the course of the film we are encouraged to pity, even sympathiese with them, while they struggle to maneuver through a world they do not understand, looking for a means to find peace.

So here's my issue:

THEY KILLED A FUCKING CHILD!

Not just killed- burned alive! Why in bloody Hell should we feel ANY sympathy for these characters at all? I find it morally repugnant that the film would even present these figures as even slightly likeable, let alone play their behavior off as some understandable mistake. Sod 'em, they deserve their curse, long let 'em rot! So there.

Or am I just overeating? Your thoughts, please?

PARANORMAN; Carlisle's Final Word.

"Not believing in an afterlife is like not believing in astrology."

Sandra Babcock.

 

Script Logic; 1/2

Pace; 1/2

Acting; 1/2

Aesthetic; 2/2

Originality & Intention; 1/2

Final Score; 6/10



Final Word;
A mixed bag. The superior first half makes for an interesting setting and builds some nice (if cliche) characters, but the second half is sadly scattershot with the gags and muddled with its narrative. The animation is cute though, with plenty of nice touches throghout, and your kids will probably get a kick out of the more ghoulish bits. My biggest problem is the lightness of touch given to the underlying subject matter, and as such the climax of the film feels incredibly hollow. Problem is, it’s hard to explain more on that subject without giving too much away. I’ll refrain for now, but what I will asky you is this; 'is it morally ambiguous to cast child-killers in a sympathetic light?'
By no means is this Monster House or Coralline (both superior films, and perfect examples of what can be achieved in terms of depth and scares in children's films), but good enough for the undemanding, or children.