How Paranorman Tricked The Audience

What an abNorman film.
(Sorry about any audio/visual issues in this. There were production issues)
Merch!: crowdmade.com/collections/jus...
Twitter: / braxtonjs
Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/JustStopYT/
Edited by: / mrcakedragonman
Stills by: / eggydaxy
0:00 - Intro
1:24 - Set up & Foreshadowing
5:09 - Fear and Prejudice
11:53 - Stop Motion

[@yourcollegedebt8384]

I know it's not a big plot point, but I friggin love how the grandma's unfinished business is that she wants to take care of Norman. Like, it's such a sweet thing, and also contributes to the subversion of the whole movie.

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

Plus heaven didn't have cable or bingo

[@uwuakaarf6249]

@paste join me in hell :)

[@Lazy_littleartist]

@paste We can only hope they have streaming services and wifi

[@kingbash6466]

I really loved how they animated Agatha throughout the movie. Her green cloud form gives her an opposing, almost omnipresent demeanor, but think her phantom form at the climax is where the movie's animation really peaks.

[@AltKaxREAL]

what else could we say? it's a great work of art

[@limeyell0w945]

ive never seen the movie but damn her design with the glowy yellow energy is so cool

[@nas0518]

Exactly, her powers are like...WOW!

[@tornadodee148]

@@limeyell0w945 go watch it. like, just.....stop what you are doing, go watch it, go, NOW!! all jokes aside this is one if not THE best movie from Laika studios I've seen, and thats saying a lot, cuz Laika is quality, man!!

[@limeyell0w945]

@@tornadodee148 :0 damn

[@brytonup1551]

“We were scared..” “of what?” “Of her..” That was always my favorite part of the movie. U can tell they regret their actions but what they did simply isn’t forgivable like y’all killed a kid

[@jrytacct]

Yes, thank you! All this excusing child murderers in this video and in the comments makes me sick. I don't care how scared they were, murdering a child was not the solution and is not something they get excused for.

[@brytonup1551]

@@jrytacct u say u don’t care how scared they were but I think that is one of the important parts, it was ignorance. They truly thought she was evil and would do harm, it is understandable to be afraid of something you cannot possibly understand. I’m not defending them but I understand then

[@speakingwithoutnet]

Yep. They aren't asking for forgiveness or making excuses, they simply want the punishment to end. Whether they end up in Heaven or Hell, they don't seem to care, as long as they can move on.

[@theenderdestruction2362]

@@speakingwithoutnet it seems like they while wanting the punishment to end also wanted her to rest finally in a weird way it's bittersweet they realized too late to stop what they caused so now they want to rest and for the one they killed to rest as well for deserves that much atleast

[@Scarshadow666]

@@brytonup1551 ^ This is sadly true. It's unfortunately a huge part of human history and the human condition that people who were othered were vilified or be scapegoated, and that is still an issue to this day (who is othered and the supposed why's is all that changes). It's no surprise that the judges and Agatha are shown to be from Puritan times - the witch hunts killed many innocent people, and all because of accusations and societal fears.

[@Guntherson220]

I started crying when I saw that Agatha couldn't have been older than 10, this movie really highlights why cult/mob mentality is one of my only genuine fears in this world since it can move even good people to do absolutely abhorrent things.

[@jrytacct]

Exactly. Fear and ignorance do not excuse their actions.

[@seiyuokamihimura5082]

Feels.

[@eileensnow6153]

As someone who grew up in an abusive home, I was always terrified that my mental illness would “other” me like Agatha’s powers did. This movie hit hard, seeing a troubled little girl try to plead her innocence to a legally sanctioned angry mob (the jury) was so painful.

[@cherilynsarts8845]

@@eileensnow6153 same

[@umbria_666]

I saw this movie for the first time last year and I freaking SOBBED when I heard Aggie say "I just want my mommy." Just knowing that she was a little kid who meant no wrong that was ultimately killed off by a society living in a toxic hive mind situation broke my heart.

[@AtrocityEquine01]

I think what I love about _Paranorman_ so much is just how the villain was just a broken, miserable, shaken girl essentially punished for something she herself didn't understand. I did love the touch that the "zombies" (aka the Puritans who punished Agatha) looked forlorn once the curse was broken, implying that while they are free, they _know_ they are to be punished for what they did to her. Good film, but god damn so heartbreaking.

[@FelisImpurrator]

I don't think it's about them knowing they're to be punished. They've literally been punished for roughly a century. It's just regret. Arguably, half the point of how the conflict is resolved is that punishment doesn't help. Revenge didn't make Agatha feel any better. It didn't make things better for her, the same way it didn't make anything better for the townsfolk who were afraid of her. All it was in the end was scared animals lashing out, like any cornered prey would - but once the threat is gone, continuing to lash out in that way doesn't help anyone.

[@wallywallace2184]

I agree with the other replier that I don't think they were sad because they knew they were about to be punished, since they had been punished for so long already (though the other replier says a century, even though it's much closer to four centuries since the puritanism mob mentality of hang the witch was most popular in the 1600s), I think it was more that they felt bittersweet at being put to rest after what they did. Like, yes it would be nice to be at peace and not have to suffer anymore, but at the same time they did something horrible and being at peace doesn't feel right for them because of how bad they were when they were alive.

[@purplehaze2358]

In fairness, if rotting human corpses and what I can only describe as a ‘witch storm’ happened at the same time, I, too, would assume it’s not exactly a benign happening.

[@victormagoco9752]

That’s the idea though, Agatha actively wanted people to misunderstand the situation

[@RushWheeler]

@@victormagoco9752 pretty smart plan for a 10 year old with little to no social abilities

[@spr1ngw0lf96]

Hello again dr. Bright

[@Scarshadow666]

True and it helps emphasize the show's themes of hurting/ostracizing others creates a harmful cycle, she was just as scared as the people that harmed her and was willing to do to the town and her murderers what they did to her. It took Norman reminding her that she also has the power to put an end to the cycle of hurt for both herself and others.

[@monadolifesaver5613]

One could say it's an XK Class End of the World Scenario.

[@TheDigitalApple]

“Megamind”, “Book of Life” and Paranorman” are the definition of masterpieces!

[@SpagettiSpeltWrong]

Book of Life genuinely holds a place in my heart. I had it on DVD and it was possibly one of my favorites to watch. It was beautiful, the songs fit the scenes perfectly, and Zebalba or whatever his name is is probably my favorite character. He's like Hades and Dr. Faciler mixed into one

[@weirddd469]

@@SpagettiSpeltWrong it's truly an unforgettable movie

[@osets2117]

Prince of Egypt

[@ChimeraLotietheBunny]

mhm

[@Dani01x]

Anyone heard about “Kubo and the two strings” its also a really good movie

[@HelenaIsis616]

Honestly, one of the things I loved about the movie was the sister didn’t get with the jock at the end. Not just because of queer representation, but she didn’t deserve him. Throughout the whole film, except for the last twenty minutes, she was bitchy and bratty towards Norman, following her father’s lead. It’s way better that she has at least some semblance of a consequence for that behavior, even it’s the irony of chasing someone who’s unavailable to her.

[@torazely]

not to mention the jock being gay and not being made into a joke throughout the movie. any othert studio would have heavily played into gay stereotypes for the jock to make it clear to the audience that he was gay and she jsut didn't realize it, but there was no way to tell until he mentioned his boyfriend. it's great.

[@-DumpsterFire]

@@torazely I'm so glad he was just a really awkward Dorito built nit wit. his character isn't super out there but it's a really fun side character

[@torazely]

@@-DumpsterFire agreed. kinda wished we got a sequel where we met the boyfriend tho. wanna see what kind of guy was lucky enough to land the absolute himboest himbo to ever walk that town.

[@pa-pa-plasma]

I like how it does show her character development though in her reaction to finding out he's gay, like she was finally viewing him as a person, which is funny because people usually have the opposite reaction. I like to think she's friends with him & his boyfriend now xD

[@torazely]

@@pa-pa-plasma oh, absolutely. especially considering how HEAVILY she was objectifying him throughout the entire movie up to that point. she only saw him as a buff hot gay UNTIL he brought up his boyfriend, at which point she realized "oh, i actually DON'T KNOW anything about him." and she has brunch with them every wednesday. it's canon now, you can't change my mind.

[@eternallyconfusedneveraware]

I honestly really enjoy that kind of foreshadowing like the grandma's "Why don't they just talk it out?". Those moments where one line of dialogue almost spoils the twist, but it's such a small thing that you don't catch on. Also, one little bit of detail is that near the end, the film uses smear frames. Not cgi either, they used stop motion for the smear effect. It really goes to show how dedicated they are to their animation to design face models just for a small, quick moment.

[@bloopboop9320]

You stole my comment I was about to write haha. Yeah, the movie has nice foreshadowing at the beginning.

[@klickonthat5244]

Damn, really? That's VERY impressive. I can't imagine how difficult it is to animate smears on stop-motion models.

[@ikebirchum6591]

reminds me of how the Lego Movie uses actual legos for it's animation smears

[@krea8402]

I think the reason why it worked was because it was perfectly reasonable for her to say it because she's also dead - she could have been saying "if that was me, I'd rather talk it out" so people overlook that it was anything but a quippy grandma joke

[@darkhorseman90]

Little correction: Agatha's mother could not have been hanged before Agatha was. Probable Outcome: She, Mildred Prenderghast (had to look that one up), had to continue living in order to supposedly create the "ritual" to keep Agatha asleep. She would later have another child to continue the Prenderghast name and pass down the ritual until Norman's era. Side note: seeing this movie's style compared to the other Laika movies makes me wish they'd do a Psychonauts movie too.

[@shaphier7057]

god is kill for a psychonauts movie by Laika

[@krea8402]

Well, not necessarily. It's equally likely that the mother had a sibling who passed along the genes, they just never manifested in them. It's also possible that she had a sibling who had no abilities who was left alone for being "innocent". It could even be that it was her father who had the genes, it's pretty unclear.

[@darkhorseman90]

@@krea8402 sad part about things being vague, but based on the wiki of the movie, the mother at least wasn't stated to have been hanged before nor after Agatha was

[@victorianicholls3991]

When he said in the video that they hanged her mother, I was like no? That's not true. I just rewatched the movie yesterday so I could write about it for an assignment and Agatha specifically says that those people "took me away from her." So her mom was alive when she was killed

[@otterpoppin]

@@victorianicholls3991 omg true!!

[@JohnSmith-bn5mi]

Another tragic kinda story that might be implied is also part of the name. Because Norman's uncle and Agatha share the same last name, that means that Agatha had a male family member with the same powers. While it's possible that it was an uncle, I think it'd be more tragic to have it be a brother. Someone who also ostracized their sibling, but feeling ashamed decided to read their sibling a story from their shared childhood to help her rest.

[@midnights2631]

The idea her sibling read her a bedtime story at her grave is heartbreaking

[@JohnSmith-bn5mi]

@@midnights2631 I picture them having the same dynamic of Norman and Courtney in the film. Tense and not directly involved but still siblings.

[@klltsun_2576]

@@midnights2631 Now I'm tearing up

[@thekeybladeninjaturtle7380]

You forgot the biggest subversion in the film: When Courtney asks Mitch if he wants to go to the movies with her, he says “You’re gonna love my boyfriend, he’s like a real chick flick nut”, much to Courtney’s dismay For real though: That caught me off guard when I was a kid

[@Pandaxtor]

That shock me as well considering how pro lgbt the movie industry can act but proceed to make the most stereotypical gay guy everytime. Instead we get a normal guy who is gay.

[@thekeybladeninjaturtle7380]

@@Pandaxtor Not to mention, Mitch is the first openly gay character in a kids' animated movie and it was established by one single line of dialogue

[@_veronica_r]

I. 👏 LOVE. 👏 MITCH. 👏

[@strudel3200]

Right it caught me off guard as a kid too lol, but it was more like an "oh !😲"

[@thekeybladeninjaturtle7380]

@@strudel3200 It makes it even better that we don't know he's gay until the end of the movie

[@StoicVeR]

That reveal towards the third act was absolutely dark, but absolutely brutal and faithful to the Salem Witch trials. The story has such misdirection, though we have such bombs in foreshadowing that should have really prepared us. We go in watching as a comedic take on a curse by a witch, and zombies rising - then we come to the reveal. Everything we knew, everything we trusted - boosh. Who are we? How do we keep going on knowing the world is a struggle?

[@theenderdestruction2362]

The world is a struggle but then again so is life why do we continue onwards with little to no meaning to it because the need to breed or maybe something else manye you want to make others laugh, manye it's spite, maybe you don't really know or care who is this random stranger making a comment on a random video to say for someone else

[@taluca8474]

Its an awesome take directed to kids who are horror fans, it could open their eyes about what the actual Witch Trials were about. No scary witch trying to kill people, it was court trials of a town in fear of women who are considered a witch

[@theoneeyedartist3253]

Only one thing that bothered me with the movie. It its historical inaccuracy on what happened if a child was suspected of witchcraft in Salem, or other places in America. Puritans, and the witch trials believed a witch was someone who sold their soul to the devil. But they also believed children were to young and innocent to do such a thing. Therefor, if a child was accused of witchcraft, saw supposed ghosts, visions or things like that. The townsfolk would assume a witch has cursed the child. The child is not a witch, but a victim being haunted and driven mad by a witch's spell. They would then seek out the supposed actual witch who has cursed the child. They never in America hung burned, crushed or did any form of serious punishment to children during the witch trials.

[@StonedHunter]

@@theoneeyedartist3253 to be fair they might have done that at first but maybe after a while they ran out of people to blame for her 'affliction' and being as scared as they were fell to what they did.

[@muddashucka9743]

@@StonedHunter How would they run out of people to blame for her affliction?

[@purplehaze2358]

Liking horror and stop motion is just confirmation that you have good taste.

[@nightmarefanatic1819]

I wonder if he's heard of Mad God.

[@trixxart777]

Honestly the way that stop motion sometimes have this uncanny vibe is the best thing for horror it's especially good in Coraline as everything begins to slowly get darker with little things in the animation.

[@_marshP]

Nightmare before Christmas

[@Josuh]

wdym at least a good chunk of stop motion is entirely horror films

[@Spicy_Pacifist]

I never thought about the exact reason as to why Agatha cursed the jury. Not for revenge, but so they would eventually feel the same thing she felt. That's absolutely fantastic

[@sammaloo]

Everytime I watch this, Aggie and Norman at the tree brings me to tears. Such an amazing, emotional film.

[@ivanalves8506]

That scene reminds me of Missing Halloween

[@caityblue953]

When she accidentally burns the butterfly, the look on her face breaks my heart. She's so afraid of herself when she could have done so much if they had just supported her

[@Santoryu90]

ParaNorman and Coraline are movies I watch every year they really hold up. Kinda sucks but understandable that stop motion is less of a thing nowadays. At least we still get stop motion movies sometimes.

[@amirgarcia547]

True, I’m very excited for that upcoming stop-motion Pinnochio film from Guillermo Del Toro.

[@genericname2747]

​@@amirgarcia547 gonna be the best Pinnochio movie this year

[@KhaosAdmiral]

@@amirgarcia547 Same, as well as that Wendell and Wild film from Henry Sellick and Jordan Peele.

[@ablancer3582]

It feels like the 2020s are becoming a prime time for stop motion, actually. We’re getting things like del Toro’s Pinocchio, Wendell and Wild, Mad God, and Hylics 2. I’m happy we’re getting so much stop mo this year and this decade so far!

[@Scarshadow666]

Definitely recommend looking up The Littlest Goat on KZbin, it's a top-quality stop-motion animated short as well and approaches some heavy topics (such as child SA trauma) maturely and respectfully, and it has a somewhat happy ending too.

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

Fun Fact: Paranorman is the first animated movie to feature an Openly Gay Character

[@omartalalmusanashwanicsbr1380]

Allen tsai moment

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

@@omartalalmusanashwanicsbr1380 Yes

[@snbsixteen6stars201]

And the reveal was excellently executed as well

[@kingbash6466]

The punchline reveal at the end still makes me laugh to this day.

[@limeyell0w945]

Ahahaha I just saw the reveal for the first time and I love the way they did it

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

12:00 I just watched the documentary about Phil Tippett the other night (10/10 stars) and I do feel sad that stop motion is a struggling art form (you can tell the rapid takeover of CGI kind of broke his heart). I think there will always be people keeping it alive, but it takes a special mind set and a lot of patience. Fun fact though, Toby Froud, the baby from "Labyrinth," grew up to be one of the animators on "Paranorman."

[@one-onessadhalf3393]

That is a very fun fact. Every day’s a school day

[@ariannasilva4462]

@@one-onessadhalf3393 I love your quote

[@burningbandit]

My favorite line in this movie was the grandma's quote, "There's nothing wrong with being scared, as long as you don't let it change who you are." It speaks to me

[@KrisKrossed95]

I loved how some of the ads for this movie were behind the scenes stuff about the animation methods. It really got me interested in the medium, it's still impressive now

[@leileyaravencroft]

I am a huge fan of Laika. I actually own Coraline, ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Boxtrolls. I didn't like Boxtrolls as much as their other productions but it still is a marvel in its own rights. Although I love Coraline, ParaNorman is also a favorite of mine. Kubo is my all time favorite of theirs though. It's beautifully done and I feel it doesn't get as much love.

[@runawayfromtoads674]

Kubo is my dad's recent favorite animated movie. He would ask me to play it so many times in family reunions. Wish more people give it love too :> I think it's the audio and voice acting that especially gets it for me, plus the synergy of Kubo's family.

[@DeadskyAg]

It’s sucks that Claymation is so under appreciated, because the creators of these films are really good at making witty and fantastic films, even one of the most popular claymation films every, The Nightmare Before Christmas Bombed and got popular years later

[@whatsgoingon5582]

Claymation is actually a subcategory of stop-motion! Claymation is any stop-motion film thats made with clay to animate, and both LAIKAS films and the nightmare before christmas are a subcategory of stop-motion called puppet animation. Puppet animation involves animating characters who are built off of a metal armature (in the case of all the above a “ball and socket” armature). The materials used to build up the body over the armatures vary but they are often silicone based, made using sculpting and molding! Sorry for the long comment, I’m majoring in animation, minoring in stop-motion!

[@DeadskyAg]

@@whatsgoingon5582 no problem for the long comment, thanks for the clarification

[@hey-qq7ho]

Before coming into this, I've always loved Paranorman as a kid, always thought it was underrated, glad it's getting the attention it deserves :)

[@crystaltriforce64]

i also love the misdirect they gave with the sister and the jock. making you think they'll end up together only for him to start gushing over his boyfriend when she tries to strait up ask him out

[@silashurd3597]

Paranorman was such a good movie (and still is)! I’m glad that after 10 years later people are still talking about it. It might not be as scary as Coraline but its more humorous and I love it for that. The movie still has a good story with memorable characters and I will definitely re watch for this upcoming Halloween 😁 Anyways, I hope everyone has a good rest of their day🌟❤️

[@vincenttorrijos9680]

Studio Laika is a studio that REALLY deserves so much more success than they're given. Movies like Paranorman, Coraline, and Kubo should be up there with Nightmare Before Christmas in terms staying power, because not only do they all have ingenious uses of stop motion, but also have amazing writing as shown here. The Boxtrolls had an ingenious post credit scene where two characters talk about stop motion while the camera zooms out to as the guy moving the dolls in question becomes less and less edited out.

[@Wuffskers]

"I saw Coraline when I was 4 years old" wow I just aged 50 years in a matter of seconds

[@mitchboland9591]

I like that this is a piece of media where a person named “Mitch” isn’t a weirdo or a bad guy. That’s really specific I know, but let me have this 🙃

[@horse14t]

I remember putting on this movie roughly around Halloween one year because it just happened to cross my mind that I never watched it and felt like watching a spooky animated movie... I was NOT ready for the twist that the witch was a little kid that was killed after her mom! I remember when I first saw that I couldn't believe that they got away with implying that the main "villain" was just a little kid that was murdered by fearful people! Like holy smokes! Easily made this film one of my favourites just for that alone!

[@genericname2747]

wasn't even implied, they make it clear she was killed

[@theoneeyedartist3253]

Only one thing that bothered me with the movie. It its historical inaccuracy on what happened if a child was suspected of witchcraft in Salem, or other places in America. Puritans, and the witch trials believed a witch was someone who sold their soul to the devil. But they also believed children were to young and innocent to do such a thing. Therefor, if a child was accused of witchcraft, saw supposed ghosts, visions or things like that. The townsfolk would assume a witch has cursed the child. The child is not a witch, but a victim being haunted and driven mad by a witch's spell. They would then seek out the supposed actual witch who has cursed the child. They never in America hung burned, crushed or did any form of serious punishment to children during the witch trials.

[@theoneeyedartist3253]

@@sanitycaycay2507 Which state? Salem did not have any child victims. Other countries did yes, but America didn't.

[@theoneeyedartist3253]

@@sanitycaycay2507 Dorcas Hoar from Massachusetts was accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trila.s However, she was an adult, and a widow. Further more she survived, and one of her direct descendants is an actress. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorcas_Hoar

[@theoneeyedartist3253]

@@sanitycaycay2507 However there was a five year old arrested named Dorothy Good. But, she was released around 2 days later, and lived till the age of around 33.

[@doggo7405]

I remember watching this at the cinema when I was 9 or 10. I was literally shitting myself. When I was little I had a big phobia of death, the nothing and the infine (all themes that induced me to have panic attacks) and I was also scared of monsters (especially zombies because they are the embodiment of the fear death), this film was a mix of the two so I'll let you guess why it scared the crap out of me in the first part. I remember sitting in the front row, like I always did when I was a kid, while my father and sister were sitting behind. The zombie resurrection scenes were so scary that I had to sit with my father (something that had never happened) and he wanted to bring me out of the theater, but I didn't want to because it felt like a waste. When the twist was revealed I completely calmed down and enjoyed the final part of Paranoman, seeing how the zombies in reality were actually "good guys". For me this movie is incredible just for the emotions that it gave me when I watched it for the first time and for the totally unexpected twist. Once in a while I rewhatch it and it's still my second favourite Laika film (Coraline is still in first place).

[@jmurray1110]

Victims to their own fear but they are in no way good

[@theenderdestruction2362]

@@jmurray1110 good and evil are subjective, yes they were original the bad guys and there's no excuse to murder a innocent child but in the end they were just tired and wanted her to truly and utterly rest so that they can also rest whether they go to hell or not is something up in the air but that's besides the point at that point they were the technical good guys and Agatha had become the villain but like I said good and evil are subjective subjects that I have very little knowledge to debate with

[@nightmarefanatic1819]

ParaNorman's animation is so good that I'd swear it was a CG movie imitating stop-motion rather than actual stop motion. Also Shudder just released Mad God, and I really want to see that too, stop-motion is great for horror.

[@wtfjackaboy]

Can’t believe you didn’t mention the biggest plot twist of the airhead jock dude being canonically gay

[@genericname2747]

ParaNorman said Gay Rights

[@tinyetoile5503]

Even without the audience connecting the dots on Agatha and Norman's uncle's last names, you can still infer that she and Norman are related by the way they physically resemble eachother- and honestly, the way that this movie manages to make characters look related without same-facing them is really neat!

[@awackygoblinwhodraws1165]

Paranorman is one of my favorite movies! I actually used to live super close to Laika (like a 5 minute drive away) and so growing up, the schools I gone to had special visits by Laika. Such as the hint to Kubo and the Two Strings and later in the high school we actually got to hold the puppets. Stop motion is something I definitely appreciate and love because of Laika and it’s movies

[@mikey_m114]

Paranorman is special to me in so many ways! It’s one of the many movies that made me so incredibly interested in animation - not only is the story beautiful, but the masterful stop-motion does an excellent job of bringing it to life! plus, it was the first time I’d ever seen an openly queer person in a film, and closeted me was really excited about that! :D

[@misterzygarde6431]

Paranorman is another film I wish that I got to see in theaters. Same with Kubo and the Two Strings

[@Rainygirl3100]

One of my favorite details from this movie (aside from. everything else seriously I love this film) is the way the light shines through characters ears, espcially Norman's since his stick out so much. It's such a small insignificant thing but from what I can remember I've never seen any other animated media that simulates the way light shines through cartilage or skin, and it's probably thanks to stop motion being a tangible medium made in a real 3d space with semi-transparent materials. Even though the characters have exaggerated cartoony designs/proportions and are clearly animated, it still makes them feel grounded in real world physics and it's just. AH it's so cool

[@luigiboi4244]

One of the reasons why I love *The LEGO Movies* so much is because the animators take SO MUCH TIME to make EVERY FRAME look like it's stop-motion and not an animated film. Every frame has a great reference, easter egg, or small detail for nerds like me to appreciate the film even more, from the LEGO bricks having the accurate Identifying # to the many references to LEGO's past with Viking's Landing, Middle Zealand, etc. Anyways, back to the topic at hand. I don't think I ever watched ParaNorman, at least not all the way through. I think I watched Coraline once, was freaked out of my mind, and basically gave up on the studio like the small moron I was. I did enjoy Boxtrolls, but I'm ashamed to say that I haven't watched much of LAIKA's productions.

[@adriannaranjo4397]

It's criminal Paranorman & Kubo weren't smash hits

[@slashingkatie7872]

This needs to become a Halloween classic like Hocus Pocus did

[@Pokentoon]

ngl this movie was ahead of its time, such a classic

[@threewishes221]

Stop motion has always been my favorite form of animation. :3 And Paranorman has always been one of my top ten.

[@luvithdrevis]

There's a book, and there is confirmed that Norman is related to Agatha. Also, it ends with a hint that Norman's dad can also see ghosts, but probably chosed to ignore them completly and be "normal", which makes a lot of sense of the way he acts seeing that his son has the same "power". It was a nice reading.

[@lovetrain2455]

Rian Johnson: Yep, that's one fine subversion of tropes *looks at The Last Jedi* WHY DOESN'T MINE LOOK LIKE THAT!?

[@SpoonyBard88]

Jesus christ, get over it

[@Nugget_1116]

Paranorman is my Favorite movie of all time and it sucks that it didn't get the appreciation it deserved at the time, but I'm really glad that it got the cult following it deserved😁

[@AltKaxREAL]

The first film that has GENUINELY made me cry by the end of it seeing how consistently good some stop motion films have been these years i can certainly say that that new version of Pinocchio is going to be another small masterpiece made with pure love 💙

[@silverscorpio24]

This is why I'm trying my own hand at stop-motion

[@cursed-cat9126]

Studio Laika is literally geniuses when it comes to storytelling and animation. I always love the behind the scenes of the movie

[@Miju001]

I never watched Coraline as a kid because I was terrified of it, but funnily enough I did watch Paranorman lol. I remember it fondly, I thought Norman was a very nice protagonist to follow compared to how "horror" the trailers made it seem and I really enjoyed the twist for all the reasons you brought up as well. I didn't know it was a stop motion movie, that's mind-blowing!

[@assmuddafukkinhole2]

ParaNorman def deserves as much praise and recognition as Coraline. Imagine the 2 main characters in a "horror" movie together.

[@gumbusmcbumbus2087]

I absolutely love videos on things like Paranorman and other media that was deemed as “demonic” for my cult upbringing. I remember getting a personal sermon about this one in particular when the trailers dropped. What better way to learn about it then through one of my favorite niche internet-micro celebrities

[@alexfc679]

What cult, if you don't mind me asking?

[@gumbusmcbumbus2087]

@@alexfc679 Jehova's Witnesses. I know they're not really the archetypical cult but they hit all the hallmarks for cult in the same way organizations like Scientology do.

[@StoicVeR]

@@gumbusmcbumbus2087 They're still problematic and a nuisance cult. I rate them on par with evangelicals, since even though they might not be as mainstream, they still have an iron hold on their congrement members and are very controlling

[@genericname2747]

​@@gumbusmcbumbus2087 no, they're totally a cult. Shunning isn't normal

[@gumbusmcbumbus2087]

@@genericname2747 Yeah 100% a cult. and just a shit organization as a whole. I swear to god the amount of abuse cases (Sexual, domestic, the list goes on) they've covered up is sickening.

[@adammyers7383]

Super underrated film. Sadly, I have heard many horror stories about how folks at Laika are apparently treated.

[@mx9226]

Oh man, I loved Coraline as a kid. My mom was freaked out about it while I was just fascinated. When she told one of her friends how much I loved the movie, he suggested I watch the Corpse Bride. I loved it to.

[@DrDolan2000]

When it comes to stop-motion, Paranorman is one of the greats. It's like a cooler version of The Sixth Sense! Never forget this movie; it's too good for that

[@jacobshore5115]

Though, that begs the question of how Agatha could have any descendants if she was just a little girl when she was killed. (Did she have a secret brother nobody knew about or something?)

[@ryantheanimator1156]

Could be her cousin family, either from her mom or dad's family, that continued the family generation?

[@jacobshore5115]

@@ryantheanimator1156 maybe? I don’t know. Don’t know if they ever said that in the movie…

[@amirgarcia547]

If any one of her relatives survived, then Norman could still be her descendant, despite not being directly descended from her.

[@jrytacct]

I really liked this film up until the end - then I was *screaming* at it. The film's message: So you were murdered as a child? Well, boo hoo, little girl, cry me a river. If you dare to strike back at your murderers, then *you're* the bad guy. I went from loving this film to absolutely *hating* it in moments. The people Agatha was tormenting *absolutely* had it coming. She *was* their comeuppance in the afterlife.

[@kirinotosaki9004]

The film's message isn't who is the bigger bad guy, my dude. The resurrected council members never asked for her forgiveness, they only asked Norman to help them free Agatha of her own torment against herself. The film never implied that Her revenge was unjustifiable, it is justifiable and deserving to those who did her wrong. But the film's message isn't about that. It's about coming to terms with oneself. Because of what the council deemed her as a monster (or witch), she internalized it and turned into what they are afraid of. Norman helped her understand that there is someone who understands her feelings and society's label of them as a freak is not true, and he did not try to force her into accepting that what she did is wrong, only that He understands her.

[@jrytacct]

@@kirinotosaki9004 I remember him yelling at her claiming that *she* was the bully. No, she was *vengeance* - fully deserved vengeance.

[@lydia1634]

I've always seen this as the best movie about bullying. It's about how miserable it is to be bullied, including how extreme that bullying can go, and it's also about what leads someone to be a bully, the dumb stuff and the serious stuff. And, most of all, it's how someone who's been bullied can become a bully themselves. As someone who was bullied pretty badly all through elementary school, the climax of this movie hits so hard. And finding the Agatha by the tree, the peaceful one, free from the burden of trauma, gives me hope that a similar little girl inside of myself also exists, even on days when that's hard to imagine.

[@Lokear]

This movie is definitely somewhere in my top 10. It has so much love and care packed into every single frame. I've seen it dozens of times, and the scene at the end between Norman and Agatha never fails to give me chills.

[@Maxler5795]

I always loved this movie as a kid. It had actual heart. I love it

[@weirddd469]

A stop motion classic! I really appreciate LAIKA movies making my childhood fun

[@justatroopernamedhank585]

Imma be honest. I really liked this movie. It's creepy and interesting.

[@AxelsVirtue]

A new video to bring more attention to the best stop-motion film? Awesome!

[@soniclover18]

I always liked stop motion movies or animation in general. But yes it's hard for many people to get on board with the time and process of making them. So if any stop motion animation ever shows up, I will watch them.

[@logansymmes2193]

I absolutely adore horror, stop motion, and any media about a witches curse and this one has all Three. Absolutely amazing movie

[@jpickens189]

I mean, this film deserves the label of "Subversive Masterpiece" way more than Megamind. Also, Chekov's Guns are not really a sign of author skill, it is mostly something that looks more clever than it is because the audience has access to a story in one direction and the author has access to the entire story at once. Foreshadowing, especially used thematically like in Paranorman, requires a story to have a much more coherent set of themes and object signifiers, and tends to be much more satisfying.

[@Bruh-zu9dm]

The final scene with Agatha and Norman under the tree is my favourite scene in the whole movie. It truly hit different

[@j0eblden342]

i was traumatized by coraline. any time i think off it, i shiver. alternatively, paranorman is my favourite film ever. its just so good, the animation, the jokes and references, the story and details, its just good.

[@Darcknorin]

Stop motion is so cool.

[@TellTellStories]

The hints in this film are amazing. Nothing has to be directly explained. They expect you to understand or to watch back and notice details. Something I noticed also was the Tree where Agatha went to rest. That tree was the one she was hung by and that is why she goes to rest under it.

[@TheRealShatterGlass]

For whatever reason, the ending of this video has me tempted to find a way to put ParaNorman on every conceivable media format. Digital copy? Yes. DVDs and Blu-Rays? Yes. VHS? Betamax? Audio cassette? Floppy disc? Thumb drive? Stranger on the street who is way to eager to describe the movie? Film? If life can find a way, so can ParaNorman!

[@jailcatjones3250]

I love the amount of characters and locations in this film, coraline was just a house in 2 dimensions

[@Catstern]

Wendell And Wild comes out soon, another stop motion film. It looks really good from the trailer and cast

[@mr.alucardrules4956]

Not only are the story and characters great but this movie is hilarious as well 🤣

[@felixmckinney7132]

I always thought it was depressing how Agatha choose a twisted witch face as her face in the sky, embracing the horrible monster everybody else saw her as.

[@patchiiima]

I've always loved stop motion movies, it's like animating 3d in the 2d way.

[@nas0518]

ParaNorman is one of my favorite films from Laika also one of my favorite animated movies of all time, and everything about it really rocks, horror mixed with family humor and beautiful moments, dang. It's all awesome. Not to mention, I love every character in this movie, for example, Courtney, Alvin, and Aggie are my favorite characters. Yet, I still feel pretty awful for poor Aggie.

[@webkarma9654]

I developed the same interests as you and have been in love with stop motion and horror since I was a kid. I remember seeing Paranorman when it came out and am happy that someone sees it the way I do even though it's such an underrated and subversives masterpiece of film and writing

[@samuelzaratenielson]

can we talk about how phenomenal the soundtrack of this movie is? one of my favorite movie soundtracks ever

[@Korosivv]

Paranorman looked so smooth when I saw it, I didn't recognize it as stop-motion; I thought it was CG. I found out later it was stop-motion and I was like "HOLY SHIT, THIS IS BEYOND IMPRESSIVE"

[@wren_bean]

I was absolutely gobsmacked when i first watched this movie. I have been a stop motion fan since i was tiny, and i always look forward to seeing what Laika is up to because their movies have not only such artistic and beautiful imagery, but also nuanced and poignant messages. I return to this movie every spooky season. Your analysis was excellent, well done indeed!

[@bobawithsweets]

I love any stop motion movie, I'll always watch them because i love the style and the time and passion put into them.

[@CyrusMajin]

I don't see enough love given to this film. Thanks for making this and pointing out things I never really thought about but still loved when I first saw this film.

[@greenghoul157]

This is such an underrated movie that really puts to rest cliches about witches, ghosts and zombies, humanising them and making fear the real villain, it's a mature message for kids, there's also showing how kids who are bullied can become like Norman who accept society's opinion of them leading to low self esteem and having not many friends or like Agatha that become bullies themselves

[@Not_Fish]

Couldn’t resist clicking on this amazing well made video! I love this movie and I’m glad it’s getting recognized as a good quality movie!

[@a_ninja2376]

I love stop motion so much. It’s always been so interesting to me and I adore how it looks

[@wynterfir]

The first time I ever watched this movie I cried my eyes out. It is my favorite movie or at least one of them. I rewatch it almost every time I find it. I even have it on cd so when streaming services don’t have it I can watch it. The story is wonderfully crafted and every time you watch it you notice new things in the background. Laika is truly a masterclass in storytelling. Thanks for bringing this movie up because soon I’ll have more people to talk to about this.

[@AJ_the_Dragon]

You didnt mention the jock being gay, I love that scene because it really is just a slap in the face with the subvertion.

[@amandapanda528]

I have watched many commentary videos for movies I haven't seen and know little to nothing about, but this is the first time I have been so intrigued by the description that I actually paused to go watch it myself spoiler free. I'll be back in a few hours to watch the rest!

[@DreamyHaze02]

I remember watching this when I was a really little kid and until around 6 years ago I thought it was all a dream I had when I was little, it’s still amazing ❤

[@vincentalis6608]

I love when Norman asks what the court was scared of when they say they were scared and their answer parallels a moment earlier in the movie. They say they were scared of her, Agatha, the little girl. Earlier in the movie after the play that Norman freaked out during, Normans mom tried comforting him after his dad flipped out by saying that sometimes people say mean things they don't mean when they're scared. To which Norman replies a father shouldn't be afraid of his own son. The comes in saying he's not scared of him, but for him. The thing that I love here being that is a lot of peoples response to the courts answer of "Her." Adults shouldn't have been afraid of this poor girl.

[@royalvartist]

I absolutely ADORED Paranorman as a kid, I always thought I dreamed the movie but it was just such a fun ride and I'm happy you and others share the same fond love of this and other stop motion films ! !

[@AbrasiousProductions]

Wow i am amazed! This is far more deep and philosophical than I realized as a kid

[@Snoozytube]

I'm glad more people are talking about paranorman, and I can't believe it's been 10 years. Paranorman was one of my favorite movies that I owned as a kid and I used to think it was better than even Coraline. After rewatching both through the years (especially around halloween) I love and appreciate them both, and although I think coraline is a better movie there's something about paranorman that made me love it more. Also the jokes in paranorman caught me off guard cause some of them are still funny

[@queendsheena1]

Paranorman is everything. A masterpiece without question.

[@kristopherenglehart8704]

Thank you for the amazing video. You gave me the passion to find this lil gem ^^

[@missmisteryman7831]

loved this video! explained everything that's hard to put into words on the epicness of this film's themes and explained them clearly and in a rlly fun manner. definitely checking out more videos.

[@saylorc4647]

I haven't seen this movie in years. I'm glad that you made this video on it. I never disliked this film, it's a pretty good movie, but it was never one to be the first to jump to my mind when thinking of stop motion. Watching this really opened my eyes on this story and makes me appreciate it more. So thank you for making this. Might give it another watch soon! Also, I never drew the connection between Norman and Agatha. I just remember always thinking, "they have very similar eyebrows" lol

[@justaguy2223]

I was literally just been watching your content all day nice to see you upload

[@mister_r447]

This is one of the only movies i didn't pirate. It was a gift from my brother.