Skip to content

Book Review: THE ART AND MAKING OF PARANORMAN

Written By:

Chris Holt
the_art_and_making_of_paranorman_review

Review: The Art and Making of ParaNorman / Author: Jed Alger / Publisher: Chronicle Books / Release Date: Out Now

The best ‘making of’ books are the ones that get personal, the ones that tell you a little bit about the inspiration, the dreams and the hopes of the people involved. The Art and Making of Paranorman is a book that does just this; it also gets inside stop-motion production house Laika and presents you with a fascinating world.

Paranorman is the new stop-motion animated feature that revolves around Norman, a young outcast who can talk to the dead and must save his town when a zombie invasion begins. After Coraline, Paranorman is Laika’s most ambitious project and took two and a half years to make what is essentially an hour and twenty minutes of film. What is surprising about this title, is that unlike a book about Pixar for example, where the office is presented as a bright, colourful and fun place to hang out, the writers make no bones about it – Laika is a non-descript, drab building filled with sweaty craftsmen under hot lights working endless hours on details to bring the stop-motion puppets to life.

The inspiration behind the film’s story is touched upon and you get a good idea of the genesis for the story, all of the artists that are the main players in the production are given a bit of a background and it seems they are all outcasts of a sort, devoted to their craft from an early age. A bit more about the genesis of the idea wouldn’t have gone a miss, especially since it’s something that horror film geeks are set to love but this isn’t that kind of book unfortunately. Instead, the book goes through character design, costume design, set design and special effects and there are endless wonderful behind the scenes pictures which back up the early unglamorous studio description.

Every aspect of animating these stop-motion creations is gone over in great detail without ever feeling alien to non-tech heads. There are some surprising things that come into play as well, for instance, we had no idea that the time of year of the story or the reasons behind why certain houses are painted the same colour would ever be considered during production on a stop-motion animated feature. The final pages of the book go into the rigours of actually animating a film using rod puppets and the patience and personalities involved in the painstaking process. From all accounts Paranorman is perhaps more ambitious than most. It’s the level of detail that makes this book essential for fans of animated cinema in any of its forms; it’s an eye-opening journey for a film that is easily one of the year’s best.

Chris Holt

You May Also Like...

First-Look Images and Sizzle Reel for Disturbing Shocker CARA

You can now get your first look at the upcoming disturbing kitchen sink horror film CARA, directed by Hayden Hewitt (Lips) and starring Ellie O’Hara, Johnny Vivash, Laurence R. Harvey,
Read More
chinese remake of anaconda drops trailer

ANACONDA Trailer Grants First Look At Remake Of 1997 Horror Flick

Three sequels and a spinoff-crossover film wasn’t enough for the 1997 creature feature Anaconda, which not only has a new movie in development, but is getting a Chinese remake! From
Read More
black widow star scarlett johansson in talks to lead new universal jurassic world film

Scarlett Johansson In Talks To Join JURASSIC WORLD Film

Another MCU star appears to be taking up the reins for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie: two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead the franchise that
Read More

Exclusive Reveal! Titan Comics to Deliver Prehistoric Hysterics in First 2 DUMB DINOS Collection

Titan Comics have exclusively revealed to STARBURST that they’re gearing up to publish the first-ever collection of the hilarious cult digital comic strip 2 Dumb Dinos, and we’re not the
Read More

New Dates For Lovecraftian Key of Dreams

Key of Dreams has announced new spaces for its titular immersive luxury horror event. The critically acclaimed company is known for its overnight experiences that dunk you into a strange
Read More

FAB Café to Host Free Film Screening of New Indie Comedy SECRETS OF A WALLABY BOY

We’re well known for our championing of truly independent filmmakers here at STARBURST, so it’s doubly exciting to be writing about one of our own! After joining the crew in
Read More