The scariest part of the entire movie is that accusing a child of being a witch and them executing them is DEFINITELY something that happened during that time period. I love this movie and I'm glad to see more people reacting to it!
@@lelouchvibritannia7647 Litteraly the entire point of the plot is that they were wrong to do that and that responding with violence about things that you fear and don't understand just leads to more pain and misery. So yes, very very wrong.
@@nicolasgarant9124 think we’re talking about 2 different things. i’m talking about how in the movie she WAS really a witch (or had powers) . but irl no, they were just normal people accused of it bc of something petty or out of hate etc. im not talking about if they were right to sentence her to death or what not. obviously that’s not okay at all no matter what imo, unless they’re on some hitler status type of deeds
Being part of LGBT as well as my best friend, we had no clue this was coming when we first watched this. When this line was said we both broke out laughing hard! It was one of the earliest times we ever felt inclusive in a main stream like movie. Its amazing!
one great detail in this movie is in the beginning of the movie the grandmother ghost says "I'm sure they just sit down and talk it through it'll be a different story" that's exactly what happened in this movie with revealing the truth and resolving the issue, what a great foreshadowing quote there
There’s also in the first play scene, the nerdy girl goes “why is the witch always portrayed as an old hag with a pointy hat and a broomstick? I don’t think that’s historically accurate.” And the drama teacher says something like “it’s not supposed to be, it’s supposed to sell keychains and flash cards.” This not only foreshadows Aggie being a little girl but also subtextual for how for so long the town profiteered off of a warped and untrue depiction of their horrific past.
This movie was the best audience experience I've ever had. The laughter that erupted when the football jock had a boyfriend the entire time lasted 30 seconds and we all missed whatever dialogue happened in that time frame. It's an awesome movie. Not quite as incredible as Coraline or Kubo but totally deserves more attention its way.
@@RyansChannel0203 Coraline has layers upon layers about shadow selves and narcissism and how maybe parents are best listened to (Rare in family movies, they're usually about proving parents wrong). Paranorman is great but I wouldn't call it complex, it's a very bare bones ghost story. I observe a new thing about Coraline every time I watch it, it's an actual masterpiece. Kubo is also on that level though. I wouldn't blink at someone preferring it. But Paranorman isn't on the same level as either.
@@bespectacledheroine7292 I mean, don't get me wrong. Coraline is great, and without it, we wouldn't have LAIKA, but it doesn't really have the same amount of depth, emotion, and thematic resonance that both Kubo and ParaNorman have, also ParaNorman is everything but "bare bones". Coraline is one of those films that really emphasizes more on imagination and creepy imagery rather than story and characters, which is done excellently, but in the end, I connect a lot less with Coraline than I do Norman or Kubo (which are two of my favorite protagonists in any film. period) and even its emotional highs don't rival that of those two films. That's just my take at least.
@@wittymchitty The joke isn't "on" him though, it's on Norman's sister. You can not like how it's saved for the end but if it has to exist as a twist this is the best way to do it.
@@wittymchitty nah I feel like openly gay still works since he just existed as a regular dude. The reveal only came when the topic was relevant (you wouldn’t talk about such things during a zombie apocalypse), so he wasn’t trying to hide it. When he revealed it, it was super casual, none of it was a big deal. It was so casual that he didn’t even realize she was interested in him. So technically he was openly gay the entire movie. It’s just that the movie didn’t feel a need to make it obvious until it was actually relevant since it would be resolving that ongoing plotline with Courtney.
Paranorman is iconic for me. Its a brilliant and moving story. The art is breathtaking. You get really connected and the lessons are great! My best friend is LGBT+ and when we watched this together the scene at the end made him crack up and feel included, its one of the earliest times he saw something like that in main stream stuff. You have to appreciate the effort put into making this. I am happy you guys liked it so much!
one of my favorite details: when agatha rises from the ground in her true form, she comes up with her head slightly forward--like shes being pulled up by an invisible rope around her neck also the line "i dont want to go to sleep. and you cant make me" is still my favorite of the movie. gives me chills every time
30:50 One thing that explains a lot of what happened during the witch mania was that, if someone was convicted and condemned as a witch, *all their property would then be up for grabs.* Buildings, contents, land, the lot. Another thing that possibly explains a lot of the witch mania, at least in Europe, is that most of the population were suffering from chronic ergot poisoning from tainted crops, particularly rye, a staple of the poor - and ergot contains lysergic acid, a precursor chemical to LSD which can cause hallucinatory effects under some circumstances.
I don't care how much I dislike someone, if a public bathroom explodes around them I'm inclined to believe them if they say something paranormal is happening
So the Salem trials actually had a system for pleading your innocence. If you pled innocence, you were given a chance to name the witch that was supposedly controlling you. If the plea was accepted, you were released and the person you'd pointed out would be tried instead. At one point, a dog was actually accused. If you didn't plead out, though, you were pressed. By which, I mean you were stripped naked, a board was placed on top of you and the board was slowly weighted with large rocks, day and night, without food or water, until you pled out.
@@jeshonloonskin4176 That wasn't an execution style. That was an interrogation method. The only reason the one guy was killed that way was because he refused to admit to something he didn't do.
The whole history built upon a kid being accused or hurt or killed, there is another major movie that deserves a watch. And that is Nimona movie where the history background of that entire city is just heartbreaking.
I know I'm not the only one to request this, but thank you for listening to our requests. To continue your mission though, after Spoopy month is over, is to watch Kubo & the two strings. I highly recommend it since y'all are loving Studio Laika's work.
A movie that I definitely recommend you guys react to is “Wendell and Wild”. It’s another stop motion movie directed by Henry Selick (the same guy who directed “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Coraline”), and stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.
I noticed one critical flaw in the subtitles that I need everyone to see. THEY PUT (Friday the 13th Ringtone) when it's HALLOWEEN'S RINGTONE! BRUH! They even used the same shot but with a hockey mask like Jason. The audacity lol
This is my favorite Laika movie. I just feel it executes its themes the best, and feels quite mature while doing so. The final joke with the guy and the police woman yelling about who’s allowed to shoot ppl are 2 of my favorite jokes ever
Thank you Boom, for saying the truth about witch hunts. The men hanging women back in the 1600s was a tactic in order to keep women subservient to men. Due to the Roman Catholic church’s fear mongering, people determined witchcraft was to blame when things went wrong, such as crop failures. Over 3 centuries, 40,000 people were executed for witchcraft, 75% being female. In Malleus Maleficarum (the witch hunting guide at the time), it was stated that women were more susceptible witchcraft due to their inability to control their passions, which became a common-held belief. Most victims were women who were considered unsuitable in a patriarchal society - usually outspoken women who challenged the status quo. So, even if a woman drowned, which proved they actually weren’t a witch, it hardly mattered to them, because they were still able to kill an unruly woman. Witch hunting was very much a war on women, but that part of history is either forgotten or disputed by what I fear to be insecure men.
Sincerely one of my favorite films ever. I love it on every level. It's so well written. It's so well acted. It's so well animated! The reveal of Agatha still gives me chills. Fantastic reaction. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Some of my favorite notes: -The very first scene visually represents Normans life atm; isolated and only with ghosts, then the very end is ghost-grandma *and* the living family, it’s showing he found his comfort in both realms. -Agatha’s story probably wasn’t too far off from how at least half of histories witch trials went, *young* children were considered grown ups at the time, if you got enough people to lie about the same thing the authorities wouldn’t question it. I bet at least 1/4 of all deaths by witch trials were young girls being called grown and framed for something they didn’t do, bad circumstances leading to thinking they’re either stealing, casting “spells” (probably just doing math or reading), flirting with married men (probably jealous women who couldn’t do anything about their husbands being creepy so they went the other way to stop it) and so much more. Poor babies.
the Laika Studios youtube channel has a lot of behind-the-scenes videos for their movies, including Coraline and ParaNorman. They show everything from how the small clothes are fashioned, to the real-life scale of the figures, their detailed sets and some of their most complicated moving figures, I know in particular there's at least one Coraline one that shows a clip of how they store some of their face pieces, since you seemed particularly interested in that (and there were countless ones even back then). Laika films just have a very special place in my heart; It's really nice to take a look at their making every once in a while and it really kindles a huge appreciation for the hard work of stop motion.
I'd definitely say my favorite post credit laika animation is the one on the boxtrolls. They're just talking about how much effort the animators must be putting in to move them around. Coolest (and biggest) prop is definitely the giant skeleton in from Kubo and the two strings. Alot of people know Kubo is a Great movie but I'd say boxtrolls is underrated
19:25 Depends on the person’s blood pressure and if they had any blood flow issues. When my heart stopped for a while back in college, took about a hour and a half for it to set in. It’s agonizing take come back to a body in the process of it. Body was bruised so badly it looked like I was stuffed in someone’s punching bag for a week. Lost a lot of hair too over the following month. Took forever for it to grow back fully. And the smell! No amount of soap could get rid of it. Smelt like roadkill, breath and all, no matter how much I washed or brushed.
Paranorman is definitely my favorite Laika film. Norman's story and the reveal and subsequent confrontation of Agatha never fail to make me super emotional
I really hope you guys will check out Boxtrolls too, it's by the same studio as Coraline and ParaNorman and without spoiling anything from the movie itself, if you guys liked the little stop motion ending bit from ParaNorman you're gonna love the one they made for Boxtrolls, it's my favorite visual stop motion meta joke ever
I love Paranorman but I've never seen anyone do a reaction to it! Perfect for October! Y'all should also watch Kubo and the Two Strings if you've not all seen it before too for some truly astounding stop motion.
People say Buck Cluck was a negligent Dad when confronted by Chicken Little’s cries for help, but Perry basically said he wished he had a different son which is much more depressing than anything Buck did.
:) I think it's a mark of a great children's movie where there can be dark subject matter but the pace and humor and framing sweep the viewer past it. Lets people roll around some real life unpleasant things--illness, corpses, bullying, isolation--without being dragged down by it. watched this movie too many times (because I loved it) and got sick of it, but it's nice to see it again. It's better than I remembered.
I’m 21 so this movie is literally part of my childhood, I already had this movie at a high standard, but I hadn’t seen it in a while and this reaction just reminded me of how freaking amazing it is
Some movies I really want you guys to watch are from Cartton Saloon; they've made Song of the Sea, WolfWalkers, & Secret of the Kells. All really great 2d animated movies based of scottish/english lore!
I visited the pop culture art museum in Seattle, and they had this incredible exhibit about films like this, Coraline, Missing Link, etc. The big city was kind of torture to navigate, but it was so worth it because there was also a huge ender dragon hanging from the ceiling near the entrance and I got a photo with it
My favorite aspect of this movie is that it plays with expectation. which fits the story they wanted to tell. Normans friend is the little fat kid who youd think would get bullied and cower or complain about it. But this kid embraces everything he is and when bullied, snarks right back at them like it isnt even a thought.The stereo typical looking jock character is actually pretty subdued and ends up being gay. It fits the narrative of the movie, that you should never a judge a book by its cover. That you shouldnt judge a persons worth soley on what you see in front of you.
I’m so happy that you guys reacted to this movie because I’ve been recommending this movie for you guys to watch for awhile now!! Also, the movie is indeed a stop-motion movie!!
Love this movie! The sad thing about the witch trials is that it was propaganda to get rid of political and religious rivals. Many of the people in charge didn't actually believe any of the superstitions because they were the ones who made them up. All to manipulate the less educated through fear.
My local art museum did a Laika Studio exhibit and they had one wall covered in the 3D printed character faces so you could go and look at them all. The level of minute detail these artist are able to execute is truly stunning.
The idea of drowning witches was that if they had powers they would use them to get free and come to the surface to escape, and if they weren't a witch they would drown and since they werent a witch they were supposed to be with God anyways so it was like a win-win. Also fun fact, back then you only needed TWO people to accuse someone of being a witch, so if you and your friend didn't like someone you could basically just say they're a witch. Theres been cases where people accused their mistresses of being a witch just so nobody finds out about their affair.
This is my fav recent Halloween movie!! It does an amazing job of being a lil scary, very spooky, and super funny! I feel like you can tell that the people who made this loved their work!
Definitely recommend watching the special features on this one, the whole witch scene was done in frame... they literally printed out those weird heads and transitions.
I can't remember for which film but it was from Laika showing a case of faces so I think they keep them in an organized case!! I never knew thats how many faces they made for this movie but seeing how the mouths move and eyes squinting, I can see why now
Pretty sure it's been mentioned but Mitch is confirmed the first ever openly gay character in a children's animated movie, so that's just one more cool thing about this movie! :)
The stop motion animation in this film is incredible. The story and the characters are all excellent too. The whole climax of the film, with confronting Agatha, is my favorite stop motion animation that I've ever seen.
I have a strong memory of seeing this in theaters when it came out when I was 5, with my grandpa who came all the way from philly to Georgia. It’d be great if y’all could watch Boxtrolls, Kubo and the two strings, and Missing Link. Laika makes really good movies
First time seeing this in a few years & it still looks very amazing. Fun fact they did use bit of CG on Agatha witch from for the faces. Hope to see a reaction on 9 (2009) & Cloverfield.
as I keep going through movies I thought were weird as a kid, I remember my biases were because of the promotional material. a movie where the town was going to be eaten by zombies was all I wanted as a kid, and because animations were for kids my parents let me watch it?! That was a dream come true! I wasn't expecting a movie that subverted the zombie movies, and had an actual morals on fear and bullies. As a kid I felt betrayed by what I wanted vs what animators wanted to show me. I go back to old movies with less of this mindset, but I had to learn early on that tv promotions overhyped and ruined some of the messages stories wanted to teach me. Some movies just didn't work out because the movie trailers overdelivered on kids' wishes, but later became cult classics because there wasn't tv commercials to ruin it.
Even though this movie is definitely a childhood classic as I saw it in theatres with my mates, its a great representation of believing in ghosts, the innocent lives taken due to conspiracy of witchcraft, and the realistic perspective of being schizophrenic.
Oh man Paranorman is one of my all time fav stop motion films, I'm so glad you guys watched it! I hope you watch Kubo as well but also Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Wererabbit, I feel like that one would be good for spooky month.
17:26 *Halloween ring tone* Subtitles: "[Friday the 13th ring tone]" PS: I know it's not a Halloween movie, but you guys should react to Fantastic Mr. Fox. It's an awesome stop-motion film by Wes Anderson.
Having lived in New England any small town with a notable feature like this will milk the *HELL* out of it. It's probably the most exciting thing to happen there... ever.
I love how no one noticed or caught the reference to the original HALLOWEEN with Michael standing by the bush/shrub when Norman got to school and Prenderghast was watching him😂
My favourite Laika movie right here. Stop motion is so pretty yet so Difficult at the same time. The Norman and Agatha scenes are always the best part.
Great reaction! 🙂 You guys have to watch *Kubo and the Two Strings* , it is an AMAZING FILM, same studio. This film is UNBELIEVABLE. I think it’s on tier with Paranorman. Amazing story and must see.
I don't know if anyone said, but just to clarify on the witch drownings. It wasn't a sign that you were a witch if you could swim, plenty of people could swim if they lived by the water. It was that they actively drowned them (like tying them to a chair and dunking them in the water was one such way) and if they survived they were a witch, but if they drowned they weren't.
That’s just not true at all. Ducking stools are a much older, medieval invention that were used to publicly humiliate women who talked back to their husbands, or were prostitutes or had a child out of wedlock in extreme cases. But they were never intended to kill, every woman would be let go after her ritual humiliation. And when they were repurposed during the Great European Witch Hunt, the same was true. The purpose of the test was to see whether they would float or not - or “reject the baptismal waters” in their words - but either way, they would then be dragged back out and that used as evidence in their trial. There’s virtually no historical precedent for people being left in lakes to drown, none at all for the notion that they were weighed down, which is an entirely modern invention. Witch swimming, while it did happen, is one of the most overblown myths about this whole time period, which is weird because it was horrible enough that you shouldn’t need to do that.
🙂 One of the most AMAZING stop-motion films that is on tier with Paranorman is *Kubo and the Two Strings* . This film is UNBELIEVABLE. Same studio. Amazing story and must see.
30:51 That's actually not a bad theory. I do believe that people back then genuinely believed in witches and feared anything the didn't understand. But let's be honest, there had to be at least a few people who that to the people they didn't like 😂
The scariest part of the entire movie is that accusing a child of being a witch and them executing them is DEFINITELY something that happened during that time period. I love this movie and I'm glad to see more people reacting to it!
The scariest part of this movie is the knowledge that nothing has changed, and we would execute a child today with nothing more than mob mentality.
But were they wrong tho ngl lmao
@@solairedude7119yes. unless you’re not talking irl, in the movie no
@@lelouchvibritannia7647 Litteraly the entire point of the plot is that they were wrong to do that and that responding with violence about things that you fear and don't understand just leads to more pain and misery. So yes, very very wrong.
@@nicolasgarant9124 think we’re talking about 2 different things. i’m talking about how in the movie she WAS really a witch (or had powers) . but irl no, they were just normal people accused of it bc of something petty or out of hate etc.
im not talking about if they were right to sentence her to death or what not. obviously that’s not okay at all no matter what imo, unless they’re on some hitler status type of deeds
"You know, you're gonna love my boyfriend, he's like a total chick flick knot" is personally one of the best lines in this movie
Duude I remember this movie from ages ago! What "Dude I don't have moobs" *Gets moob hit* "Ow! My moob" (Man boob)
What makes this quote more iconic is the fact it was said in an Era where everyone was still iffy on homosexuality.
Not mine.
Being part of LGBT as well as my best friend, we had no clue this was coming when we first watched this. When this line was said we both broke out laughing hard! It was one of the earliest times we ever felt inclusive in a main stream like movie. Its amazing!
@@H3y_Im_Rob I mean, it was only 10 years ago it wasn't THAT different from now.
one great detail in this movie is in the beginning of the movie the grandmother ghost says "I'm sure they just sit down and talk it through it'll be a different story" that's exactly what happened in this movie with revealing the truth and resolving the issue, what a great foreshadowing quote there
There’s also in the first play scene, the nerdy girl goes “why is the witch always portrayed as an old hag with a pointy hat and a broomstick? I don’t think that’s historically accurate.” And the drama teacher says something like “it’s not supposed to be, it’s supposed to sell keychains and flash cards.” This not only foreshadows Aggie being a little girl but also subtextual for how for so long the town profiteered off of a warped and untrue depiction of their horrific past.
"What are you doing shooting at civilians? That is for the police to do!"
That's the best joke in the movie.
Laika doesn't play. Wendell and Wilde proved that.
I'd say it's tied with Mitch's "You'll *love* my boyfriend - he's a total chick-flick nut!"
This movie was the best audience experience I've ever had. The laughter that erupted when the football jock had a boyfriend the entire time lasted 30 seconds and we all missed whatever dialogue happened in that time frame. It's an awesome movie. Not quite as incredible as Coraline or Kubo but totally deserves more attention its way.
That wasn't funny to me
@@applefarm6126okay?
I highly disagree with you on Coraline. ParaNorman is leagues better, but Kubo forever remains LAIKA's magnum opus.
@@RyansChannel0203 Coraline has layers upon layers about shadow selves and narcissism and how maybe parents are best listened to (Rare in family movies, they're usually about proving parents wrong). Paranorman is great but I wouldn't call it complex, it's a very bare bones ghost story. I observe a new thing about Coraline every time I watch it, it's an actual masterpiece.
Kubo is also on that level though. I wouldn't blink at someone preferring it. But Paranorman isn't on the same level as either.
@@bespectacledheroine7292 I mean, don't get me wrong. Coraline is great, and without it, we wouldn't have LAIKA, but it doesn't really have the same amount of depth, emotion, and thematic resonance that both Kubo and ParaNorman have, also ParaNorman is everything but "bare bones". Coraline is one of those films that really emphasizes more on imagination and creepy imagery rather than story and characters, which is done excellently, but in the end, I connect a lot less with Coraline than I do Norman or Kubo (which are two of my favorite protagonists in any film. period) and even its emotional highs don't rival that of those two films.
That's just my take at least.
Mitch is the first openly gay character in an animated kids movie btw
hes such an icon
And I personally would call him one of the best elements of this movie
Shhh don't tell disney that.
@@wittymchitty The joke isn't "on" him though, it's on Norman's sister. You can not like how it's saved for the end but if it has to exist as a twist this is the best way to do it.
@@wittymchitty nah I feel like openly gay still works since he just existed as a regular dude. The reveal only came when the topic was relevant (you wouldn’t talk about such things during a zombie apocalypse), so he wasn’t trying to hide it. When he revealed it, it was super casual, none of it was a big deal. It was so casual that he didn’t even realize she was interested in him.
So technically he was openly gay the entire movie. It’s just that the movie didn’t feel a need to make it obvious until it was actually relevant since it would be resolving that ongoing plotline with Courtney.
Paranorman is iconic for me. Its a brilliant and moving story. The art is breathtaking. You get really connected and the lessons are great! My best friend is LGBT+ and when we watched this together the scene at the end made him crack up and feel included, its one of the earliest times he saw something like that in main stream stuff. You have to appreciate the effort put into making this. I am happy you guys liked it so much!
The artistry that goes into these movies is insane, and it shows so hauntingly beautiful.
Also, the "You would love my boyfriend" line is legendary.😂
Right? Truly a pearl in stop motion animation history.
And I love that he's gay so much. That twist will never not be funny.
one of my favorite details: when agatha rises from the ground in her true form, she comes up with her head slightly forward--like shes being pulled up by an invisible rope around her neck
also the line "i dont want to go to sleep. and you cant make me" is still my favorite of the movie. gives me chills every time
and the reason she's floating in the air, is she's suspended in the air... like by a noose
30:50 One thing that explains a lot of what happened during the witch mania was that, if someone was convicted and condemned as a witch, *all their property would then be up for grabs.* Buildings, contents, land, the lot. Another thing that possibly explains a lot of the witch mania, at least in Europe, is that most of the population were suffering from chronic ergot poisoning from tainted crops, particularly rye, a staple of the poor - and ergot contains lysergic acid, a precursor chemical to LSD which can cause hallucinatory effects under some circumstances.
I don't care how much I dislike someone, if a public bathroom explodes around them I'm inclined to believe them if they say something paranormal is happening
Nah, taco bell
@@himanbam 😂😂😂😂
So the Salem trials actually had a system for pleading your innocence. If you pled innocence, you were given a chance to name the witch that was supposedly controlling you. If the plea was accepted, you were released and the person you'd pointed out would be tried instead. At one point, a dog was actually accused.
If you didn't plead out, though, you were pressed. By which, I mean you were stripped naked, a board was placed on top of you and the board was slowly weighted with large rocks, day and night, without food or water, until you pled out.
More weight
I thought that execution style was only used on one of the accused while the others were just hanged?
@@jeshonloonskin4176 That wasn't an execution style. That was an interrogation method. The only reason the one guy was killed that way was because he refused to admit to something he didn't do.
The whole history built upon a kid being accused or hurt or killed, there is another major movie that deserves a watch. And that is Nimona movie where the history background of that entire city is just heartbreaking.
This is one of my all time favorite movies. I love the idea of Norman being able to still see and talk to his grandma even though she passed away.
Oh my god!!! You should all watch the stop motion Pinocchio Movie!!! Its Amazing!!!!!!!!!
I know I'm not the only one to request this, but thank you for listening to our requests. To continue your mission though, after Spoopy month is over, is to watch Kubo & the two strings. I highly recommend it since y'all are loving Studio Laika's work.
They need to watch Boxtrolls first, then Kubo.
@@NightRainPanda good point.
@@NightRainPandabag nah they need to see FRANKENWEENIE first 😂
Yesssss
Ur not alone kubo is 😮💨😮💨😮💨😮💨
A movie that I definitely recommend you guys react to is “Wendell and Wild”. It’s another stop motion movie directed by Henry Selick (the same guy who directed “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Coraline”), and stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele.
The reveal of the story of how Aggie died and the conversation between her and Norman will always make me cry😢😢😢
I noticed one critical flaw in the subtitles that I need everyone to see. THEY PUT (Friday the 13th Ringtone) when it's HALLOWEEN'S RINGTONE! BRUH! They even used the same shot but with a hockey mask like Jason. The audacity lol
This is my favorite Laika movie. I just feel it executes its themes the best, and feels quite mature while doing so. The final joke with the guy and the police woman yelling about who’s allowed to shoot ppl are 2 of my favorite jokes ever
Thank you Boom, for saying the truth about witch hunts.
The men hanging women back in the 1600s was a tactic in order to keep women subservient to men. Due to the Roman Catholic church’s fear mongering, people determined witchcraft was to blame when things went wrong, such as crop failures. Over 3 centuries, 40,000 people were executed for witchcraft, 75% being female. In Malleus Maleficarum (the witch hunting guide at the time), it was stated that women were more susceptible witchcraft due to their inability to control their passions, which became a common-held belief. Most victims were women who were considered unsuitable in a patriarchal society - usually outspoken women who challenged the status quo. So, even if a woman drowned, which proved they actually weren’t a witch, it hardly mattered to them, because they were still able to kill an unruly woman. Witch hunting was very much a war on women, but that part of history is either forgotten or disputed by what I fear to be insecure men.
Protestant countries also had witch hunts.
Sincerely one of my favorite films ever. I love it on every level. It's so well written. It's so well acted. It's so well animated! The reveal of Agatha still gives me chills. Fantastic reaction. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Some of my favorite notes:
-The very first scene visually represents Normans life atm; isolated and only with ghosts, then the very end is ghost-grandma *and* the living family, it’s showing he found his comfort in both realms.
-Agatha’s story probably wasn’t too far off from how at least half of histories witch trials went, *young* children were considered grown ups at the time, if you got enough people to lie about the same thing the authorities wouldn’t question it. I bet at least 1/4 of all deaths by witch trials were young girls being called grown and framed for something they didn’t do, bad circumstances leading to thinking they’re either stealing, casting “spells” (probably just doing math or reading), flirting with married men (probably jealous women who couldn’t do anything about their husbands being creepy so they went the other way to stop it) and so much more. Poor babies.
paranorman is my favourite laika movie
While I prefer Coraline overall, Paranorman never fails to make me cry. No matter the ending, what happened to Agatha is so tragic - and believable.
the Laika Studios youtube channel has a lot of behind-the-scenes videos for their movies, including Coraline and ParaNorman. They show everything from how the small clothes are fashioned, to the real-life scale of the figures, their detailed sets and some of their most complicated moving figures, I know in particular there's at least one Coraline one that shows a clip of how they store some of their face pieces, since you seemed particularly interested in that (and there were countless ones even back then). Laika films just have a very special place in my heart; It's really nice to take a look at their making every once in a while and it really kindles a huge appreciation for the hard work of stop motion.
This movie is really fun it deserves more attention. I really like the ending cause that poor girl can finally rest
"What are you doing firing at civilians? That is for the police to do" I forgot this movie was based
I'd definitely say my favorite post credit laika animation is the one on the boxtrolls. They're just talking about how much effort the animators must be putting in to move them around.
Coolest (and biggest) prop is definitely the giant skeleton in from Kubo and the two strings. Alot of people know Kubo is a Great movie but I'd say boxtrolls is underrated
This was one of my favorite movies as a kid, I loved creepy stop motion movies so much.
Just heard the sad news that Bernard Hill passed away. He voiced the Judge in this movie. RIP.
This movie had such a shocking and amazing twist.
19:25 Depends on the person’s blood pressure and if they had any blood flow issues. When my heart stopped for a while back in college, took about a hour and a half for it to set in. It’s agonizing take come back to a body in the process of it. Body was bruised so badly it looked like I was stuffed in someone’s punching bag for a week. Lost a lot of hair too over the following month. Took forever for it to grow back fully. And the smell! No amount of soap could get rid of it. Smelt like roadkill, breath and all, no matter how much I washed or brushed.
Paranorman is definitely my favorite Laika film. Norman's story and the reveal and subsequent confrontation of Agatha never fail to make me super emotional
I really hope you guys will check out Boxtrolls too, it's by the same studio as Coraline and ParaNorman and without spoiling anything from the movie itself, if you guys liked the little stop motion ending bit from ParaNorman you're gonna love the one they made for Boxtrolls, it's my favorite visual stop motion meta joke ever
I love Paranorman but I've never seen anyone do a reaction to it! Perfect for October! Y'all should also watch Kubo and the Two Strings if you've not all seen it before too for some truly astounding stop motion.
People say Buck Cluck was a negligent Dad when confronted by Chicken Little’s cries for help, but Perry basically said he wished he had a different son which is much more depressing than anything Buck did.
I remember seeing this in theaters and that final ‘fight’ with the witch had my jaw dropped the whole time
Now that I look at it, Norman and Neil remind me of DJ and Chowder from Monster House.
they really are similar lmao
:)
I think it's a mark of a great children's movie where there can be dark subject matter but the pace and humor and framing sweep the viewer past it. Lets people roll around some real life unpleasant things--illness, corpses, bullying, isolation--without being dragged down by it.
watched this movie too many times (because I loved it) and got sick of it, but it's nice to see it again. It's better than I remembered.
I would love if they did a Hocus Pocus reaction! I watch that movie every Halloween! 🎃🎃
Agatha's story is one of the stories in film that genuinely makes me the saddest, and it was done so wonderfully
17:28 Okay why does the subtitles say "Friday the 13th ring tone" when the music playing is clearly the "Halloween Michael Myers theme".
I actually mentioned that but the editor cut it out for some reason (Boom)
@@sortastupid oh okay cause was confused about that lol
I’m 21 so this movie is literally part of my childhood, I already had this movie at a high standard, but I hadn’t seen it in a while and this reaction just reminded me of how freaking amazing it is
HELL YEAHHHHH AN ALL TIME CLASSIC
Finally! This a good movie! This movie scared me as a kid. The uncle and even Norman's premonitions.
Some movies I really want you guys to watch are from Cartton Saloon; they've made Song of the Sea, WolfWalkers, & Secret of the Kells. All really great 2d animated movies based of scottish/english lore!
I visited the pop culture art museum in Seattle, and they had this incredible exhibit about films like this, Coraline, Missing Link, etc.
The big city was kind of torture to navigate, but it was so worth it because there was also a huge ender dragon hanging from the ceiling near the entrance and I got a photo with it
And the actors have to record first so they can animate them to sync up. So by the time the movie comes out a lot of these kids are grown.
This and monster house are always halloween staples for me. My two favorite halloween/creepy movies. It's just not the same without them
My favorite aspect of this movie is that it plays with expectation. which fits the story they wanted to tell. Normans friend is the little fat kid who youd think would get bullied and cower or complain about it. But this kid embraces everything he is and when bullied, snarks right back at them like it isnt even a thought.The stereo typical looking jock character is actually pretty subdued and ends up being gay. It fits the narrative of the movie, that you should never a judge a book by its cover. That you shouldnt judge a persons worth soley on what you see in front of you.
I’m so happy that you guys reacted to this movie because I’ve been recommending this movie for you guys to watch for awhile now!! Also, the movie is indeed a stop-motion movie!!
Love this movie! The sad thing about the witch trials is that it was propaganda to get rid of political and religious rivals. Many of the people in charge didn't actually believe any of the superstitions because they were the ones who made them up. All to manipulate the less educated through fear.
My local art museum did a Laika Studio exhibit and they had one wall covered in the 3D printed character faces so you could go and look at them all. The level of minute detail these artist are able to execute is truly stunning.
Such a great film
I don’t see much people talk about it
The idea of drowning witches was that if they had powers they would use them to get free and come to the surface to escape, and if they weren't a witch they would drown and since they werent a witch they were supposed to be with God anyways so it was like a win-win. Also fun fact, back then you only needed TWO people to accuse someone of being a witch, so if you and your friend didn't like someone you could basically just say they're a witch. Theres been cases where people accused their mistresses of being a witch just so nobody finds out about their affair.
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE! One of my favorite holiday movies!!
Laika is really good about releasing behind the scenes content. So all your questions about their process can be answered in those🥰
This is my fav recent Halloween movie!! It does an amazing job of being a lil scary, very spooky, and super funny! I feel like you can tell that the people who made this loved their work!
Definitely recommend watching the special features on this one, the whole witch scene was done in frame... they literally printed out those weird heads and transitions.
I can't remember for which film but it was from Laika showing a case of faces so I think they keep them in an organized case!! I never knew thats how many faces they made for this movie but seeing how the mouths move and eyes squinting, I can see why now
Pretty sure it's been mentioned but Mitch is confirmed the first ever openly gay character in a children's animated movie, so that's just one more cool thing about this movie! :)
Absolutely love the 80s feel this movie has, easily my favorite stop-motion movie to date
My actual favorite animated halloween movie. Stop motion for the win
The stop motion animation in this film is incredible. The story and the characters are all excellent too. The whole climax of the film, with confronting Agatha, is my favorite stop motion animation that I've ever seen.
I have a strong memory of seeing this in theaters when it came out when I was 5, with my grandpa who came all the way from philly to Georgia. It’d be great if y’all could watch Boxtrolls, Kubo and the two strings, and Missing Link. Laika makes really good movies
First time seeing this in a few years & it still looks very amazing. Fun fact they did use bit of CG on Agatha witch from for the faces. Hope to see a reaction on 9 (2009) & Cloverfield.
This movie is AWESOME!!! I tapped instantly when I saw the notification.
Hell yes!!!!!!! Other great stop-motion movies are Boxtrolls, 9 (Yes the number 9 with Elijah Wood), Kubo and the 2 Strings, and Frankenweenie!!!
as I keep going through movies I thought were weird as a kid, I remember my biases were because of the promotional material. a movie where the town was going to be eaten by zombies was all I wanted as a kid, and because animations were for kids my parents let me watch it?! That was a dream come true!
I wasn't expecting a movie that subverted the zombie movies, and had an actual morals on fear and bullies. As a kid I felt betrayed by what I wanted vs what animators wanted to show me. I go back to old movies with less of this mindset, but I had to learn early on that tv promotions overhyped and ruined some of the messages stories wanted to teach me.
Some movies just didn't work out because the movie trailers overdelivered on kids' wishes, but later became cult classics because there wasn't tv commercials to ruin it.
Even though this movie is definitely a childhood classic as I saw it in theatres with my mates,
its a great representation of believing in ghosts, the innocent lives taken due to conspiracy of
witchcraft, and the realistic perspective of being schizophrenic.
Joke
How many times, do we have to go through this Scout.
Your Heavy is Dead!
Oh man Paranorman is one of my all time fav stop motion films, I'm so glad you guys watched it! I hope you watch Kubo as well but also Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Wererabbit, I feel like that one would be good for spooky month.
Such an underrated movie! I love movies like this where it's a fun mixture of campy, dark, hilarious, exciting, creepy and wholesome!
17:26
*Halloween ring tone*
Subtitles: "[Friday the 13th ring tone]"
PS: I know it's not a Halloween movie, but you guys should react to Fantastic Mr. Fox. It's an awesome stop-motion film by Wes Anderson.
Having lived in New England any small town with a notable feature like this will milk the *HELL* out of it. It's probably the most exciting thing to happen there... ever.
17:45 Moral of Courage the Cowardly Dog and just having courage!
30:16 its so fun to watch these guys cuz sometimes they pause and make predictions and when they unpause it comes true 😂
That means at some point they had like a wall or maybe even several walls with 31,000 faces hanging up 😅. Talk about creepy inspiration
I love how no one noticed or caught the reference to the original HALLOWEEN with Michael standing by the bush/shrub when Norman got to school and Prenderghast was watching him😂
Love his movie! A classic for sure. So glad you guys finally got around to watching it!
YALL HAVE TO DO KUBO NEXT ITS SO GOOD
I have always loved this movie. It's really underrated
New Englan may have witches, but over in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, we got the Mothman.
My favourite Laika movie right here. Stop motion is so pretty yet so Difficult at the same time.
The Norman and Agatha scenes are always the best part.
KUBO would be a great one to watch next with these stop motion films.
1:58: Ain't no way you guys couldn't tell by the way she looked. XD
I do love this film especially that twist at the end about hwo the witch really is.
Great reaction! 🙂 You guys have to watch *Kubo and the Two Strings* , it is an AMAZING FILM, same studio. This film is UNBELIEVABLE. I think it’s on tier with Paranorman. Amazing story and must see.
I don't know if anyone said, but just to clarify on the witch drownings. It wasn't a sign that you were a witch if you could swim, plenty of people could swim if they lived by the water. It was that they actively drowned them (like tying them to a chair and dunking them in the water was one such way) and if they survived they were a witch, but if they drowned they weren't.
That’s just not true at all.
Ducking stools are a much older, medieval invention that were used to publicly humiliate women who talked back to their husbands, or were prostitutes or had a child out of wedlock in extreme cases. But they were never intended to kill, every woman would be let go after her ritual humiliation. And when they were repurposed during the Great European Witch Hunt, the same was true. The purpose of the test was to see whether they would float or not - or “reject the baptismal waters” in their words - but either way, they would then be dragged back out and that used as evidence in their trial. There’s virtually no historical precedent for people being left in lakes to drown, none at all for the notion that they were weighed down, which is an entirely modern invention.
Witch swimming, while it did happen, is one of the most overblown myths about this whole time period, which is weird because it was horrible enough that you shouldn’t need to do that.
I mean, to be fair, she really was a witch
🙂 One of the most AMAZING stop-motion films that is on tier with Paranorman is *Kubo and the Two Strings* . This film is UNBELIEVABLE. Same studio. Amazing story and must see.
Wiccan is what Witches originally called, and sot out for wisdom at one time
30:51 That's actually not a bad theory. I do believe that people back then genuinely believed in witches and feared anything the didn't understand. But let's be honest, there had to be at least a few people who that to the people they didn't like 😂
i am a witch ,but being a witch isn't bad so that is that. Aggie didn't fry them ,but cursed them ,they still hanged her .
This movie does not get enough love. It's such a good movie
Cool that you mentioned Sleepy Hollow, I don’t live far from there :)
Gonna be around there for Halloween… perfect place for it!
I love when she’s apart of videos.
Duude I remember this movie from ages ago!
This is such an underrated movie! I'm so glad you're watching it! :)