Paranorman gay character
Laika’s ‘ParaNorman’ Presents First Openly Gay Animated Character
When it debuted on August 17, Laika’s stop-motion animated zombie comedy “ParaNorman” might just have made history–in perhaps the quietest way doable. In a small, almost thrown-away moment towards the end of the feature, one of the film’s supporting characters mentions his boyfriend, and in doing so, became the first openly gay character in an American animated film. (Mild spoiler alert: this post contains a couple of “ParaNorman” references that you might want to hold off on until you’ve seen the film.)
Norman Babcock, the protagonist of “ParaNorman,” teams up (albeit not willingly) towards the beginning of the movie with Neil, an eccentric, chubby kid who’s as much of an outcast at school as Norman is. When Norman sneaks out of the house on a late hours that his parents move out to dinner, his ditzy sister Courtney looks to Neil for assist, along with Neil’s brother Mitch, a jock with a chain link tattoo on his bicep and a character design so stylized his hugely muscular torso looks like it’s from a di
Mitch Downe From "Paranorman" Is Awesome Male lover Representation
“Paranorman” is a 2012 stop-motion animated horror comedy clip directed by Sam Fell (Flushed Away, 2006) and Chris Butler (Missing Link, 2019), and for many is a Halloween staple. And for some, spooky films are never out of season. It’s a wonderful blend of spooks and comedy, has a fairly correct take on the Salem witch trials, and uses kickass imagery to present New England’s pretty scenery. But I’m not obsessed with New England. You’re obsessed with Brand-new England.
Set in the fictional town of Blythe Hollow, Paranorman follows the story of Norman, an 11-year-old boy who can speak to the dead. This alienates him from family and schoolmates, leaving him an outcast from all but his ally Neil Downe and his grandmother’s ghost. But he’s quite suddenly thrust into being the town’s sole savior when the dead climb at sunset, and he’s the only one who can (and will) accomplish anything about it. It feels enjoy a cheesy 1980’s horror film fell into a end motion bath.
Neil’s Brother: Mitch
Although I carry out love the dynamic between Norman and his friend Neil, I actually consider the best, most well-written character in this
Back in August, ParaNorman came out and introduced with it (SPOILERS, sorta: it’s a three-month-old show, so gauge accordingly) the first gay character in a children’s animated production. The character wasn’t at all stereotypical, his sexuality was handled with tact and humour, and other than a small handful of vocal buttholes, no one really seemed to mind all that much.
To commemorate the DVD release of ParaNorman, writer/director Chris Butler and co-creator Sam Fell sat down with The Advocate to talk about how they subtly slipped in a gay character, how it related to the overall message of not judging people, and zombies. Because everything is finer with zombies.
The Advocate: I believe that ParaNorman is the first mainstream animated film with a main character who is gay. I loved that it was a punch line, but not at Mitch’s expense.
Butler: Yes, I believe it is. It was crucial to us. We were telling a story that was fundamentally about intolerance. We believed that it was important to possess the strength of our convictions. And yes, we played it off as a punch line to a joke. But in a sense, that made it all the more potent, I think, because Mitch is just an
Mitch, ‘Paranorman’, and Result Acceptance [The Lone Queer]
Animated films for kids have prolonged had coded gay characters. Recently, with films like Strange World (2022), things are slowly modifying. Back in 2012, there was a stop-motion animated clip that catered to the horror nature. Within it, there is a lone queer. That movie isParaNorman, and the character is Mitch (Casey Affleck).
ParaNorman tells the tale of Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who can observe dead people. He’s an outsider. Avoiding bullies and people who don’t know his view of the world is his usual day-to-day. When he comes across the reality that he is the person who must save his town from a witch from the past who is out for vengeance, his special ability becomes his superpower. Along the way, his friends connect in for the assist. That’s where Mitch comes into the picture.
We use the majority of ParaNorman not knowing Mitch’s sexuality. He’s just the brother of Norman’s ally, Neil (Tucker Albrizzi). Upon introduction, Mitch is underneath his van. He’s overly built, tatted, and has one of those haircuts that normally belongs to douchebags. You perceive the cut. His exaggerated physiq