The Art And Making Of ParaNorman documents the painstaking and endlessly fascinating work that went behind the creation of the film, helmed by stop-motion animation studio Laika, whose earlier work includes the equally amazing Coraline.

This review is way overdue given that the film was released in 2012, but I thought it a good time to remind everyone the utter brilliance of Laika’s work, especially with the release of their new film The Boxtrolls.

(above) The Maquette , an industry term for miniature clay sculpted models used for scale and visual reference. Even in 3D animation we have a grey material shader named the Maquette shader in homage to the original term.

(above & below) One nifty visual trick/style often employed in Laika’s films is the asymmetrical design of the characters and the sets they inhabit – lines, forms and shapes are almost always slightly skewed or slanted and never parallel to each other, which adds imperfection and character to the world they story inhabits.

This is also another reason why many of the 3D animation films made during the early days of CG look so dull and lifeless, because computers are great at creating perfectly straight lines and shapes (this is true of animation interpolation curves as well) that are just too perfect ( and boring ) for an inherently chaotic and realistic world.

An engaging and illuminating look behind the superb artistry of Laika in creating ParaNorman. Highly Recommended.

“The Art And Making Of ParaNorman Book Review″ book details :

– Dimensions – 9.5 x 11.1 x 0.7 inches
– Hard cover, 160 pages, full color

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