Ghost Mike (Cartoon Karma)

A ★★★ review of ParaNorman: The Thrifting (2025) A cute coda to the world of the main feature, where the fact of the protagonist being able to see and interact with ghosts is an expected norm, and extrapolating from that a reasonable minor conflict,...

ParaNorman: The Thrifting (★★★) – A cute coda to the world of the main feature. The painterly CG aesthetic is an awkward fit though, and putting it before the film, not after, was asinine. (3/3) letterboxd.com/cartoonkarma...

A ★★★★ review of ParaNorman (2012) The danger of first coming to ParaNorman thirteen years later (Laika is ashamedly rather a blind spot for me), is that its major technological and stylistic advances in stop-motion augmented by 3D pri...

Watched via Remastered reissue on October 25th 2025, full review on Letterboxd. (2/3) letterboxd.com/cartoonkarma...

a cartoon character wearing a gas mask is standing in a forest ALT: a cartoon character wearing a gas mask is standing in a forest

ParaNorman (★★★★) – One I respect more than I adore, but with such a deft handling of its various tones, great spooky material for kids, actually being funny, and the perfect evolution of Laika's aesthetic from Coraline for this story, I respect it a ton. (1/3)

To all those who doubt this: it’s true. VERY true. I’ve even seen executive notes with this exact directive. And another effect is that it destroys any form of storytelling not originally reliant principally on dialogue, as now everything has to be stated so audiences catch it while on their phones

If this turns out to be true… holy shoot, I almost can’t breathe.

Reportedly one of Matt Groening’s favourite jokes in the show, this. Another is “He can’t hear you, we had to pack his ears with gauze” from an ambulance worker regarding Milhouse after Nelson beat the crap out of him.

Meanwhile you’ve barely changed between both photos, minus the beard. 😁

One reason for my small haul at UK PonyCon? I’d made a big plushie purchase at Pokémon Center UK, had it sent to a friend, and picked them up during the con. Including two (unpictured) for him. Only four here are mine (Maushold & Cinccino for another friend). Comfy Friends Flareon is a fluffy steal.

“Luna as a Gamer” sees quite the resurrection, Britannia Master gets underway, I have to repeat the “lanyard’s for me not you” lecture I gave to Applejack for Pinkie & Izzy, and the domination of Kpop Demon Hunters leads to one of the charity auction’s highest lots. (3/3) @ukponycon.bsky.social

The Charity Auction lots pile up, Rebecca Shoichet answers a most interesting question, the Legion of Doom prove great at evil power ballads, and the truth is told about Starlight. (2/3) @ukponycon.bsky.social

A week on from @ukponycon.bsky.social, still was a great time, even with big hiccups (all beyond anyone’s control). Here’s some more memories from the trip, including Izzy & I waiting away the storm delays, slides of @zenfox.bsky.social’s great train lore panel and Ponk waiting to kart it up. (1/3)

Indie Spotlight: Squeakross Home Squeak Home - Can I Play That? Squeakross: Home Squeak Home brings a lot of accessibility to the nonogram puzzle genre, often choosing the accessible option by default.

Squeakross: Home Squeak Home is a nonogram puzzle game with an accessible twist.

Read our latest Indie Spotlight to find out how Marijn found its cognitive and visual accessibility features. There's even some unexpected disability representation!

caniplaythat.com/2025/10/10/i...

@dodgycur.bsky.social Some good news for you! Probably will have crossed that threshold and have these on the way by the next time you play the game too. 😉

Got this as a Secret Santa gift from a friend a couple of years back. Can’t recommend enough for Kirby fans! 😉

Thus begins the journey home from @ukponycon.bsky.social for Pinkie, Izzy and I. Though being real, despite the storm-related nine-hour travel delays on Fri and nearby fire in another hotel, this was the home away from home, as always. At five of these now, it’s a mainstay, come hay or high water. ❤️

While “bought” item quantity was unchanged from last year (three), they were more substantial, and more freebies made for a a larger merch haul. Getting a core G5 movie unseen moment from Izzy creator @imalouart.bsky.social (we got on great, super lovely), is probably my fav. @ukponycon.bsky.social

A hearty meal with friends, a good time all around, lots of freebie Kayou MLP cards from one of our group, and a charity auction win… the Worcester Shires post-con meal did what it’s always meant to, staving off post-con blues for several hours. Can’t ask for more, really! @ukponycon.bsky.social

And that’s a wrap on UKPC once again. Different venue shook it up a bit – for better and for worse! – but it was as dense as ever, with great guests, wonderful committee being absolute champs, solid panels new and old, and all the fun with friends. Remains a yearly highlight.
@ukponycon.bsky.social

Even in a truncated time slot, the goofy humour of the lots donated to @ukponycon.bsky.social’s charity auction are as on point as ever. Oink sounds came from MC and audience alike here.

Pinkie got to see the rest of her family in plushies made by Sewpoke at Sewpoke’s Plush Meet. Very chuffed, she was. Other plushies were permitted of course, but nothing like a family photo. 😇

The Brittania Taskmaster task of designing a new con mascot in 2 minutes, with great notions in Shopping Addiction and True Family, went in the end to Imalou’s Fish Chips. The strangeness of British food to their French tastebuds was quite a source of comedy over the weekend! @ukponycon.bsky.social

My thoughts with the @ukponycon.bsky.social staff and everyone else staying at the New Street Premier Inn affected by the ground floor fire. No one hurt, thank goodness.

Fair play to the con staff for quickly pushing opening back two hours and the revised schedule losing so little. Absolute champs!

Checking out the late karaoke and concert before the “secret” panel on why MLP characters suck, which had to have a whole Star Wars title crawl for Twilight (complete with the music)… quite the satirical end to another dense Saturday @ukponycon.bsky.social!

Let me tell ya, you haven’t lived till you’ve heard Discord singing A Glass of Water backwards… Courtesy of @ukponycon.bsky.social’s pub quiz. Among other inverted song samples, old toy lore and identifying colour-reversed cutie marks. To name a few.

It may have meant missing the regular pub quiz with the Worcester Shires crowd, but in the 2nd of three Pony Kart qualifying sessions at @ukponycon.bsky.social, I inched the 2nd best time! Got a spot on the main stage tomorrow before closing ceremonies! 😎

Pinkie: “Izzy look, it’s your creator! The lady who designed and brought you into the world in every aspect of your appearance! It’s @imalouart.bsky.social, in the flesh!”
Izzy: “I like her mane. It’s poofy and curly. Maybe I should try that! You and her do make it look fun.
@ukponycon.bsky.social

The @ukponycon.bsky.social panel on the languages in FiM was short and didn’t even fill its half-hour without extensive Q&A, but it did have more than just “Old Ponish is Old English”, so a good breather panel before the Special Guests Q&A.

Straight from @zenfox.bsky.social and @thatoneacy.bsky.social’s train lore panel at @ukponycon.bsky.social, you’d be surprised how much blatant disregards for train procedure there is. Where did Fluttershy do with the engine pony? We may never know… And it’s just a warmup to AJ’s shenanigans. (1/2)

Let’s just say Pinkie is none too pleased I insisted on taking our time with breakfast and getting down 25 mins after door opened. Figured based on past Sundays, given pre-reg, that the queue would have emptied. Woe is me. Pray for me as I try to manage her disappointment. @ukponycon.bsky.social