Today we have a last minute change. I was supposed to be reviewing Ordinary Monsters, but I want some more time to work on the script. So Instead I will be reviewing Dead End Paranormal Park, a new animated series on Netflix. This series caught my eye on the homepage a few weeks ago, so I checked it out and put this script together in preparation.
With the intro out of the way, let’s go over the premise.
The show is labeled as a Horror Fantasy Comedy and follows two teenagers, Barney and Norma.
After a stunt double goes missing at Phoenix Park, Barney and Norma go to apply for a security position. When they get to the park however, they are nearly tricked by Courtney, a demon trapped on Earth into becoming vessels for a demon lord. Luckily Pugsey, Barney’s dog interferes and after being possessed, ends up able to speak and use magic. Now hired, the two teenagers must deal with their personal issues, while the sinister secrets of the park and its mysterious owner, Pauline, threaten their lives.
What a setup huh? Honestly this show reminds me of a bit of Disenchanted, but with a better written plot. The setting is phenomenal. The Phoenix Park is essentially a Disneyland, but Walt Disney only made live action movies starring himself. And also practiced dark magic so he could make deals with demons. It is wonderfully chaotic and entertaining.
However the setting is only the first part, and that brings us to the characters.
So let’s start with the main duo.
Barney, voiced by Zack Barack, is a transgender boy who is dealing with increasing friction from his family and after he gets the jobs start’s living a the park with the demon Courtney and his now talking dog Pugsey. It’s revealed shortly into the show that he did this as a result of a dinner with his grandmother, who spend the meal insulting and belittling Barney. The whole time his parents just ignored it and even tried to excuse her actions as a result of her being from ‘a different time’.
I really like this conflict, because it isn't that his parents don't accept Barney. We see that they love him. The problem was that they let someone else, a family member, get away with tearing him down and didn't even try to help him. They also show Barney’s brother who just wants his brother back, not understanding why he left and just wanting him home.
Then you have Norma, voiced by Kody Kavitha, and who is hands down my favorite character, mostly because I saw a lot of myself I her. After doing research for this script, I learned she is autistic, which makes a lot of sense. A personal fact, I am also on the autistic spectrum and based on my experiences this show did a great job showing the problems that can bring. In particular, one episode where Norma has to confront her anxiety with other people and in the end is still working through it, really struck home.
As someone on the spectrum, it can be really difficult for me to introduce myself to new people or just jump into a social group. And Norma’s struggles with that really resonated with me. But I'll talk more about that in the spoiler section.
In addition you have Pugsey, voiced by Alex Brightman, the talking dog with magic powers, who is still partially possessed by the spirit of a demon lord.
And finally, rounding out the main group you have Courtney, voiced by Emily Osment, who acts as an instigator. A demon trapped in the human realm, she just wants to go home, but over time grows to care for her new friends.
In addition to them there is a small pool of side characters and Clinton Leupp as Pauline Phoenix, the mysterious owner of the park.
That leads us to the technical section.
The voice actors do a great job, and the voice work come alive in the finally few episodes with some musical numbers. I’ve been listening to My Frankenstein for days now.
The writing is well done. There's a nice mix of drama and comedy, with an undertone of horror. Nothing really scary, but enough to set a mood.
Finally the animation is good, not amazing, but the simplistic design makes motions feel fluid.
With all that said, let’s wrap this up. Dead End: Paranormal Park is an excellent new cartoon, with a good cast and fun premise. Leaning more toward comedy and drama than horror, if you go in with an open mind you are sure to have a good time. I personally really enjoyed this show and can’t wait for the angels to start getting involved in season 2. 9/10 check it out if anything I told you sounds like fun.