History TearJerker / ParaNorman

* The FridgeHorror of the witch's true identity is both this and NightmareFuel: the fabled witch is a little girl named Agatha Prenderghast, a last name shared by Norman's great-uncle. Combine that with the fact that she looks almost exactly like Norman, and everything is thrown into sharp relief: Aggie is Norman's ancestor, and Norman's family is at the center of this entire mess. Her powers were passed down through the family for generations (her mother or father might have even had the power as well and were just better at hiding it), and it's been up to the family members who end up with this power to keep Aggie's curse at bay by reading her to sleep every year on the anniversary of her execution. The attitudes of the townsfolk clearly haven't improved in 300 years, and even after the identity of the witch was forgotten, the stain on the family's reputation wasn't, which probably explains why Norman's mother is more patient and tolerant regarding Norman's behavior and beliefs, and why Uncle Prenderghast is an outcast who lives in squalor in an abandoned house on the hill. Even though she doesn't have the power herself, her Uncle Prenderghast did, and she probably believed him. Tellingly, it doesn't seem to be entirely her idea that Norman isn't allowed to talk to her uncle, as she's rather upset at the idea that he doesn't even know what Norman looks like.

-->'''Norman:''' How could you?\\

** Even the Junior Novelization does a good job at describing the scene and its emotions.

-->'''Norman''': How could you?
-->'''Judge Hopkins''': We were scared.
-->'''Norman''': Of what?
-->'''Judge Hopkins''': Of her. I believed we were doing what was right; I was wrong. Now, this is our punishment. We thought we knew our way in life, but in death... We are lost.

-->'''Norman''': ...[[AlasPoorVillain Sleep tight]].

---->'''Norman''': You think just because there's bad people out there, that there's no good ones either? I thought the same thing for a while, but there's always someone out there for you, somewhere.\\
'''Aggie''': [[IWantMyMommy ...I just want my mommy.]]\\
'''Norman''': I'm sorry. She's gone.

* A tiny one in the montage where we see what Norman sees every day--there's a ghost crow with plastic rings around its neck from drink packaging, implying it died from human litter.

** ''Everything'' about Agatha's story is just depressing and sad, but actually seeing an ''eleven year old girl'' crying as she's sentenced to death -- by ''hanging'', no less -- by a group of stoic faced adults makes the scene completely heart breaking.
*** Made somehow even worse when you consider that methods of hanging that are intended to break the victim's neck weren't developed until over a hundred years after the setting of the film.

* Pretty much the entire climax, with Norman trying to get through Agatha's three centuries of built-up rage over an unjust death -- which eventually turned her into the very thing the 18th century Blithe Hollow residents thought they were protecting themselves against in the first place -- and finally getting through to the person underneath... A scared little girl that just wanted to be back with her beloved mother. The book of fairy tales his uncle read to Agatha every year? It contained the one her mother always read to her to put her to sleep. The tear jerking reaches full capacity as Norman tries to reach Aggie by telling her the story of her life, which then begins to converge and sound like his life too. Then she falls asleep on his shoulder and passes into the next life.

** It's brief, but when Aggie asks Norman if he ever wanted revenge and to hurt the ones hurting him, ''Norman agrees'' - but he quickly points out [[VengeanceFeelsEmpty that it wouldn't actually help]].
* When Aggie is finally at rest, and it cuts to all the zombies crumbling away, just look at the expressions of the freed souls before they fade. They don't seem happy, they look scared and regretful, and it's the last we ever see of them. Then you realize it's most likely because, as Puritans, they probably believed that in passing on to the next life they were going to Hell for sentencing Aggie to death for a naturally occurring gift she couldn't control.
** Really, their expressions seem more regretful than anything, which definitely doesn't make the tear jerking aspect of the scene go away. They could very easily be disturbed by the idea of confronting the reality of what they did when they spend eternity with the now-forgiving Agatha, which might be more painful for them than any FireAndBrimstoneHell, even if they're glad to see her happy again. She's forgiven them for what they did, but there's no reason to think that they've forgiven themselves.

* The fact that Agatha's mother went out to her grave and read her her favorite story, every year until she passed away, is also quite sad.
* The fact that Mr. Prenderghast, was given the same hate the town gave Norman, but to the point where his own family seemed to disown him (As Norman's parents forbid him from ever talking to him,) he ended up not only dying alone, but it never showed anyone even coming to clean up his corpse. Even after Norman went home, after meeting his ghost at school, later on Mr. Prenderghast's body is still in his house. If Norman did remember to tell his parents (or anybody,) it seems no-one gave enough of a crap. (Though one could justify for plot convenience, that his ghost outright stated that his corpse was holding the McGuffin book. If Norman told officials, then police would have arrived before Norman, and sealed off the house, preventing him from getting the book in time, not to mention they would be curious how Norman knew that he was dead, and would be brought in for questioning which would waste the beyond valuable time he barely had).
* The fact that Norman's locker apparently gets vandalized ''so'' often, he just keeps a rag and spray cleaner in his locker, as does Neil.
* After the school play, where Norman has a vision and talks about the dead coming and talking trees, his father grounds him and forbids him to mention ghosts or anything similar. Norman's mom tries to explain this as just fear. Norman's response? "He's my ''dad''. He shouldn't be afraid of me." Not made better that her claim ("He's not afraid ''of'' you, he's afraid ''for'' you...") is clearly one Norman doubts.
* The FridgeHorror of the witch's true identity is both this and NightmareFuel: the fabled witch is a little girl named Agatha Prenderghast, a last name shared by Norman's great uncle. Combine that with the fact that she looks almost exactly like Norman and everything is thrown into sharp relief: Aggie is Norman's ancestor, and Norman's family is at the center of this entire mess. Her powers were passed down through the family for generations (her mother or father might have even had the power as well and were just better at hiding it), and it's been up to the family members who end up with this power to keep Aggie's curse at bay by reading her to sleep every year on the anniversary of her execution. The attitudes of the townsfolk clearly hasn't improved in 300 years, and even after the identity of the witch was forgotten, the stain on the family's reputation wasn't, which probably explains why Norman's mother is more patient and tolerant regarding Norman's behavior and beliefs, and why Uncle Prenderghast is an outcast who lives in squalor in an abandoned house on the hill. Even though she doesn't have the power herself, her Uncle Prenderghast did, and she probably believed him. Tellingly, it doesn't seem to be entirely her idea that Norman isn't allowed to talk to her uncle, as she's rather upset at the idea that he doesn't even know what Norman looks like.

** Really, their expressions seem more regretful than anything, which definitely doesn't make the tear jerking aspect of the scene go away. They could very easily be disturbed by the idea of confronting the reality of what they did when they spend eternity with the now-forgiving Agatha, which might be more painful for them than any FireAndBrimstoneHell, even if they're glad to see her happy again. She's forgiven them for what they did, but there's no reason to think that they've forgiven themselves and there.