Neil Downe

Neil Downe is the deuteragonist in the 2012 film ParaNorman.

ParaNorman
Neil Downe was an eleven year old living in Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts, and was often taunted by his peers for being overweight. He began to take interest in Norman Babcock, another outcast tormented because of his ability to speak to the dead, and made numerous attempts to befriend him, but was constantly rebuked. After Norman experienced a vision during a practice school play commemorating the execution of the Blithe Hollow witch and her subsequent curse over the town, the school bully, Alvin, humiliated Neil, Norman, and Neil's friend Salma Ramsay.

Neil met Norman after school and the two were confronted by Norman's uncle Mr. Prenderghast, who attempted to warn him that the witch's curse is real. However, Neil drove Prenderghast off. The two later arrived at Neil's house, where his brother, Mitch, warned Neil against befriending Norman. Neil ignored his brother's warnings and played fetch with Norman and the ghost of Neil's dog, Bub. However, during the school play that followed, Norman experienced another vision and made a public spectacle of himself, resulting in his parents grounding him.

Neil arrived at Norman's house the following day and requested that they play hockey, but Norman informed him that Mr. Prenderghast's ghost had told him that the witch's curse was real and he had to go to the graveyard to put a stop to it. Neil later told Mitch and Norman's sister Courtney of the issue, and the three drove to the graveyard to search for Norman. However, while driving to the graveyard, the three witnessed the witch's ghost in the form of a whirlwind storm descend over the forest. Norman and Alvin soon arrived being pursued by a group of zombies who had rose from the grave via the witch's magic.

The five drove away from the graveyard and towards the town in Mitch's van, but a zombified Judge Hopkins clung to the van. Mitch attempted to fight him off while Norman contacted Salma via cellphone, asking for information on the witch's burial site. After being informed to search for the witch's records in the Town Hall, The five attempted to drive to the hall, but Mitch accidentally crashed the van. The five continued on foot, briefly witnessing the zombies being attacked by an angry mob. The group reached the Town Hall and attempted to search for the witch's records in the archives, but was met with no results. Frustrated, Norman ordered the rest of the group to leave. Neil opted to remain with him, but Mitch nevertheless carried him out of the archives.

Unfortunately for the group, the mob converged upon the Town Hall and began burning it, trapping the group inside. While struggling to seek safety, the five saw Norman and the zombies escaping the building. Neil and the rest of the group realized that the zombies meant no harm and defended them and Norman from the mob. However, the witch's ghost angrily went on a rampage through town, scattering the group and the townspeople. In the chaos, Neil, Mitch and Alvin remained near the Town Hall while Norman and his family set off to the witch's burial site, directed by Judge Hopkins. After Norman quelled the witch's ghost, she and the zombies descended upon the afterlife as Neil and the townspeople watched. Later on, Norman and his family returned to the town and Norman thanked Neil for defending him.