Considering the fact that ParaNorman only raked in $14m this weekend, I'm going to assume that you didn't go see this one. Do yourself a favor and see ParaNorman in theaters while you still can. It's hands down the best film of the Summer.

ParaNorman revolves around a young boy growing up in New England who can speak/interact with the dead. After an interesting interaction with his crazy uncle slash town hobo, Norman learns that his hometown has been cursed for the past 300 years. To make matters worse, his uncle can no longer protect the town and it's up to Norman and his peculiar set of skills to prevent the dead from walking the earth once more.

And that's all I'm going to say about the plot.

Everything in this film works. But here's a more detailed look...

Animation - I'm a HUGE stop-start animation fan. I grew up on Wallace and Gromit and used to make these kinds of films as a kid. This might be the best stop-start animation film I've EVER seen. It's absolutely stunning. ParaNorman is a new milestone for the genre as it achieves new heights in animation. Some of the scenes are SO damn gorgeous, I can't help but rave about them. The 3D is a nice touch as well. It compliments the film well and highlights its attributes rather than distracts. Lastly, the character designs are intriguing and creative.

Voice Acting/Soundtrack - Top notch. The voices are paired well and the accompanying soundtrack nails the tone of the film. If you listen carefully, you can hear hints of Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm, etc. Awesome.

Story - ParaNorman's story is both engaging and unique. It puts several new spins on the genre and keeps you on your feet. If you're a fan of old school horror, then you're going to LOVE this film. It progresses the genre while simultaneously paying homage to horror classics. The story is surprisingly heart felt as well. It's intelligent, doesn't belittle the audience, and says a lot about the way people act when they're scared. My only complaint with Coraline was the story. But here, there's nothing to complain about. The strong visuals are matched with a solid story.

Dialogue - Sharp, intelligent, and on point.

The critiques I do have are very minor. Some of the scenes could have been tightened up a bit. Also, the climax feels a little too "talky." Lastly, Norman doesn't really have much of a character arc. He could have easily had one too (but I don't want to delve any deeper lest I spoil anything). Everyone around him has an arc however.

I saw this film with my little, and he loved it just as much as I did. I like watching G and PG rated films with an audience full of kids...because it offers a different perspective. And the kids in my audience were buying everything. They laughed, gasped, and were totally engaged. But make no mistake. This isn't a kids movie. This is an everyone movie. In fact, some of the jokes were a bit risqué for kids.

Films like this deserve your money. ParaNorman is inventive, funny, and sharp. I could be a bit biased since I love the grindhouse/horror genre, but this film appeals to a much broader audience.

See this. Now.

My grade? A solid A.

I loved Coraline, really, the best animation I've ever seen. So much to love about that film.

If these two are related, I'll be sure to watch Paranorman soon.

I saw it today actually in 3-D, but took the glasses off because they kept slipping off my face.

I would agree with your review, it was for sure one of the better ones I've seen this year. The music really is a nice touch and compliments the vibe of the film. My five year old nephew really enjoyed it as well, it was interesting to say the least, because he enjoyed and laughed at parts that the rest of the audience didn't.

The theme was very bold and not subtle at all, its biggest strength, but also its weakness I thought. At times I thought this film was a manifesto against bullying.

What surprised me the most about the experience, was they way I felt at towards the end. I don't know how to say it or describe in words, it was completely riveting and moving. I was haunted by it, like a dream of endless space.

What the hell, I'll give it an A too.

I loved Norman's character from the very beginning. They built up a huge amount of empathy for him. I was a huge fan of his hair! Nothing was normal about him. And then when he found a buddy in the fat kid loved it!

It is just about number four this year for me....Moonrise Kingdom is still my most fav of the year!

But this is a great lil flick...def worth the money!

Quoted from nawazm11 I loved Coraline, really, the best animation I've ever seen. So much to love about that film. If these two are related, I'll be sure to watch Paranorman soon.

These two films indeed are related!
Laika Entertainment produced both films.
And the storyboard supervisor of Coraline is one of the directors here.
I hope this company continues to produce stop motion films.
It's a shame that Harry Selick got tied up over at Disney.
They killed his personal project, but he's still developing a Neil Gaiman novel.

E.D.

Finally got around to watching this, a few months too late though.

TBH, the film was pretty average until the third act, which was amazingly directed and written btw. The lead up was good and the characters were also enjoyable to watch.

To me, it felt like this was trying way too hard to be Coraline towards the end.

Also, thanks for the information ED!

Finally caught up with this latest Laika release over the weekend...

And I was a little underwhelmed.
I guess the big meh for me was Norman didn't really have much of an arc.
The climax felt like it was lifted from some action film.
Sooooo much explanation for a kids movie.
I never felt like Norman went through enough to warn the victory.

The production is gorgeous...
But I didn't care for all the CG characters around it.
The angry ghost at the end rubbed me wrong.
I liked her better when she was a big cloud.

Norman's family and friends lacked some spice.
This one feels a bit like a knee jerk reaction to Coraline's darkness.
But I feel they went a tad too thin on this one. Still pretty watchable though.

E.D.