ParaNorman (2012)

A misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

Directors:

Chris Butler, Sam Fell

Writer:

Chris Butler

Stars:

Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 15 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kodi Smit-McPhee	...	Norman Babcock (voice)
Tucker Albrizzi	...	Neil (voice)
Anna Kendrick	...	Courtney Babcock (voice)
Casey Affleck	...	Mitch (voice)
Christopher Mintz-Plasse	...	Alvin (voice)
Leslie Mann	...	Sandra Babcock (voice)
Jeff Garlin	...	Perry Babcock (voice)
Elaine Stritch	...	Grandma (voice)
Bernard Hill	...	The Judge (voice)
Jodelle Ferland	...	Aggie (voice)
Tempestt Bledsoe	...	Sheriff Hooper (voice)
Alex Borstein	...	Mrs. Henscher (voice)
John Goodman	...	Mr. Prenderghast (voice)
Hannah Noyes	...	Salma (voice)
Jack Blessing	...	Slob Guy / Civil War Ghost (voice)

Storyline

In the town of Blithe Hollow, Norman Babcock is a boy who can speak to the dead, but no one besides his eccentric new friend, Neil, believes his ability is real. One day, Norman's estranged eccentric uncle tells him of an important annual ritual he must take up to protect the town from a curse cast by a witch it condemned centuries ago. Eventually, Norman decides to cooperate, but things don't go according to plan. Now, a magic storm of the witch threatens Blithe Hollow as the accursed dead rise. Together with unexpected new companions, Norman struggles to save his town, only to discover the horrific truth of the curse. With that insight, Norman must resolve the crisis for good as only he can.

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Plot Keywords:

curse | witch | ghost | talking to the dead | injustice | 

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Taglines:

You don't become a hero by being normal.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for scary action and images, thematic elements, some rude humor and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

El alucinante mundo de Norman

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$14,087,050 (USA) (17 August 2012)

Gross:

$55,994,557 (USA) (28 December 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, Laika Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The story is set in the town of Blithe Hollow, whose name is a mash-up of two other ghost stories: Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit and Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

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Goofs

When Norman and his classmates are rehearsing for the school play in the beginning of the movie, Norman is holding a script when he begins to read his part. However, after he is interrupted, he is no longer holding a script.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Movie Zombie: Grrr. Brains!
Grandma: What's happening now?
Norman Babcock: Well, the zombie is eating her head, Grandma.
Grandma: That's not very nice. What's he doing that for?
Norman Babcock: [chuckles] Because he's a zombie. That's what they do.
Grandma: He's gonna ruin his dinner. I'm sure if they just bothered to sit down and talk it through, it would be a different story.

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Crazy Credits

After the credits, a short featurette shows a time-lapse video of the creation and modeling of the Norman figure used for filming.

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Connections

Featured in The Big Review: Summer Trailer Park Series (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Na Na Na"
Written by Dennis Winslow, Ronn L. Chick
Performed by Dennis Winslow, Ronn L. Chick
Courtesy of Firstcom Music

User Reviews

Enter the wonderful strange and creepy world of ParaNorman

There have been numerous stop motion animation films but only a handful have really stepped up to deliver something special. Coraline was one of those films that delivered unique characters along with a beautifully strange world like no other. Their latest ParaNorman looks to continue this tradition but turning to the ever popular world of zombies and horror. Can it deliver another new unique vision in this style or will it just end up being another generic animated film?

ParaNorman follows a misunderstood boy who is able to speak to the dead. When the town is over thrown by zombies, a witches curse, and an angry mob it's up to him to push his abilities to the limit to save them all. This film not only delivers something new and different with an almost played out genre, it manages to stand out and entertain on numerous levels. Featuring an all-star voice cast of Casey Affleck, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tempestt Bledsoe, John Goodman, Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse who step into their roles and bring these fun characters to creepy life. While this seems to be an animated kid's film, this was clearly made with all ages in mind. There are moments that some would deem not so kid friendly, but still manages to maintain its place among an almost all ages film. The animation is awesome with some strange character and set design that only adds to the originality and fun of this film. This film is formatted like an actual zombie film, but then takes some twists and turns to take it someplace new. The story is dark and fun all at once and will easily keep both adults and kids entertained. There are some classic monster movie moments that adults will appreciate as well as some subject matter that is a bit glossed over, but clearly takes a momentary step out of the family film.

This is easily not only one of the best stop-motion films to come along in some time; it's one of the best animated films. ParaNorman delivers in every way filled with comedy, horror, and action all wrapped up in a strange twisted visual tale that you will not soon forget.

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