Laika’s newest stop-motion animated film is one of the biggest surprises of the summer. It’s a film that came out of nowhere to win you over with its humor, charm, and most importantly, it’s amazing animation. Stop-motion technology has grown so much over the years, especially since the studio’s last film ‘Coraline’. The animation in ‘ParaNorman’ truly is a technical marvel, and combined with an entertaining story that transcends the boundaries of the typical zombie genre, it stands out as a bright spot in the over-stuffed summer.

The film follows Norman Babcock (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is just a typical kid who just so happens to have a sixth sense – he can see and speak to ghosts. Because of this gift/curse, Norman is considered an outsider to everyone at his school, and even to his overly dramatic father (Jeff Garlin). Norman lives in Blithe Hollow, which is witch-obsessed, filled with witch-themed businesses and witch-themed plays. This is due to the town’s history of burning witches back when the hysteria was around. There’s a popular town legend of The Witch’s Curse, which apparently brings forth the dead. No one believes in this curse except for Norman’s odd uncle, Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman). Prenderghast leaves Norman with an important task that requires him to keep the curse at bay by reading from a certain book at a witch’s grave. If he fails to do so Norman risks unleashing zombies upon the town.

As Norman embarks on his journey to suppress the chaos of witches and zombies he is followed by some unlikely individuals, such as Norman’s pudgy classmate Neil Downe (Tucker Albrizzi), Neil’s dimwitted older brother Mitch (Casey Affleck), Norman’s overbearing older sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), and Norman’s school bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). A rag-tag team like this could have easily had some weak links but they all have their own shining moments. These characters work well with one another, whether or not they like one another, and this helps prevent the film from boring down.

The humor of the film, though sometimes obviously childish for the sake of the younger audience members, is surprisingly delightfully mature. There are times when ‘ParaNorman’ feels very much like a dark comedy, which makes the film stand out among other animated films and keeps the older audiences thoroughly entertained. One particular joke near the end really tests the limits of what should or should not be included in a family feature. The stop-motion animation is groundbreaking and extremely detail-oriented. From strands of hair, light-up phones, moving vehicles, water, toilet paper, and even just small details like posters in Norman’s room or a lamp sitting on a desk, everything that you could think of is made and/or animated in this film. These amazing visuals leave you mesmerized, while at the same time questioning how the filmmakers achieved such things.

‘ParaNorman’ moves at a smooth paste throughout its 90-minute duration, but it’s the film’s final act that truly takes the cake. It explores Blithe Hollow’s dark past concerning the Puritans and The Witch, showing that not everything is as they appear. This third act pushes and explores the film’s main theme of acceptance and deals with human interactions with those who are different. The film’s final 30-minutes is a culmination of everything that worked well in the film. It’s animation, gorgeous 3D visuals, and emotional impact are at their highest levels.

This is one of the most entertaining films of the year, and it doesn’t have to include high levels of action, explosions, or gunfire. What it has is visual flare, a creeping tone, a tightly written story, and a memorable world to get lost in. ‘ParaNorman’ is a stunningly beautiful and bold piece of work that deserves as much attention as it can get.

Three and a half out of four Kents.

Extra Notes:

I didn’t care about ‘ParaNorman’ before it was released because the trailers never impressed me and I’ve been exposed to so much computer generated animation that stop-motion sometimes drives me away. However, I’m glad I was able to watch the film because it blew me away and definitely made me appreciate the film and the artform.