all critics |top critics 83 86
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83%
Average Rating: 7.2/10Reviews Counted: 63Fresh: 52 | Rotten: 11
TOMATOMETER All Critics | Top Critics
Beautifully animated and solidlyscripted, ParaNorman will entertain(and frighten) older children whileproviding surprisingly thoughtful farefor their parents.
AUDIENCE
86%want to see
User Ratings: 11,753
PG, 1 hr. 32 min.
Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family,Comedy
Directed By: Chris Butler (XII) , Sam Fell
MY RATING
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ParaNorman Trailer & PhotosMore Photos (28)
ParanormanOct 31, 2011
Paranorman: Hand-making The World (Featurette)Jul 25, 2012
More Trailers and Videos (26)
CastCasey Affleck Mitch
Jeff Garlin Perry Babcock
Bernard Hill The Judge
Kodi Smit-McPhee Norman Babcock
Tucker Albrizzi Neil
John Goodman Mr. Prenderghast
ParaNorman (2012)
TweetTweet 261 8 StumbleUpon
The new 3D stop-motion comedy thriller from animation company LAIKA, reteaming thecompany with Focus Features after the groundbreaking Academy Award-nominated Coraline.ParaNorman is, following Coraline, the company's second stop-motion animated feature to bemade in 3D. In ParaNorman, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call?Only misunderstood local boy Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to speak with thedead. In addition to the zombies, he'll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst, of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find hisparanormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits. -- (C) Focus
In Theaters: Aug 17, 2012 Wide
Focus Features
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Critic Reviews for ParaNorman
August 16, 2012
Humor depends on character, context andcontinuity, none of which is in abundant supplyin "ParaNorman."
Full Review | Comment
Colin CovertMinneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic
August 16, 2012
The world of Blithe Hollow exists in real space.The residents have real bags under their eyes,real bellies at their belt buckles. Uglinessalternates with rapturous beauty ...
Full Review | Comment
Amy BiancolliSan Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic
August 16, 2012
It may be the most fun you'll have with ghostsand zombies all year.
Full Review | Comment
Betsy SharkeyLos Angeles Times
Top Critic
August 16, 2012
An entertaining and visually attractive family-friendly story.
Full Review | Comment
Claudia PuigUSA Today
Top Critic
August 16, 2012
The story, an amusing if not especially fresh taleinvolving a witch and some Puritans, isprincipally a vehicle for the movie's meticulouslydetailed pictorial beauty, which turns eachscene into an occasion for discovery andsometimes delight.
Full Review | Comment (1)
Manohla DargisNew York Times
Top Critic
August 16, 2012
The spirit of great stop-motion animators likeGeorge Pal and Ray Harryhausen lives on inParaNorman, and not just as a ghost: It's so realyou could almost reach out and touch it.
Full Review | Comment
Stephanie ZacharekNPR
Top Critic
August 16, 2012
Simply put, it is no less than the most confident,fully realized, and just plain imaginative stop-motion animated feature since 1993's holidayclassic "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
Full Review | Comment
Dustin PutmanDustinPutman.com
August 16, 2012
"ParaNorman" expertly balances scary andfunny elements of the story, with a surprisinglyheartwarming conclusion.
Full Review | Comment
Nell MinowBeliefnet
August 16, 2012
blithe and hollow
Full Review | Comment
Walter ChawFilm Freak Central
August 16, 2012
A morbid film but gleefully so.
Full Review | Comment
Mark DujsikMark Reviews Movies
August 16, 2012
Beginning with a zombie-movie-within-a-zombie-movie, this sweet retro paean to kidswho love their monsters also has a message forkids about tolerance and bullying.
Full Review | Comment
Laura CliffordReeling Reviews
August 16, 2012
"ParaNorman" has plenty of rambunctious thrillsto give the kiddies goosebumps, while olderconnoisseurs of stop-motion animation willappreciate the Laika studio's inventive visuals.
Full Review | Comment
Joe WilliamsSt. Louis Post-Dispatch
August 16, 2012
"ParaNorman" finds a way to make this night ofthe living dead play essentially as a comedy ...
Full Review | Comment
Gary ThompsonPhiladelphia Daily News
August 16, 2012
It is a Herculean task to create a stop-motionfilm like ParaNorman, so it's too bad the storyand the characters in this adventure tale are soweak.
Full Review | Comment
Liz BraunJam! Movies
August 16, 2012
It's rare to find a movie brimming with this muchtalent that finds a way to so consistently kill itsown narrative momentum.
Full Review | Comment (1)
Jon NiccumKansas City Star
Laika, the animation outfit behind 2009'smarvelous stop-motion adaptation of NeilGaiman's Coraline, scores another one for thedark side with this endearingly sweet andspooky-ookie ode to the living, the dead, andthe in-between.
All Critics (63) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (11)
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August 16, 2012
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ParaNorman Quotes View All
Neil: Don't make me throw this hummus: It's spicy!– Submitted by Claudine A (2 days ago)
Mr. Prenderghast: I was askin' him!– Submitted by Chris P (10 days ago)
Perry Babcock: Can't you be like other kids your age?– Submitted by Chris P (10 days ago)
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L'Étrange pouvoir de Norman (FR)El alucinante mundo de Norman (ES)
August 13, 2012
Very clever, surprisingly mature, genuinely creepy,and absolutely beautiful to look at. So beautiful, youalmost ignore the sloppily delivered messages, someseriously corny dialogue, and case of "your movie isn'ttaking full advantage of it's coolest parts" syndrome.
November 21, 2011
Woah! As if Coraline was bizarre enough, now thecreators of that movie are going to make another, thistime 100% weird, unsettling, ans scary. I'm IN!!!
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