Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) can talk to the spirits of the dead. To everyone else, though, he's just "abnorman". And the school bully, Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), uses that as an excuse to torment him. All of this happens in Blithe Hallow, a town with great pride in its Witch-Hunting Heritage.
One day, Norman's crazy uncle Prenderghast (John Goodman) dies. He comes back in spirit to warn him that a nasty Witch's ghost is about to rise. When she does, the dead will walk the Earth. Prenderghast gives Norman the task to soothe the Witch for all eternity; it's a task that Norman'll need lots of help for.
Animated by Laika Studios (Coraline), ParaNorman's cast of puppets are amazing. They move around with such fluid motion that it's easy to forget that this is a stop-motion feature. With 3D printers, the animators gave the characters some of the most expressive faces of their medium. The film's practical sets only add to its wonderful blend of the old and new.
There's also some clever writing in co-director Chris Butler's screenplay. It playfully messes around with horror film cliches, but it knows when to be devastatingly serious when it has to be. On the lighter side, there's Prenderghast, who makes the most of his few scenes thanks to Goodman's performance. On the darker side, there's the Witch's true nature, which I won't spoil.
If you can withstand the film's PG scariness, then ParaNorman will be a spooky good time for the family. At any rate, it'll be a better pick than the live action spooktaculars set to arrive soon.
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