Hollywood Product: ‘ParaNorman’
A lonely little boy speaks to dead people in this amusing but middling horror-comedy that suggests the zombie trend might be on its last legs.
- Courtesy of Focus Features
- LEND ME AN EAR: ‘ParaNorman’ activity
GENRE: Undead animated flick
THE PITCH: In this stop-motion animated horror-comedy, Lonely, outcast Norman (voiced by The Road’s Kodi Smit-McPhee) discovers that his ability to see dead people might rescue his hometown from a witch’s curse that causes the dead to rise.
BEST LINE: “Welcome to Blithe Hallow: A great place to HANG!” announces a billboard, accompanied by an illustration of a grinning witch wearing a noose. The tasteless way the Salem-like town celebrates its dark history provides a great running joke.
NICEST LINE: “He’s not afraid of you, he’s afraid for you,” says Norman’s mother (Leslie Mann), explaining the seemingly hostile behavior of his Dad (Jeff Garlin).
BEST BAD PUN: Norman’s crazy uncle, who keeps the witch’s curse at bay, visits Norman in a school restroom stall and announces, “The ghost isn’t going anywhere until I pass on my duty to another!”
MONEY SHOTS: Norman greets his ghostly friends, many from different historical eras, on the way to school. Norman’s new friend Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) teaches him how to throw a stick, with disastrous results. Norman experiences visions that turn a school play into a haunted forest. Puritan-era zombies rise from their graves, only to recoil with horror at the excesses of 21st century culture.