Product Details

• Actors: Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
• Directors: Chris Butler, Sam Fell
• Format: Animated, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: November 27, 2012
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (537 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B005LAII62
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,762 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "ParaNorman" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Norman sees dead people. Heard that one before, right? The good news is that even though the cultural reference that entered our collective consciousness way back with The Sixth Sense is the conceptual spark, it's not a clichéd mark against ParaNorman. Neither is it some psychodramatic plot twist in this charming and ingenious stop-motion animated kids' story about a little boy who shares the world with the ghosts who are living all around him. The paranormal stuff is just a part of everyday life for sensitive, lonely Norman and it doesn't freak him out one bit. It started when his grandmother died and she decided to stick around for him. Even though his parents and teenage sister think it's a little weird that he believes she's still living with them, nothing could be more normal for Norman. But she's not the only one whose spirit is still roaming. Everywhere he goes, Norman makes friends and talks with the ghosts who float about all over the place, which not surprisingly makes him seem a little weird to all the other kids at school. Fortunately Norman makes friends with another living misfit named Neil, who believes in his unusual gift and remains a staunch sidekick even after the whole town is threatened by an ancient curse. It's this aged secret that turns out to be the cause for all the restless souls strolling around in the first place. The plot thickens considerably when the founding fathers rise from their graves as zombies (who everyone can see), and it falls to Norman to set things right. The threat they carry harks back to a centuries-old witch-hunt that put a harmless little girl named Aggie on trial by the tribunal now wandering around town in varying states of decrepitude and still cursed by their misdeed. The whole thing turns into a pretty intense piece of haunted horrors, with the burden falling on Norman to release Aggie's innocent spirit and send the zombies back to their graves before the town succumbs to her very real supernatural wrath. The action may get a little too scary for littler kids. There's lots of fire and brimstone, and even though the zombie antics are played for laughs, some of the characterizations border on the genuinely gruesome. But the style is wonderfully sophisticated (it comes from the company that produced Coraline), with terrifically anthropomorphized renderings of human and ghost/zombie figures alike. Everything feels wickedly baroque and shot through with a sustained creepiness that is kept mostly at bay with a script that packs plenty of gags. The voice performances are lively and vibrant, with a cast that includes John Goodman, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, and Elaine Stritch. When Norman faces off with Aggie in the dark and stormy finale, some children may be holding on to Mom and Dad tight (and they may be holding back), which is ultimately to ParaNorman's credit. Just as much credit goes to the fact that the story and design direction allows for the laughs to balance out the frights for both the parents and the kids. --Ted Fry

Product Description

From the makers of Coraline comes the story of Norman, a boy who must use his special powers to save his town from a centuries-old curse. In addition to spooky zombies, he'll also have to take on unpredictable ghosts, wily witches and, worst, of all, clueless grown-ups. But this young ghoul whisperer will soon find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits. Featuring the voice talents of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin and John Goodman, it's a frightfully funny tale for the whole family.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A witch, a curse, a boy with special talents and the walking dead highlight this film for all ages! October 26, 2012

By jjceo HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Amazon Instant Video

Norman Babcock has a lot of friends, unfortunately they are all dead. He has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts of people and animals and because of that he is considered weird at school and even to his own family. He is bullied at school because of his abilities and his only friend is Neil who is an overweight boy who is also bullied.

The small town of Blithe Hollow, where they live, has quite a history that includes the execution of a witch 300 years ago. Norman begins having visions of the event while he is rehearsing for the school play in which he has a role. He is also approached by a wild looking man who claims to also see the dead and tells Norman that he is the only one that can stop the return of the witch's curse including the attack of 7 zombies on the town.....

We took our grandson to see this movie and he loved it. Tonight he is going to a haunted house with his father and so it is a big scary day for him. This is a very good movie and it is entertaining for many age groups. The graphics and storyline were well written and my wife and I enjoyed it as much as our grandson.

The movie is rated PG and some parts are pretty intense. It may be too much for younger or sensitive children. At the end of the film one of the teenage characters reveals that he has a boyfriend and several people have taken offense to that being in a cartoon story. If that is offensive to you or you do not want to possibly be asked the question on the way home of why Mitch has a boyfriend, you might want to avoid this movie.

It is a good story line about bullying and how a couple of young boys save the town from a paranormal event. It can be scary to some children so make your viewing choice wisely. We enjoyed the movie and we all gave it 5 stars.

47 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amusing animation for the horror fan in all of us August 18, 2012

By C. Sawin VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

"Coraline" was amazing. Even though its box office success wasn't nearly as impressive as it should have been and you rarely hear anyone bring it up whenever conversations turn to animated films, "Coraline" catered to both children and adults. It had this extremely dark undertone; children were having their eyes replaced with buttons. That's so gloriously morbid for a children's flick. There was also mild cursing, a creepy alternate world where everyone had a mirror self (with button eyes, of course), and a woman with a massive chest that was only covered by sea shells in one particular scene. It was just so unusual and extraordinary. Laika Entertainment, the studio behind "Coraline," has brought us "ParaNorman," which is certainly in the same vein and travels a similar path to greatness.

"ParaNorman" is a stop-motion animated film that revolves around Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee); a young boy who can talk to dead people and is ridiculed because of it. Even his family doesn't believe in his gift, especially his dad Perry (Jeff Garlin) who refuses to think outside the box and gets angry at things he doesn't understand. Norman is picked on everyday by a thick-headed bully named Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and is mostly a loner until he gets to know a red headed boy named Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) who is bullied just as much as Norman but has learned to turn the other cheek.

A strange man named Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman) claims to share Norman's gift and under a strange set of circumstances passes the duty of keeping the witch's curse at bay for another year to Norman. Now in a race against time, Norman finds himself with a group of unlikely allies including Neil's meathead brother Mitch (Casey Affleck) and Norman's ditzy sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick) as he tries to save the town from uncertain doom and a zombie takeover.

"ParaNorman" treads a thin line between something that's appropriate for the whole family and only being suitable for a teenage or more mature audience, but if you didn't have a problem with the content in "Rango" or "Coraline" then it shouldn't be much of a problem here. The word "hell" is used more than once and Norman's grandma calls Perry a "jackass" at one point. It hints at more mature themes, as well. Perry calls Norman's gift "limp wristed hippy garbage" and a certain male character mentions having a boyfriend late in the film. Norman's sister Courtney is very gifted in the posterior region and there are many jokes that make use of that or could be considered innuendo. It's kind of glorious, really. Fans of animation will be in heaven.

There's obviously a big horror influence, as well; particularly classic zombie films, "Halloween," and "Friday the 13th." So the film not only caters to animation fans, but also horror hounds. There are a ton of throwbacks, jokes about brains, and zombies with flesh hanging from their decayed bones. The imagery is just as exceptional; intimidating houses, gloomy forests, and a heavy use of shadows and lack of lighting. "ParaNorman" is just the right amount of homage, humor, and animation.

"ParaNorman" isn't quite as original or as dark as "Coraline," but it's still extremely entertaining for most ages and one of the best animated films of the year. The emphasis on witchcraft results in a rather peculiar final act, but is still very enjoyable. "ParaNorman" is brilliantly animated with an amazing cast and clever writing. It's the animated film horror fans have been waiting for and the one "Frankenweenie" is probably aiming to be.

There's a brief scene after the credits that's really interesting; you see how the model for Norman was made along with how much detail goes into a stop-motion animated picture.

43 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Shame on all the "nay" say-ers. December 20, 2012

By christina

Format:Blu-ray

This movie is a BEAUTIFUL example of animation, especially stop motion animation, of the highest quality; a true work of art.

I am sad to see so many parents rating this film poorly for "inappropriate material". This movie has some of the BEST MATERIAL you should be teaching your kids! For one: There are no purely evil characters. There are characters who made bad choices, and feel regret. Too many films, especially film for children, paint humans as "purely good" or "purely evil" which only teaches them to judge their peers and elders harshly. This is a film which teaches children empathy towards their fellow humans. I recommend it wholeheartedly.