Movie · 2012 · Family, Animation, Adventure, Comedy · 1h 33m · PG · English
Curator score: 6.7/10 (427.6K ratings)
It's all fun and games until someone raises the dead.
Overview
In the town of Blithe Hollow, Norman Babcock can speak to the dead, but no one other than his eccentric new friend believes his ability is real. One day, Norman's eccentric uncle tells him of a ritual he must perform to protect the town from a curse cast by a witch centuries ago.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.7/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Letterboxd: 3.71/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 72
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Sam Fell, Chris Butler
Production
LAIKA
Cast
Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin, Elaine Stritch, Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Tempestt Bledsoe, Alex Borstein, John Goodman, Hannah Noyes, Jack Blessing, Ranjani Brow, Michael Corbett, David Cowgill, Nicholas Guest, Emily Hahn
Curator Review
Verdict
A smart, spooky family adventure with a strong outsider heart, sharp visual invention, and a surprisingly sincere emotional core. It blends monster-movie fun with themes of grief, bullying, and empathy, making it one of the more distinctive animated films of its era.
Best for
families with older kids
fans of spooky-but-not-too-scary animation
viewers who like outsider stories
people who enjoy stop-motion craft
audiences looking for Halloween-season movies with heart
Skip if
you want very light, purely comedic animation
you dislike mild scares or undead imagery
you prefer broad, fast-paced studio comedy over mood and atmosphere
you are looking for a simple, straightforward kids' adventure
Overview
ParaNorman turns a familiar small-town curse story into something more thoughtful and emotionally specific. Norman’s ability to speak with the dead is played for laughs at times, but the film treats his loneliness and isolation with real care, giving the story a melancholy edge that helps it stand out from standard family fare.
Worth noting
The stop-motion animation is lively and expressive, with a strong sense of texture and design that makes the town, the monsters, and the supernatural world feel tactile and memorable. It also has a nice balance of humor and creepiness: playful enough for kids, but stylized and eerie enough to satisfy viewers who want a little bite.
Bottom line
What lingers most is how the movie reframes its “monster” story around fear, misunderstanding, and the damage caused by a community’s refusal to listen. That gives it a genuine emotional payoff, and it’s a big reason the film has remained such a beloved cult favorite among animation fans.
Top Letterboxd reviews
A.A. Dowd (4★) · 6128 likes
"What do you think you're doing firing on civilians? That's for the police to do!"
Robin (4★) · 3815 likes
But we need the movie to show the boyfriend
🌻 lindsay 🌻 (4★) · 2475 likes
me watching any movie about an outcast: so in this metaphor for the queer experience we see the chara-
logan (5★) · 2438 likes
SWEAR???? YOU MEAN LIKE THE F-WORD??!!
brynn helena <3 (4.5★) · 1814 likes
is this a queer allegory or do i just need to go to bed?