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paranorman

ParaNorman

Kodi Smit-McPhee

Directed by Chris Butler, Sam Fell
Rolling Stone: star rating
5 3
Community: star rating
5 3 0
August 16, 2012

Hey, it's not just Pixar that kicks ass in animation. Case in point: ParaNorman, a small miracle in stop-motion 3D from the wizards at Laika (Coraline). Part ghost story and part teen-misfit manifesto, the movie puts the focus on Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), a weird kid who, well, sees dead people, including grouchy Granny (Elaine Stritch). What starts as a harmless spin through Sixth Sense territory escalates into a full-out zombie war, led by a 300-year-old witch (Jodelle Ferland). Brit screenwriter Chris Butler and his co-director, Sam Fell, lace the fun and fright with keen visual wit. And they don't back off tough themes such as loneliness and death. My advice? Just go with ParaNorman. There's magic in it.

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