'ParaNorman' review: Stop-motion animated gem is cool, creepy ...

If you're talking monsters, rarely is two heads a good thing, ranking somewhere between "slobbering, snapping jaws" and "insatiable hunger for human flesh" on the Bejeezus Scale. If you're talking monster movies, though, two heads are almost always better than one.

And that's exactly what the creepy-cool stop-motion animated "ParaNorman" is: a shambling, drooling, two-headed monster of a monster movie. That is, it's a film that functions on two distinct levels, each nicely complementing the other.

First, of course, it's a fun, and beautifully crafted, ghost story, spinning a cobwebbed-draped tale of an oddball boy whose gift for speaking with the dead makes him an object of ridicule in his little town. Until, that is, a 300-year-old curse -- placed upon it by a spiteful witch back in the days of shoe-buckles and scarlet letters -- sees tiny Blithe Hollow invaded by zombies.

Then, it would appear, young Norman is the only person, undead or alive, standing between his cursed town and certain doom.

Think "The Wonder Years" meets "The Walking Dead."

On that level alone, this second effort from the fledgling but quality-conscious ghouls at Laika animation studio soars, resurrecting as it does some harmless old-school, monster-movie fun. With "ParaNorman" coming on the heels of their similarly spooky 2009 gem "Coraline," the folks at Laika -- reveling in a ghostly sensibility that previously had been reserved for Tim Burton films -- seem to be making an art form out of good-naturedly scaring the Underoos off of pint-sized viewers while simultaneously delighting their parents.

They do it artfully, too, with a stop-motion meticulousness that suggests an undertaker's grim attention to detail, from the skull-and-crossbones wallpaper in Norman's bedroom to his "Friday the 13th" ringtone. (Tip: Sit through the credits for a behind-the-scenes time-lapse treat, about 30 seconds long, that shows how Laika brought Norman to life.)

Like "Coraline" before it, "ParaNorman" also takes full advantage of the vague creepiness inherent in stop-motion animation. After all, this is an art form built around bringing tiny dolls to life. Nothing disturbing about that. Rather than fighting that built-in creepiness and spinning a bright and shiny tale that contradicts the visual weirdness, "ParaNorman" just arms itself with a graveyard shovel and moves toward the light.

But beneath all that -- beneath the good storytelling, the playfully ghoulish vibe and the overall visual artistry -- lies a surprisingly sweet and unexpected throughline about embracing the weirdness in other people. That might sound hokey, but directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell manage to breathe life into that idea wonderfully, and without getting preachy about it. (They do it far better than recently opened "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," another movie beating the embrace-the-outsiders drum.) In their hands, "ParaNorman" isn't just a kiddie movie. It's also movie for weirdos, outcasts and freaks of all shapes and sizes. (You know who you are.)

Sure, its attempts at humor are often something short of clever, trending as it does toward booger jokes and other touches of middle-school pandering. Also, like so many movies nowadays -- for children and grownups alike -- "ParaNorman" confuses the idea of a third-act payoff with noise, coming awfully close to disappearing into an overstimulating maelstrom of chaos. But that's mostly picking at nits -- or at maggots, in keeping with the theme of the film.

In "ParaNorman," Butler, Fell and company have crafted a refreshingly enjoyable bit of family entertainment. In the process, they've also made the best animated film to hit theaters so far this year.

________

PARANORMAN
4 stars, out of 5

Snapshot: A stop-motion animated comedy about an oddball kid whose gift for speaking with the dead earns him only scorn -- until his town is invaded by zombies.

What works: In addition to the wonderful, creepy-cool visuals, it resurrects an irresistible old-school monster-movie vibe.

What doesn't: The humor at times misses the mark, and when it's time for the climax, the story threatens to disappear in a maelstrom of chaos.

Voice cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Casey Affleck, John Goodman, Leslie Mann, Jodelle Ferland. Directors: Chris Butler, Sam Fell. Rating: PG, for scary action and images, thematic elements, some rude humor and language. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. Where: Find New Orleans showtimes.

Source: http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2012/08/paranorman_review_stop-motion.html

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