Overview
A young boy with a unique gift must confront a rising supernatural threat to save his town.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- eerie
- macabre
- family movie night
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film's handcrafted stop-motion animation, solid scripting, entertaining horror-comedy, and unusually thoughtful themes for a family release.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Norman is dismissed as strange, yet his ability to communicate with the dead becomes the key to understanding the curse and protecting Blithe Hollow.
LAIKA's handcrafted animation gives ghosts, zombies, and the witch's storm a deliberately eerie but colorful physical presence.
The centuries-old witch trial and the town's treatment of Norman connect supernatural peril to fear-driven social judgment.
Norman must investigate the ritual and discover what actually happened to the condemned child witch before he can resolve the crisis.
Films like ParaNorman, and why
The Corpse Bride
Shares stop motion animation, spooky family adventure, outsider protagonists, and a playful but emotionally serious treatment of death.
Coraline
Combines child-centered fantasy, eccentric humor, gothic visuals, and themes of compassion toward misunderstood outsiders.
The Addams Family
Offers animated supernatural comedy, macabre imagery, and a young protagonist confronting ghosts and family fears.
The Book of Life
Shares a warm coming-of-age story, supernatural adventure, friendship, and a thoughtful message about judging others.
Movie Details
- Directors
- Sam Fell, Chris Butler
- Release Date
- 2012-08-03
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (2868)
Cast
- Kodi Smit-McPhee
- Tucker Albrizzi
- Anna Kendrick
- Casey Affleck
- Christopher Mintz-Plasse
- Leslie Mann
- Jeff Garlin
- Elaine Stritch
- Bernard Hill
- Jodelle Ferland
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is ParaNorman about?
- A misunderstood boy who speaks with the dead must decode his town’s witch-borne curse before a supernatural storm unleashes the accursed dead.
- What is ParaNorman like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of ParaNorman as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is ParaNorman violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in ParaNorman as mild.
- What did critics think of ParaNorman?
- Critics broadly praised the film's handcrafted stop-motion animation, solid scripting, entertaining horror-comedy, and unusually thoughtful themes for a family release.
- Which films are like ParaNorman?
- Films with a similar feel include The Corpse Bride, Coraline, The Addams Family, and The Book of Life.
- How long is ParaNorman?
- ParaNorman runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch ParaNorman?
- In United States, ParaNorman streams on Hulu.
