ParaNorman
Opens today at Quality 16, Rave
Review by Jeff Meyers of the Metro Times
Grade: B+

While "ParaNorman"'s script won't win any awards for originality, its handcrafted look and heartfelt execution is simply first-rate. Oregon-based Laika animation studio follows up its sublime stop-action adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "Coraline" with yet another tale of an alienated child who is assisted by ghostly characters to solve a spooky mystery. But instead of unnerving adolescent viewers with the dark truths that challenge childhood innocence, co-directors Chris Butler (who also wrote the script) and Sam Fell (Flushed Away) opt for a lighter tone. Diluting the more serious underpinnings of their story with eccentric humor, frenetic chase scenes and a sumptuously cinematic style that clever capitalizes on the look and feel of classic horror films, the filmmakers keep everything decidedly family-friendly.

Read the full review here