ParaNorman review – likeable scary story

ParaNorman is a stop-frame animation written and co-directed by Chris Butler, a former story supervisor on the creepy Coraline. It’s a likable scary story – with hints of Tim Burton and Steven Spielberg – about a lonely kid called Norman, voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee, who can see ghosts wandering around his sleepy little hometown of Blithe Hollow; he finds that his supernatural gift makes him the only person who can save everyone from an infestation of zombies and a curse laid down by a witch from the 16th century. Jeff Carlin (from Curb Your Enthusiasm) plays Norman’s dad and Elaine Stritch plays his dear departed grandma. It’s an engaging entertainment, with a solidly constructed storyline.