Paranorman

Brains.
“ParaNorman” has them and some problems, too.
Where horror-heroine Coraline had the spunk to carry her own movie, Norman fails to break from the misfit archetype as a memorable hero.
Instead, the strength of “ParaNorman” lies in its spectacular art direction and twisted sense of humor.
The movie plays with genre tropes and has fun — but not too much fun — with its witches and zombies.
The stop-motion animation sets the movie apart from most studio fare, and the bold character design distinguishes it even more.
At times, the script plays to boring and problematic stereotypes. It injects weird life into a handful of minor characters who keep the movie fresh.
The plucky Neil is Norman’s only living friend and delivers some of the movie’s sweetest jokes.
John Goodman brings the weird as Uncle Prenderghast, who drives the first half of the film forward.
The otherwise mostly forgettable characters serve as fodder for sight gags, but with gags this good, some clunky writing can be forgiven.
Though light on scares and originality, “ParaNorman” packs a visual punch and morbid funny bone.

By Patrick Beane