ParaNorman [DVD] [2012]

I didn't know what to expect from Paranorman, but I found myself liking it quite a lot. I think the animation is great, although not an amazing achievement of stop motion. I found the horror sidetone in the film refreshing, but the characters very solid and easy to identify with. The voice performances are great and very exciting. Besides being enjoyable, and a visually amazing finale. Definitely recommend.

Brilliant follow up to Coraline. Not as good but Coraline set high standards.

Paranorman is one film that may turn people away by just reading its simpllistic plot. You've seen it done a thousand times, why should anyone sit down for another round of it. However, at that I'd say you've never fallen in love with anything like this before. Paranorman is a love letter to all horror films, mostly zombies, that has believable characters, strong character arcs and motifs, and above all else visuals that outdo themselves time and time again. Kids will be scared and love this at the same time, adults will find humor in the most unlikely places within this film. Paranorman is a gem that can't be fully appreciated unless you go back and watch it again and again to catch every little detail, and nod.

We first watched it on demand, in 2D, and I really liked the story and the execution. There is a natural balance of jokes and spooks. All characters are believable. The animation is perfect and brings that sense of fairy tale which I felt when I was a kid and watched cartoons on TV. Back then I believed in them, and this one made me believe in these characters too, and believe the story. When I bought a 3D disk and we watched it, the sense of immersion of this story deepened dramatically. From a flat accepted-as-artificial show it became a stage in the real space - the whole movie was unfolding just right in front of us, it's like ... a mix of a puppet theater and "small soldiers" -kind of live action. I recommend watch this in 3D, it brings just amazing emotions.

Often times the 3D features on blu rays seem to be more of a tacked on gimmick than adding to the overall viewing experience. Other times 3D is jarring or distracting to the viewing experience. That's not the case with this film. The video quality in both the 2D and 3D transfers are stellar. But, the 3D presentation is where this movie truly shines. It adds a great depth of field, and brings both the world and odd characters to life in crisp, immersive 3D animation. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is also quite good with a clear dialogue track and chilling surround sound effects. Fans of 3D animated films will not be disappointed,

I bought this to show to students at my school library (last couple of days before school was out) to students ranging from Kinder to 5th grade....they all loved it! The older ones got the "adult" jokes (all good animation does this) and the younger ones liked the "potty" humor....everyone appreciated the message about being different and experiencing being bullied for it. The adults who saw it (PE was scheduled indoors, so I had the 3 coaches and various subs throughout the day) loved it as well and it became a popular checkout item later!

When seeing the trailers for Paranorman I thought it looked okay at best. It seemed to be a Tim Burton rip off, but with more color. I'm so glad i bought the BD release though. The story and acting was so much better than most kids movies. There were definitely some parts that would scare younger and/or more sensitive kids. My 11 year olds loved it though. As far as bonus features the behind the scenes on how they made the movie were very informative and engaging for me, but that's something i enjoy seeing on all movies.

This is an excellent film that is not only valuable as entertainment, but also as a teaching tool. The plot of the film demonstrates the evils of bullying and the negative consequences that result. This coupled with the state of the art stop-animation makes for a worthwhile purchase. The behind the scenes clips are also worth watching for anyone interested in the movie making process because it adds another layer of appreciation for the work that done.