ParaNorman (2012)

Director: Chris Butler, Sam Fell

A misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

Although this is an animated film, it is a difficult one to recommend to kids. This is a great story and a unique idea for an animated film. Some of the scenes might give young kids nightmares, though, or it might be too frightening a thought for them thinking the dead literally walk among us.

Furthermore, some of the animation – like a car rolling down a hill and landing perfectly in a parking bay – is very cartoonish, which will appeal to young kids. Some of the humor, though, will only appeal to a more mature audience, as kids might not understand it. There’s a lot of issues here parents would not want their kids to see: witches, raising the dead, reading spells from a book, zombies, etc. ‘ParaNorman’ therefore is a 50/50 movie when it comes to demographic. As for me, I really loved it for daring to be so different. There’s also so many relate-able characters. Loved the animation, as well.

The film also has a much deeper meaning, dealing with coping with the loss of a family member, and being able to forgive. Again, children might not understand this, but no doubt will enjoy the many different aspects/genres the film has to offer.

‘ParaNorman’ received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. It won various awards with several award nominations. It earned $107 million on a $60 million budget.