Stop-motion animated comedy-horror flick ParaNorman gets 2012 release date

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Focus Features and LAIKA, the two companies behind the Academy Award-nominated stop-motion animation film CORALINE, have just announced that their follow-up project, the animated hrror comedy PARANORMAN, will be released on AUGUST 17t, 2012.

In PARANORMAN, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman, who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, moronic grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

Among the vocal talents in the film are Casey Affleck, Tempestt Bledsoe, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, Bernard Hill, Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Elaine Stritch.

Currently in production, PARANORMAN is being directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, from Butler’s original screenplay. Fell was director of FLUSHED AWAY. Butler was storyboard supervisor on CORALINE and storyboard artist on TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE.

Focus CEO James Schamus commented, “Everyone at Focus is proud to be partnered with LAIKA again on their newest wondrous creations. Travis Knight is both an extraordinary businessman and a visionary artist who we know will shepherd these projects with imagination and originality. We’re thrilled to have ParaNorman as our next movie together, one which marries the stunning visuals of 3D stop-motion with a compelling, heartfelt, and funny story anchored by a terrifically relatable underdog hero.”

Anna Kendrick