Blu-ray Review: Great Release For Fantastic ‘ParaNorman’

CHICAGO – “ParaNorman” better be included in any conversation of the best animated films of 2012 and the excellent Blu-ray from Universal, released today, makes that case even further than the theatrical one with a stellar collection of special features and beautiful HD transfer. I love this movie.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

The team behind “Coraline,” also a must-see animated film from the last decade, have produced a wonderful gem about tolerance and individuality filtered through the films of the ’80s. It’s John Hughes meets John Carpenter in this tale of a boy who can see dead people and how his unique gift first demonizes him and then makes him the savior of his small town. Consistently smart, funny, sweet, and even thrilling, “ParaNorman” is a blast.

And the special features on the Universal Blu-ray are a wonder for fans of the film. The first movie in some time to fully employ the fantastic U-Control, viewers can watch making-of featurettes and interviews picture-in-picture while the movie is playing. There are also animatic sequences that detail how some of the film was made, a commentary with the co-directors, and a series of fun featurettes about the quirky team that made this quirky movie.

ParaNorman was released on Blu-ray and DVD on November 27, 2012
Photo credit: Universal

Synopsis:
From the makers of Coraline comes the story of Norman, a boy who must use his ability to see and speak with the dead to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

In addition to spooky zombies, he’ll also have to take on mysterious ghosts, wily witches and, worst, of all, clueless grown-ups. But this young ghoul whisperer will soon find his paranormal abilities pushed to their otherworldly limits. Featuring the voice talents of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin and John Goodman, it’s a frightfully funny and magically thrilling adventure for the whole family in eye-popping stop-motion.

Click here to buy “ParaNorman”

Special Features:
o Preliminary Animatic Sequences
o 7 Featurettes On The Making Of ParaNorman
o Peering Through The Veil: Go Behind The Scenes To See How This Stunning Stop-Motion Animation Was Created
o Feature Commentary With Writer/Director Chris Butler And Director Sam Fell

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com