ParaNorman: He sees (stop motion animated) dead people

We had super high hopes for this 3-D stop motion animated flick. The trailer for ParaNorman made good use of the Donovan tune “Season of the Witch,” a groovy number that fits with the film’s storyline. That song should have been used more in the movie which could have benefited from a shot of adrenaline, especially during its dull second half. The film about a New England town that struggles to overcome a decades-old curse, is hampered by too much explication that sucks the fun out of an otherwise entertaining adventure.

The visually stunning film gets off to a strong start as we quickly learn that young Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) is able to see and speak to ghosts, including his deceased granny and a variety of ghouls he encounters on his walk to school each morning. His parents are frustrated, however, as his odd behavior means that the other kids at school label him a freak. The one kid at school who doesn’t treat him as an outcast is Neil (Tucker Albrizzi). So, when the town crazy Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman) tells Norman he must prevent an evil witch from wrecking havoc on the town, Neil realizes he has to stand by his paranormal man. Norman, however, wants to break the curse on his own, and heads out to the woods one night to read from a magic book that is supposed to keep the witch at bay.

When the witch comes after the town regardless, Norman’s sister (Anna Kendrick) enlists the help of Neil’s burly brother (Casey Affleck) to find Norman and save him from the zombies who have been unleashed when the witch’s curse isn’t broken. The ensuing zombie chase is good fun, especially in 3-D. But it’s at this point that the film starts to sputter and too much dialogue about the town’s history and a somewhat bizarre examination of the witch’s psychological motivations gets in the way of an otherwise good time.