You can catch the familyfriendly horror film on the big screen Oct. 25Oct. 28.l ParaNorman, the spooky stopmotion fave, returns to theaters for Halloween

You can catch the family-friendly horror film on the big screen Oct. 25-Oct. 28.l

ParaNorman, the spooky stop-motion fave, returns to theaters for Halloween

You can catch the family-friendly horror film on the big screen Oct. 25-Oct. 28.l

By Jordan Hoffman

Jordan Hoffman

Jordan Hoffman is a writer at **, mostly covering nostalgia. He has been writing about entertainment since 2007.

EW's editorial guidelines

October 9, 2025 8:30 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) is spooked by his zombie lamp in 'ParaNorman'. Credit:

This trick-or-treat season is gonna be heavy on the treats, especially with the announcement that the kid-friendly animated horror comedy *ParaNorman* is coming back to theaters just before Halloween.

The four-night event (Oct. 25-28) will boast newly remastered RealD 3D and 2D versions of the movie, crisper than any candy apple.

In addition, audiences will be treated to a new short film, *ParaNorman: The Thrifting —* featuring original voice cast member Anna Kendrick and newcomer Finn Wolfhard.

The special release comes a year after Laika, the animation studio behind *ParaNorman*, had a major box office win when they brought their earlier project *Coraline *back to theaters. Both movies beg for the big screen (and 3D) treatment, and work as a terrific way for families to get in the Halloween zone before putting on bloody face paint and gorging themselves on mini-sized Milky Way bars.

Grandma (voiced by Elaine Stritch), Sandra Babcock (voiced by Leslie Mann), Perry Babcock (voiced by Jeff Garlin), Norman Babcock (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), and Courtney Babcock (voiced by Anna Kendrick) in 'ParaNorman'.

Focus Features/Everett

What is *ParaNorman *again?

**If you were off doing missionary work or something back in 2012, it's possible you don't remember *ParaNorman*, even though it made over $100 million worldwide (super impressive for an independently made animated film not based on a known comic book character or video game) and scored an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA, and won best animated film from a slew of respected critics groups.

The only a-little-bit scary story focuses on an 11-year-old kid (Norman!) who can communicate with the spirit world. (This includes the ghost of his own grandmother.) He's almost completely ostracized by his peers, and his family doesn't really know what to do with him. However, everyone soon finds themselves relying on Norman to protect the town from an ancient witch's curse.

*ParaNorman* was Laika's second movie, and the studio — which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year — deployed its crafty stop-motion technique for the film, requiring three years of painstaking step-by-step production work. Let's just say a lot of people spent a lot of time making tiny moves on small silicone figurines for your enjoyment on this one.

The 24 best scary movies streaming right now

The 14 best horror movies based on true stories, ranked

Courtney (voiced by Anna Kendrick), Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), Neil (voiced by Tucker Albrizzi), and Mitch (voiced by Casey Affleck) in 'ParaNorman'. Photo credit: LAIKA, inc.

Who stars in ParaNorman?

** The star, of course, is the highly detailed *look *of the movie, as well as the charming contours of its storyline and characterization. But the voices you hear may certainly be familiar to you. Kodi Smit-McPhee voices Norman and Tucker Albrizzi plays his best friend Neil. Anna Kendrick voices Norman's sister Courtney, and Jeff Garlin and Leslie Mann play his parents. Also in the mix are Casey Affleck, John Goodman, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, BBC mainstay Bernard Hill, and Broadway legend Elaine Stritch. It's a wild crew.

It's worth noting that Affleck's character Mitch — the jock older brother of Neil and love interest for Norman's sister Courtney — is gay, making Mitch the first openly gay character in a mainstream animated film. This tidbit was casually revealed towards the end of* ParaNorman*. When Courtney asks her crush Mitch to go to the movies, he replies: "Sure. You're gonna love my boyfriend. He's like a total chick-flick nut."

It wasn't buried as a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, but it also was no big deal. It's the type of "as in real life" representation that larger animation studios seem to have trouble getting a handle on even all these years later.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) and school bully Alvin (voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) in 'ParaNorman'. Photo credit: LAIKA, inc.

What's the new short film about?

In *ParaNorman: The Thrifting,* Norman (voiced by Brayden Gleave), his sister Courtney, and his best friend Neil (voiced by Beckett James Maillard) find themselves in a creepy curiosity shop while looking for Halloween costumes. Of course, there's more to this store than meets the eye, and paranormal chaos ensues in the CG-animated short.

*ParaNorman: The Thrifting *was written by Chris Butler, who wrote and co-directed the original, and is directed by Laika's lead character designer Thibault LeClercq. Anna Kendrick reprises her role as Courtney Babock in the film and Finn Wolfhard joins the cast as a brand-new character named Chad. The rest will be revealed when it hits North American theaters on Oct. 25 (and international theaters Oct 23).

Pre-order your tickets now!

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movies"

Read More

---

Source: ShowBiz MAG

Full Article on Source: ShowBiz MAG

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities