'ParaNorman' is a visual zombie feast

Ghoul whisperer Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) gets spooked by his zombie lamp in 'ParaNorman.' (Credit: Laika/Focus Features)

ParaNorman is about a boy who sees dead people.

Though not as spooky as 1999's The Sixth Sense, this clever and comic 3-D stop-motion-animated ghost story has more ambitious ideas than what appear on the surface.

It explores the way people deal with the unknown, how we fear those who are different, and the manner in which ignorance and intolerance create prejudices that become entrenched.

While it goes astray in the final third and doesn't always clearly convey its messages, ParaNorman (*** out of four; rated PG; opens Friday nationwide) offers an entertaining and visually attractive family-friendly story.

The film, from Laika animation studio (2009's Coraline), is more humorous than serious, up until its extended sermonizing conclusion that rails against bullying. It's an important message but is delivered rather clumsily.

ParaNorman is set in the town of Blithe Hollow, site of a famous witch hunt 300 years ago and now a tourist attraction.

Local 11-year-old Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) is more comfortable chatting up ghostly denizens — from the guy who committed suicide down the street to a squirrel run over by a car — than real people.

Even his parents (Jeff Garlin and Leslie Mann) are put off by their son's obsession with the dead, which includes a daily dose of zombie movies and volumes of ghostly lore. When he insists that his beloved deceased grandmother (Elaine Stritch) is watching TV with him, his father blows up, his mother wrings her hands, and his teenage sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick) dismisses him with an eye roll or three.

The film cleverly pokes fun at deathly clichés: "Grandma's in a better place," his mom tells him. "In the living room?" Norman quips. He's a likable, cheeky lad.

But at school, Norman is a social pariah, bullied by the obnoxious Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). The closest thing Norman has to a friend is the insistently cheerful Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), who is bullied for his chubbiness.

Norman has almost given up trying to understand the living. But his sense of isolation is jarred when he's contacted by his cranky uncle Prenderghast (John Goodman), who tells him the witch's curse of town lore is real and about to come to fruition. Only Norman can stop it from harming the local citizenry. When a half-dozen zombies rise from their graves, Norman, Neil, Courtney, Alvin and Alvin's older brother, Mitch (Casey Affleck), race wildly against time to save the town. Bully and bullied come together, as do the living — dead and undead.

This wryly funny take on the classic ghost story, with its tributes to horror thrillers from Halloween to Friday the 13th and rich cast of characters, has distinctive Tim Burton-esque visuals, and a welcome dearth of potty humor. However, a scene featuring the demise of Norman's uncle might be too terrifying for those under 8.

ParaNorman is a modestly charming frightfest that sings the praises of forgiveness in a way that might go over young heads, but the attempt is certainly worth the effort.

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