By Brittany Kaminsky, Millennium High School, Goodyear, Arizona

ParaNorman, codirected by Chris Butler (Corpse Bride, Coraline) and Sam Fell (Flushed Away) was released on August 17, 2012, and audiences are bound to be left in awe of its spectacular stop-motion and 3D effects.

The highly-anticipated film features an 11-year-old boy named Norman who has the uncanny ability to communicate with dead people.

In the beginning of the film, Norman is a quiet boy who spends a substantial amount of time by himself because no one seems to understand him.

The lonely protagonist makes a new living friend, Neil, in the beginning of the film. Their friendship is forged on the fact that they are both treated poorly by their peers, as Neil is teased at school for his weight.

Just as things are starting to look up for Norman, his lunatic Uncle Prenderghast appears and warns the young hero that the Witch’s Curse, previously a bit of town folklore, is real and that Norman must use his gift to protect the town of Blithe Hollow.

The film is well-written, clever, and, for the most part, fast-paced. Norman is a character that anyone can relate to and the film addresses issues that are common in adolescents such as relating to parents and finding the courage to be different. There are some slow moments in the second half that seem a little anti-climactic, but the pace soon picks up again.

ParaNorman is uproariously funny. The characters are bold and amusing and much of the humor is surprisingly mature in its nature. Though the movie is in Claymation, it seems geared toward older children, teens, and adults.

It seemed that the writers felt the need to lighten the mood every time things began to get too sad or serious and seemed fond of breaking the tension with funny, punctuated jokes.

This quality makes it somewhat difficult to categorize ParaNorman under just one genre. The film is somewhat scary at times, then comedic, poking fun of the concept of a horror movie, and there is also a prominent dash of sweet sincerity to top it all off.

Overall, ParaNorman is a beautifully written, imaginative, ambitious, well-directed film that is well worth the cost of the ticket.