The first film from Laika was the wonderfully gloomy “Coraline.” They got even darker with “ParaNorman” and have moved into the grotesque territory this time. A strangely quaint village is terrified of the underground trolls who wear boxes like turtles. When an orphan who they raised surfaces, he sets out to make things right. There’s no denying that the stop-motion animation is amazing, but the art direction and character design is downright bizarre. Some of the thick British accents present challenges, especially at the beginning. This variation on a traditional story is framed in a twisted creation. NOTE: Stay thru the credits for a fascinating look at an animator working.
(3 / 5)