ParaNorman
Para Norman is an upcoming stop-motion animated comic horror film from Laika Animation Studios, better known for their success with Coraline. It's directed by Chris Butler (the main storyboard artist on Coraline) and Sam Fell (an Aardman alumni and director of Flushed Away), based off a script written by Butler, and will be released in August 2012.
The film follows the titular protagonist, Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee), living in a small town in Massachusetts. With the "gift" of speaking to the dead, Norman is called an outcast by most of the town, most of which populated by childish adults and a nasty population of kids. When the town comes under siege by zombies, ghosts and witches, only he can actually save the town from these creatures, not to mention a centuries-old curse on the town.
A trailer can be seen here. Be warned, some of the imagery rivals Coraline in scariness.
Tropes appearing in Para Norman include:
- Actor Allusion: Kodi Smit-McPhee seems to have made a name for himself as a kid in danger with the unknown.
- Adults Are Useless: Most of the adults range from Too Dumb to Live and sometimes just plain crazy.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Courtney sees Norman as this.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: Averted. When Mitch is shirtless he has nipples.
- Bare Your Midriff: Courtney
- Cool Loser: Norman happens to be able to speak to the dead, but is considered an outsider in the community. However, this is somewhat justified when you really consider from everyone else's perspective how this is a kid who is going around claiming he speaks with dead people.
- Chekhov's Gun: Norman's ability to speak to the dead becomes useful when the town comes under siege by supernatural forces.
- Crapsack World: Much of the trailer shows the rundown suburbia that the protagonist lives in. And of course...
- Dumb Blonde: Courtney, though it looks like she dyes.
- Everythings Deader With Zombies: The first creature to invade the town. Oh, and it gets worse...
- Exotic Eye Designs: Norman's irises and pupils are faceted. No other character has eyes like his, so it's not a result of the heavy stylization in the film.
- George Lucas Throwback: Basically The Goonies meets Night of the Living Dead.
- Hartman Hips: Courtney and her mom.
- Taken to extremes with the aerobics instructor Neil likes to freeze-frame on.
- Hero With Bad Publicity: Norman is not exactly Mr. Popular in town, for reasons mentioned above in Cool Loser.
- Odd Friendship: With the ghosts. One of them being a town loon voiced by John Goodman.
- The Poor Mans Substitute: In Universe. Word of God likened the town to a b-list version of Salem, Massachusetts.
- Popular Is Dumb: Courtney is a cheerleader and Mitch is a jock.
- Scenery Porn: Well, it is made by the creators of Coraline, but this one seems to take it Up to Eleven in a multitude of ways.
- Uberwald
- You Are a Tree Charlie Brown: Neil's part in a school play.