LAIKA’s acclaimed stop-motion feature ParaNorman is set to return to theaters this Halloween, more than a decade after its original release. The film, which debuted in 2012 and received widespread recognition for its distinctive animation and emotional storytelling, has been newly remastered and will be shown in both 2D and RealD 3D formats for a limited, one-week engagement.
Screenings begin October 23 internationally and October 25 in the United States, presented through a partnership with Trafalgar Releasing and Fathom Entertainment.
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Written by Chris Butler and co-directed by Butler and Sam Fell, ParaNorman follows a boy who can speak to the dead, a gift that becomes crucial when his town is overrun by ghosts, zombies, and centuries-old secrets. The film earned Oscar®, BAFTA®, and Golden Globe® nominations, and won several ANNIE Awards®, cementing its status as one of LAIKA’s most celebrated projects.
To accompany the re-release, LAIKA will premiere a new animated short, ParaNorman: The Thrifting. Written by Butler and directed by Thibault LeClercq, the studio’s lead character designer, the short features the voice of Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, alongside Anna Kendrick reprising her role as Norman’s older sister, Courtney. The film was produced in association with Passion Pictures and will be shown exclusively in theaters as part of the ParaNorman engagement.
The re-release also marks the start of a year-long celebration of LAIKA’s 20th anniversary, announced at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The decision follows the success of the 2023 re-release of Coraline, which earned $56 million worldwide—making it not only one of the most successful global repertory releases of the past decade but also the highest-grossing stop-motion film of all time.
“ParaNorman was a breakthrough film for LAIKA—emotionally rich, visually daring, and proudly weird in all the right ways,” said David Burke, LAIKA’s Chief Marketing & Operations Officer. “Bringing it back to theaters in stunning remastered 3D, paired with a brand-new short film, is an invitation for audiences to rediscover the heart and humor of Norman’s world—or experience it for the first time. Today, horror has become a shared family ritual, and ParaNorman sits right at the intersection of spooky and meaningful. It’s the perfect ‘starter horror’—a gateway into genre storytelling that’s as thoughtful as it is thrilling.”
Ray Nutt, Chief Executive Officer of Fathom Entertainment, added, “Fathom is very pleased to extend our distribution partnership with LAIKA and bring the critically acclaimed ParaNorman back to U.S. audiences this Halloween in both 2D and RealD 3D and with the exclusive consumer added value feature, ParaNorman: The Thrifting. Coraline consumers voted with their wallets last year, resulting in approximately 70% of the record-breaking $34M+ U.S. theatrical box office coming in 3D. ParaNorman is the ideal, spooky follow-up for audiences to enjoy on the big screen later this year.”
“Following the incredible global response to Coraline’s theatrical re-release, which surpassed its original box office run in some international markets, we’re thrilled to partner with LAIKA once again to bring ParaNorman back to the big screen this Fall,” said Kymberli Frueh, SVP of Programming and Content Acquisitions at Trafalgar Releasing. “ParaNorman is a visually stunning, emotionally resonant film that deserves to be experienced in theaters—both in 2D and in vividly remastered RealD 3D. We can’t wait for audiences around the world to rediscover this groundbreaking stop-motion classic.”
For longtime fans and new viewers alike, ParaNorman offers a chance to revisit—or newly discover—a film that blends supernatural thrills with heartfelt storytelling, all crafted in LAIKA’s signature handmade style.
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