Pride Month is here, which of course means there’s a lot more rainbow-colored posts are being shared social media by celebrities and such. However, let’s not forget at its core, the month is about uplifting LGBTQ+ people. Laika Studios highlighted the visibility of queer folks in its own way by finally introducing fans to the boyfriend of the Mitch’s boyfriend teased in 2012’s ParaNorman. And, following this sweet reveal, I’m going to need the studio to make a sequel involving the gay couple.

Laika Reveals Mitch’s Boyfriend From ParaNorman

Over a decade ago, the stop-motion-centric studio did something unprecedented. The filmmakers had the jock character Mitch (voiced by Casey Affleck), who the cheerleader Courtney (Anna Kendrick) pined pining over, reveal at the end of the film that he has a boyfriend. However, viewers didn't actually get to meet him, until now! Check out the YouTube video below:

As ParaNorman writer/director Chris Butler shared in the video, when he was crafting the film's story, he thought of the movie as a more subversive take on Scooby-Doo. With that, Mitch and Courtney were essentially Butler's take on Fred and Daphne. And, in that context, he decided it would make sense if Mitch were gay. Butler said another reason behind the creative decision was also due to the movie's key theme of “not judging a book by its cover.”

In the video, Butler enlisted Principal Character Designer Thibault Leclercq and Laika Development Art Director Iuri Lioi to imagine Mitch’s boyfriend, and it turned out so well! As Butler put it: “Coutney is going to be so annoyed!”

So... Can We Get A ParaNorman Sequel?

Laika has made a lot of good movies over the years, from Coraline to Kubo and the Two Strings. Yet, with ParaNorman, not only did the company make another sweet horror movie kids can watch but one that also involves LGBTQ+ representation. Other studios like Disney, for example, hasn’t included many queer characters in its movies and queer representation on TV has also been decreasing, per analysis that's been conducted. So while it’s great that Laika is celebrating pride with Mitch’s boyfriend, now I need to see a sequel with the two characters in it.

The first movie is all about Norman, an 11-year-old who finds out he can speak to the dead, and I think there's plenty of sequel potential given that premise. I’d love to see Mitch and his boyfriend interact in the aftermath of Courtney finding out about their relationship. I also think the world Chris Butler created is rich enough to have another horror-inspired adventure involving the supernatural elements that surround the town of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts.

Another ParaNorman movie with Mitch and his BF would be a nice addition among new LGBTQ+ movies. At the very least though, I'm pleased that Laika gifted fans with this reveal to celebrate Pride Month. The studio’s next movie is called Wildwood, and it's set to hit theaters sometime in 2026.

Tons of people get excited when Pixar announces a new movie like Elemental (Though, not enough, apparently), and I should know since I'm one of them. But, for my money, nothing gets me more hyped than when I see that there are going to be more LAIKA movies. That’s because, film for film, LAIKA is probably my favorite animation studio in the business.     

And, yes, I know "animation studio" might be a bit of an understatement, since LAIKA actually does stop motion animation, which is a complex art form all of its own. Ever since the excellent Coraline debuted back in 2009, I have been absolutely smitten by the company. Even though it still only has five feature length films underneath its belt, I don’t think there’s a stinker in the bunch. But, which is the best of the best when it comes to the movies of this talented studio? Well, you’re about to find out.  

5. Missing Link (2019)  

While Pixar may have some misfires, when considering the ranking of Pixar movies, I'd argue that there isn’t a single "bad" one in the bunch (The Good Dinosaur, and Cars 2 are mid, sure, but not “bad”), and I'd say the same about LAIKA. None of their films are “bad,” per se. However, I will say that their most recent effort, Missing Link, is the weakest of the five. Now, again, that doesn't mean that it's bad. It just means that I don’t think it's as good as the rest.   

Directed by Chris Butler, and voiced by Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis, Zoe Saldaña, and many more, the story concerns a famous explorer who seeks out cryptids for fame, only to receive a letter about the mysterious Sasquatch. But, it turns out that the letter was actually sent out by said Sasquatch, and the two set off on a rollicking adventure together.

While Missing Link definitely feels like the biggest LAIKA movie yet, it also feels the smallest, too. What I mean is, instead of a more personal story like the ones we come to expect from LAIKA, it seems like it's more concerned with the outer adventure, which is broad, rather than the inner adventure, which is specific.  

Which is just fine! Not all stories have to be super deep or concerned with the inner worlds of its characters. We gave Missing Link an average review, and it is kind of average…for a LAIKA movie. But, as mentioned earlier, all LAIKA movies are something special, and the humor, adventure, fun, and beauty are all still here. Maybe just in a smaller amount this time, though. Now, if only more people actually saw Missing Link…    

4. ParaNorman (2012) 

I know some people find ParaNorman to be underrated, and yes, I guess you could call it that. But, if you ask most people what's the first movie they think of when you mention LAIKA Studios, I think the first one they’ll bring up is Coraline (for good reason), and the second they’ll bring up is their sophomore effort, ParaNorman, which is a great film that just doesn’t hit me in the same way that my Top 3 favorite LAIKA movies do.

Directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, and starring the voices of Kodi Smit McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, and John Goodman, among others, ParaNorman is about a boy who can talk to the dead, and finds that he has a better time communicating with them than with actual living people. But, when a witch’s curse comes to fruition, and zombies walk the earth, Norman has to stop them, even if he’d probably relate more with the dead than his own neighbors.  

Now, I know that most people like ParaNorman, and I like it, too, but I’m not in love with the overall pacing of the film, as I find it a tad slow.  

That said, I love its overall vibe and aesthetic, as well as the message about having compassion. It also has many of the playfully dark elements that I cherish in Coraline. While I tend to remember the look and general feel of ParaNorman, however, I sometimes forget the actual story. Yes, it's definitely more than just an animated version of The Sixth Sense, but I also think the movie could be a little quirkier, sort of like my next favorite LAIKA movie on this list.   

3. The Boxtrolls (2014)  

If you want to talk about an “underrated” LAIKA movie, then I think the movie you’re really thinking about is 2014's The Boxtrolls, which I often feel gets forgotten when discussing the company's works. Directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, and voiced by the likes of Isaac Hempstead Wright, Ben Kingsley, and Elle Fanning, as well as many others, it has a rather simple plot. It’s about an orphan who gets adopted by some boxtrolls, learns that he’s actually a boy rather than a troll, and then decides that he must save his boxtroll family from an exterminator.  

So, why do I like this so much? It’s just so weird! And quirky. In fact, I can tell you the exact moment where I thought, “I love this movie,” when I first saw the film, and that’s when I heard the surprisingly catchy “Boxtrolls” song. It’s a strange number, and it definitely separated the film from other animated movies in 2014, like Big Hero 6, The LEGO Movie, and How to Train Your Dragon 2. 

Even though it’s a very simple story (it’s pretty much Tarzan, but with box people), it’s so distinctly LAIKA, that I just can’t help but having a big soft spot for it. I also think it’s the finest animation that the company’s ever produced, so it has that going for it, too.  

2. Kubo And The Two Strings (2016)

Directed by Travis Knight, and voiced by Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, as well as an assortment of great talent, Kubo and the Two Strings is a visually stunning movie about a boy who brings about an evil spirit, and must go on a journey with a monkey and a beetle to uncover what happened to the boy’s samurai father in order to stop an even worse monster.  

We rated Kubo and the Two Strings very highly, and for good reason. I mentioned earlier that Missing Link was a grand adventure, and Kubo is, too. But, whereas the former felt a bit superficial when it came to the emotions of its characters, the latter is all about the mysteries of family, and what it means to feel like something has been taken from you. Kubo is at times a scary and exciting movie, but also a calm one, and even introspective.    

I never thought I would see a story like Kubo after seeing LAIKA’s first three films, which were much quirkier, but this one surprised me, and for that, I’m thankful.  

1. Coraline (2009) 

And here it is, LAIKA’s first – and still best – movie. It’s kind of crazy to me that even though LAIKA has made nothing but excellent films, that the movie that they leapt out the gate with (an adaptation of a Neil Gaiman novella) would be the one that solidified the company. Directed by the master of stop motion animation, Henry Selick, and voiced by Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, and John Hodgman, Coraline focuses on a girl who moves into a new house, finds a parallel world that mostly mirrors her own, and learns the scary secrets that lurk beyond. 

Coraline is Creepy with a capital C. In fact, even though it’s a children’s movie, like all of the rest of LAIKA’s films, it’s the only one that I hesitate showing to my own children since I think it will give them nightmares. The movie's unsettling in a way that I don’t think many other films can capture, and it really delves deep into some of the unseen horrors that children experience when they let their imaginations run wild. 

In many ways, the film is quite dreamlike, and it truly feels like the most unique LAIKA movie ever, even though its plot is decidedly simple. Coraline just has it all. 

What’s your favorite LAIKA movie? For all things animation, make sure to swing around here often. 

Animation has become a fantastic medium of film as of late, with some of Disney’s best appearing so realistic that you might believe it to be live-action before an animated character pops up. But I’ve always had an affection for a certain genre of animation that often goes under the radar, and that is stop motion.

While there’s no denying that regular animation takes just as much hard work and dedication as stop motion does, there’s something about stop motion that always sits well with me, and has for many years. Here are some great stop-motion that you can check out right now.

Coraline (2009)

I often consider this one my favorite out of the bunch. Coraline is a dark fantasy film that was released by Laika, and tells the story of Coraline, a girl who finds a secret door in her new home, leading to an alternative world that is full of secrets.

One of my favorite parts about Coraline is the distinct difference between the two worlds and the contrast both show. In her drab reality, it’s all dark and gloomy but in this new world, everything is full of color and vibrancy, with no end to that joy in sight until it suddenly all comes crashing down at one point.

Rent/Buy Coraline on Amazon.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

I arguably say that The Nightmare Before Christmas is what popularized stop motion for the more recent generations, considering it came out back in 1993. The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Henry Selick (story by the brilliant Tim Burton), is all about Jack Skellington, and how, after having an accidental trip into the world of Christmas, he wants to bring that holiday to Halloween Town – with a couple of twists.

There’s a reason why Disney often stages their whole Halloween celebration at their theme parks around this movie. Not only is it a fun time for both Christmas and scary movie lovers, but the film itself is also interesting enough to watch, and the songs are catchy.

Stream The Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney+.
Rent//Buy The Nightmare Before Christmas on Amazon.

ParaNorman (2012)

This film I consider the underdog of the list here because I feel like no one ever really talks about Laika's ParaNorman. In the film, Norman, a young boy who has been gifted with the ability to talk to ghosts, has to break a 300-year-old witch’s curse on his town, and it’s up to him and a couple of his friends to do so.

While ParaNorman is probably one of the least known entries on this list, that doesn’t mean it’s not just as fun to watch. The towns are created intricately, and the ability of which they are able to portray ghosts within stop motion is fascinating. For fans of the paranormal, ParaNorman is for you.

Rent/Buy ParaNorman on Amazon.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Such a shame as to what happened with this movie, as it was released the same year as Up so it lost a good amount of the awards it should have won, in my opinion. Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the book of the same name and directed by Wes Anderson, is about a fox who steals food from three mean and wealthy farmers, and they grow tired of the fox’s ways, and it becomes a battle of wits between the humans and the animals.

This film is absolutely gorgeous. Anything you expect from a Wes Anderson film is there, complete with beautiful scenery, even if it is for a stop motion film. But that just shows the talent and the ability of these creators to be able to make something so vivid. Not only that, but the voice cast is outstanding.

Stream Fantastic Mr. Fox on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Fantastic Mr. Fox on Amazon.

The Boxtrolls (2014)

Co-directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, The Boxtrolls is based on the novel Here Be Monsters! and tells the story of a human boy back in the 19th century who is raised by trash-collecting trolls and his quest to try and save them when an exterminator wants to take them out.

The Boxtrolls really has everything you could need when it comes to a successful stop-motion animated movie. Really well-paced animation with some fantastic set design and, of course, a heartwarming story that will capture the heart of anyone. Plus, the cast of this movie is off the charts, with stars like Elle Fanning, Ben Kingsley, Simon Pegg and more among the voice roles.

Rent/Buy The Boxtrolls on Amazon.

Marcel The Shell With Shoes One (2022) 

Based on the film shorts of the same name, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is all about a little guy named Marcel, an anthropomorphic shell that is discovered in an Airbnb when a documentary filmmaker moves into the house, and this one moment, where Dean discovers Marcel, sets off a whole entire story.

I know that from this premise it doesn’t sound like much, but I can assure you that Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is unlike any other stop motion movie on this list. It’s heartfelt, full of wonder, and unironically very funny. It was actually CinemaBlend’s Top Film of 2022.

Rent/Buy Marcel the Shell with Shoes On on Amazon.

Kubo And The Two Strings (2016)

This film is definitely one of the most unique ones out of the bunch. Kubo and the Two Strings is about Kubo, a young Japanese boy who wields a magical shamisen (a stringed Japanese instrument), and who lost his eye when he was a baby. Now, it is up to him and some buddies to stop his mother’s sisters and his evil grandfather, who are the people responsible for stealing his eye.

Is the premise a little out there? Yes, at least to me. But what really makes Kubo and the Two Strings amazing is the visual effects of this film. You will never see another stop motion film like this one that has so much color and beauty all throughout it, besides probably Wes Anderson’s films. It’s a stunning ride and the ways in which they are able to do this are intriguing to think about.

Stream Kubo and the Two Strings on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Kubo and the Two Strings on Amazon.

Mary And Max (2009)

This is a film that I’m sure not a lot of you have heard of, but you need to. Mary and Max hails from Australia and is a stop-motion film that follows the lives of two pen-pals from across the world, and the connection that forms.

This movie is something else, man. It is something else. I only just watched it for the first time and I was almost disappointed in myself for never having watched it before. The animation is so clean and crisp but the story that you’re watching is really the heart of it, and it bothers me that this film is so under-the-radar. There’s no other film that quite paints unexpected connections like this one.

Rent/Buy Mary and Max on Amazon.

Isle Of Dogs (2018)

If it worked the first time, might as well try again. Isle of Dogs, Wes Anderson’s second dabbling into the stop motion world, tells the story of Atari, a boy who goes searching for his dog on an island, where many dogs were exiled after an outbreak of the canine flu in Japan. He uses the assistance of the pack leader to somehow find him.

Anderson does a spectacular job with the stop motion yet again. It wasn’t as colorful as his first entry on this list, but the style has been upgraded and you can tell straight away that this is a modern stop motion film. The movements feel smoother, the story a bit better, and everything melds well together like a well-oiled machine. And yet again, this voice cast is amazing. Bryan Cranston takes on the starring role, alongside co-stars like Edward Norton, Greta Gerwig, Jeff Goldblum, and more.

Stream Isle of Dogs on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Isle of Dogs on Amazon.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)

God, where do I even start with this movie?

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is the latest movie to come from legendary filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro, adapting the famous tale of the wooden boy whose nose grows as he lies. But in this story, we are taken on a coming of age journey where Pinocchio tries to find his place in the world and not be a burden to his papa.

This movie made me sob. And I mean that in the best way. It’s the first stop motion film in a long time that has made me think afterwards and had me pondering my existence in this world. The stop motion is done so fluidly that it looks amazingly animated, and the Pinocchio voice cast is even better. This is truly one of the best adaptations out there. Please go watch it. It even won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Stream Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio on Netflix.

Chicken Run (2000)

Oh, Chicken Run. I have so many feelings about this movie but we’ll talk about that in a bit. Chicken Run released back in 2000 and centers around a group of chickens who all begin to follow a rooster named Rocky, as he might be their only way out of certain death of becoming chicken pies by their owners.

Chicken Run is a movie you might not expect to be good, but once you give it a shot, this is one of the funniest stop motion films you will ever watch. The jokes land consistently and will have you laughing throughout the movie, even though the lead characters are literally just a bunch of chickens. The voice cast is great as well, with stars like Mel Gibson and Julia Sawalha taking on the lead roles. Also, this movie grossed $224.8 million, according to Box Office Mojo, which became the highest-grossing stop motion film.

Rent/Buy Chicken Run on Amazon.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2025)

This was actually the film that inspired me to update this list because it was so much fun. Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the most hilarious movie ever, about Feather McGraw returning and reprogramming their garden gnome as revenge against the titular characters.

Look, there are five other Wallace and Gromit films. This stop-motion franchise is lucrative and successful and if you want a Wallace & Gromit film that is more emotional and deep, then check out the others. But man, this film is so much fun and silly and has an entertaining story, something we don’t always get in an animated movie. If you’re going to check out anything, check out this movie.

Stream Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

Anomalisa (2015)

And now we take a hard 180 on the genres of these films and move over to drama – with a bit of comedy as well. Anomalisa is all about a lonely customer service expert who sees everyone as completely identical until he meets a unique woman while in a hotel, and from there, his world begins to change.

While most of these films on this list can be viewed by children, I would suggest keeping Anomalisa to yourself and other adults. This film tackles some very deep issues, including depression, anxiety, loneliness, love, and so much more, things you would never expect for a stop motion film. But that doesn’t mean it’s not fantastic. If anything, it’s for that reason that Anomalisa is a standout on this list, and deserves more praise than it received years ago.

Stream Anomalisa on MGM+.

Rent/Buy Anomalisa on Amazon.

The Corpse Bride (2005)

Hands down one of my absolute favorite stop motion films, if only for this piano scene right here. The Corpse Bride, yet another entry on this list that involves Tim Burton, tells the story of Victor, a young man who is engaged to marry but ends up accidentally becoming the husband of a corpse bride, bringing him into the underworld.

Not only are the songs catchy, the animation tremendous, and the voice acting spectacular - with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter taking on those lead roles - The Corpse Bride is a joyful ride from beginning to end. You’d never expect for a movie with the word “corpse” in it to be perfect for children, but honestly, I have never had as much fun watching a stop motion film as I did this one.

Stream The Corpse Bride on Tubi.
Rent The Corpse Bride on Amazon.

I only hope that in the future there will be even more movies to add to this list, as stop motion is truly one of the most underrated arts out there. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go and watch Coraline for the fifteenth time.

October 2020 is about to bring the world an entire month’s worth of thrills, spills and chills to streaming entertainment. No matter who you stream with, there’s something that’s bound to catch your eye, provided you’re looking in the right place. Netflix just might be that source you’re looking for, and with the complete rundown for this October’s incoming content recently arriving, it’s time once more to cherry pick the most exciting titles to get in on in the coming month.

Should you want to take a moment and see the full slate of the new month’s programming, we’ll provide that link for you to run through below. But if you’re ready to see the near future of Netflix, it’s time to head into October 2020’s great movies coming to the platform. And remember, unless specifically noted, all films are set to debut on the first day of the month.

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

No one would dispute the fact that Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a modern comedy classic, and those who would probably aren’t Jim Carrey fans to begin with. But the more commonly disputed subject is whether or not Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is worth the watch. Well, in this very subjective opinion, it totally is. The gags are wilder, Carrey gets to push himself as a comedic performer and the overall sillier energy of this sequel makes the whole experience al-righty when it comes to your next laugh filled movie night.

Basic Instinct

October does signal the season of all things thrilling and haunting, which only makes Basic Instinct’s arrival on Netflix all the more fitting. One of Paul Verhoven’s most iconic, and most controversial, films, this erotic thriller set off a huge trend throughout the ‘90s, inspiring so many imitators to try and mimic its charms. But you can’t beat Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone dancing around each other in a heated routine that sees Douglas trying to solve a vicious murder that Stone may have committed. If only he could stop falling for her dark and seductive ways long enough to put the pieces together.

Enemy At The Gates

World War II drama isn’t exactly an underrepresented genre, which only leaves all the more room for a surprise to be discovered among that voluminous catalog. Enemy at the Gates is one of those severely overlooked gems, as the fictional adventure of real-life Soviet sniper Vasily Zaytsev (Jude Law) sees his marksmanship put to the test by a German rival (Ed Harris), and his heart won by a fellow Resistance fighter (Rachel Weisz). This historically inspired thriller is an exercise in tension, with each bullet fired reducing the odds for survival of all involved.

Fargo

This month, the fourth anthological season of FX’s Fargo will hit screens after a healthy delay due to 2020 being the year that it is. the show all started thanks to inspiration, and the entire debut season of that particular series adapting that very Coen Brothers classic. Darkly comic and brutal, as any good Coen Bros movie tends to be, Frances McDormand and William H. Macy are only part of impressive cast of characters that wind around this well-loved narrative. Extortion, murder and nervous laughter all come to a head in this storied neo-noir comedy.

House Of 1000 Corpses

Friends, it’s time to get spooky for Halloween, and like him or not, Rob Zombie is pretty good at shocking the world with his brand of horror. House of 1000 Corpses started as a controversial horror film that saw a studio disown the finished product, but became an indie cult classic in the long run. Sparking an entire trilogy of bloodletting, hard boiled dialogue and memorably profane dialogue, this definitely isn’t a movie for everyone. But if you like what you see, you can catch The Devil’s Rejects on one of several other streaming platforms (including Tubi), and you’ll need a Shudder subscription to close things out with 3 From Hell. Happy haunting!

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

Taika Waititi knows how to deliver laughs while never compromising on the heart that those laughs come from. But before Jojo Rabbit brought him acclaim for such a movie, Waititi wrote and directed the wide open comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople. When a series of mishaps leaves foster child Ricky (Julian Dennison) and one of his guardians (Sam Neill) on the run from the authorities, happenings silly, dangerous and heartfelt are all in the cards. With Taika Waititi eventually making his way into the Star Wars universe with his own unique entry to come, one can bet he’ll bring this sort of energy to the table in that future film.

The Longest Yard (1974)

Most moviegoers probably remember The Longest Yard for the remake that comedy legend/Netflix royal Adam Sandler made back in 2005. But Burt Reynolds wasn’t just cast in that film for his charming laugh and rugged good looks, as he once played a similar role to Sandler’s in the 1974 original that the new variant was based off of. Similar in that the same basic story is being told in both films, the original Longest Yard is a film that’s rougher around the edges, while still maintaining the same sense of humor, albeit with some saltier language than the “safer” revamp would have ever used.

WarGames

Nostalgia might not be what it used to be, but in a pinch, it makes for a temporary escape into a world where all one needed to hack a military computer was a phone line and some movie magic. WarGames has remained a prime choice for ‘80s movie fans, as this Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy dramedy sees thermonuclear war in the cards after a teen hacker stumbles upon what looks like a game, but is so much more. Fans of the source novel for Ready Player One know that this was one of the big changes made to that film’s cinematic incarnation, and you can now see the movie that was one of Ernest Cline’s easter egg challenges. What a perfect refresher just before Ready Player Two’s November release in bookstores far and wide.

Moneyball

October sees writer/director Aaron Sorkin delivering another politically incendiary film with the arrival of the Netflix original The Trial of The Chicago 7. But Sorkin’s talents aren’t always tied up in the political, as evidenced in the Brad Pitt baseball dramedy Moneyball. Brought in to rewrite the film before it went into production, his cracking wit makes the adaptation of the true story that shook up America’s pastime all the more exciting to behold. Netting six Academy Award nominations in its year of contention, you can easily add this film to an Aaron Sorkin triple feature on Netflix, as Steve Jobs is all you’d need to round out a night of fast dialogue and true convictions.

Available 10/14/20

ParaNorman

If Laika Studios needed a new name for some unforeseen reason, “Surprise Studios” might be a good candidate. The stop-motion animation firm has time and again defied expectations, whether it’s with the studio’s Golden Globe win for Best Animated Film with Missing Link, or with the end results of the horror-comedy ParaNorman. What begins as a tale of a boy with the unique gift of talking to spirits from beyond turns into a frighteningly funny battle to save the town that likes to mock said abilities. If you like family movies that go above and beyond into another world of heartfelt laughs, this is a no-brainer addition into your queue.

Available 10/18/20

October 2020 is ready to thrill, delight and even scare Netflix subscribers in only the best way possible. Don’t forget that titles are all subject to change and availability, so if something looks like it’s jumped its place in line, check the full October schedule to be sure. We’ll see you back here around this time in November, when we have the time in-between raking and baking, to run through that month’s best and brightest titles to come.

Have you heard of Laika? No, not the Soviet Space dog who became one of the first animals in space during the famous space race. I’m talking LAIKA studios, the animated movie studio known for stop-motion animation oddballs, including a charming family movie that will be hitting Netflix this October: ParaNorman.

LAIKA is known for its looks and its storytelling, but unlike its other critically-acclaimed contemporary, Pixar, it does not get nearly the laud or notice. Part of the problem is that it doesn’t have the might of multiple theme parks and Disney+ at its disposal, but I digress. The good news is that ParaNorman will be streaming for the latter part of the month of October over on Netflix and it’s really worth a watch if you missed it when it was still brand new.

I mean, you’d be forgiven if you have. Despite earning an Academy Award nomination (it lost to Brave), ParaNorman only made a little over $107 million on a $60 million budget—and that’s before factoring in shared revenue with theaters and the money the movie spent on advertising. In short, it’s not an outright bomb but not a great showing either. If we’re sticking to the Pixar comparisons here, that same year Brave made nearly $539 million worldwide, granted on a bigger $185 million budget, but still, those aren’t numbers to scoff at.

Yet, when I bring up Brave the average person is casually invested in Merida or at least knows the character. If I bring up Norman? Not so much. What’s strange about that is that both movies are similarly reviewed. Brave just edges out ParaNorman with a 7.1 and 7.0 rating on IMDB respectively, though Norman unsurprisingly has fewer reviews.

On Rotten Tomatoes ParaNorman has the edge, with solid 89% from the critics and 72% from the audience. That year, Brave landed a 78% critics rating and a 75% from the audience, but again, with more reviews. I get it, more people have seen Brave, but ParaNorman is totally worth watching.

The flick is an adventure tale following Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee), his big sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick) and her boyfriend Mitch (Casey Affleck). Norman can see ghosts and is entrusted by his dead Uncle to help save the town he lives in from a horrible curse. Like real horror films, there’s a degree of social commentary in the flick, but it’s perfect for families and not too scary overall. It’s a particularly great one for the Halloween season.

LAIKA has struggled to get its stop-motion animation movies in front of the masses. Its last few films have not really made a major impact on theaters, though many were well reviewed. In fact, the most recent Missing Link was an outright flop.

It’s a shame. Coraline and ParaNorman are both delightful adventures in my book, and a lot of the oddballs I know also enjoy The Boxtrolls. Hopefully getting a run on Netflix just in time for Halloween will give it the boost it needs and the zombie eyeballs it deserves. There are a few big animation studios, but none are out there doing what LAIKA does and doing it well.

Netflix has been good about bringing new light to lesser known movies over the years. Recently, it worked its magic with Patriots Day when that movie hit the #1 slot on the subscription streamer on the Fourth of July. The Mark Wahlberg starrer was a box office flop, and just look at it now. I'm just saying, perhaps ParaNorman will work some magic too. The flick will hit Netflix on October 18.

Something strange is falling over the land, though it isn’t anything to be afraid of. It’s just the season of witches, ghosts, and goblins arriving as per usual, thanks to October 2020 darkening your calendar’s doorstep. Naturally, with a new month comes some new offerings from the folks at Netflix, with the scary and supernatural represented alongside the serious and silly films that come from other genres. If you want to see what September 2020 brought with its own crop of originals and old favorites, you can head over to last month’s Netflix rundown below. Otherwise, let’s get on with the festivities, as the autumnal chill is about to hit with October 2020!

Week of October 1

Bom Dia, Verônica / Good Morning, Verônica - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/1/20

Carmen Sandiego: Season 3 - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/1/20

Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/1/20

Pasal Kau / All Because of You - NETFLIX FILM – 10/1/20

The Worst Witch: Season 4 - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/1/20

A.M.I. – 10/1/20

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls – 10/1/20

Along Came a Spider – 10/1/20

Bakugan: Armored Alliance: Season 2 – 10/1/20

Basic Instinct – 10/1/20

Black '47 – 10/1/20

Cape Fear – 10/1/20

Code Lyoko: Seasons 1-4 – 10/1/20

The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) – 10/1/20

Employee of the Month – 10/1/20

Enemy at the Gates – 10/1/20

Evil: Season 1 – 10/1/20

Familiar Wife: Season 1 – 10/1/20

Fargo – 10/1/20

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma: The Second Plate – 10/1/20

Free State of Jones – 10/1/20

Ghost Rider – 10/1/20

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past – 10/1/20

Gran Torino – 10/1/20

Her – 10/1/20

House of 1,000 Corpses – 10/1/20

Human Nature – 10/1/20

Hunt for the Wilderpeople – 10/1/20

I'm Leaving Now – 10/1/20

The Longest Yard (1974) – 10/1/20

The Parkers: Seasons 1-5 – 10/1/20

The Pirates! Band of Misfits – 10/1/20

Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire – 10/1/20

The Prince & Me – 10/1/20

Poseidon (2006) – 10/1/20

The Outpost – 10/1/20

Stranger than Fiction – 10/1/20

Superman Returns – 10/1/20

Sword Art Online: Alicization – 10/1/20

Troy – 10/1/20

The Unicorn: Season 1 – 10/1/20

WarGames – 10/1/20

We Have Always Lived in the Castle – 10/1/20

Yogi Bear – 10/1/20

You Cannot Hide: Season 1 – 10/1/20

A Go! Go! Cory Carson Halloween - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/2/20

Ahí te encargo / You’ve Got This - NETFLIX FILM – 10/2/20

The Binding - NETFLIX FILM – 10/2/20

Dick Johnson Is Dead - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY – 10/2/20

Emily in Paris - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/2/20

Òlòt?ré - NETFLIX FILM – 10/2/20

Serious Men - NETFLIX FILM – 10/2/20

Song Exploder - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/2/20

Vampires vs. the Bronx - NETFLIX FILM – 10/2/20

Week of October 4

Colombiana – 10/4/20

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY– 10/4/20

Dolly Parton: Here I Am – 10/6/20

Saturday Church – 10/6/20

StarBeam: Halloween Hero - NETFLIX FAMILY– 10/6/20

Walk Away from Love – 10/6/20

Hubie Halloween - NETFLIX FILM – 10/7/20

Schitt's Creek: Season 6 – 10/7/20

To the Lake - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/7/20

Deaf U - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/9/20

Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 2: Rio - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/9/20

The Forty-Year-Old Version - NETFLIX FILM – 10/9/20

Ginny Weds Sunny - NETFLIX FILM – 10/9/20

The Haunting of Bly Manor - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/9/20

Super Monsters: Dia de los Monsters - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/9/20

Week of October 11

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts: Season 3 - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/11/20

The Cabin with Bert Kreischer - NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL– 10/13/20

Octonauts & the Great Barrier Reef - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/13/20

Alice Junior – 10/14/20

BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY – 10/14/20

Moneyball – 10/14/20

A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting - NETFLIX FILM – 10/15/20

Batman: The Killing Joke – 10/15/20

Half & Half: Seasons 1-4 – 10/15/20

Love Like the Falling Rain - NETFLIX FILM – 10/15/20

One on One: Seasons 1-5 – 10/15/20

Power Rangers Beast Morphers: Season 2, Part 1 – 10/15/20

Rooting for Roona - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY – 10/15/20

Social Distance - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/15/20

Alguien tiene que morir / Someone Has to Die - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/16/20

Dream Home Makeover - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/16/20

Grand Army - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/16/20

In a Valley of Violence – 10/16/20

La Révolution - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/16/20

The Last Kids on Earth: Book 3 - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/16/20

The Trial of the Chicago 7 - NETFLIX FILM – 10/16/20

Unfriended – 10/16/20

Week of October 18

ParaNorman – 10/18/20

Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 2 - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY – 10/19/20

Carol – 10/20/20

The Magic School Bus Rides Again The Frizz Connection - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/20/20

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman: Season 3 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/21/20

Rebecca - NETFLIX FILM – 10/21/20

Bending the Arc – 10/22/20

Cadaver - NETFLIX FILM – 10/22/20

The Hummingbird Project – 10/22/20

Yes, God, Yes – 10/22/20

Barbarians - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/23/20

Move - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/23/20

Over the Moon - NETFLIX FILM – 10/23/20

Perdida - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/23/20

The Queen's Gambit - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/23/20

Week of October 25

Blood of Zeus - NETFLIX ANIME – 10/27/20

Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt: Season 4 - NETFLIX FAMILY – 10/27/20

Vilas: Serás lo que debas ser o no serás nada / Guillermo Vilas: Settling the Score - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY – 10/27/20

Holidate - NETFLIX FILM – 10/28/20

Metallica Through The Never – 10/28/20

Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight - NETFLIX FILM – 10/28/20

Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY– 10/28/20

Bronx - NETFLIX FILM – 10/30/20

The Day of the Lord - NETFLIX FILM – 10/30/20

His House - NETFLIX FILM – 10/30/20

Somebody Feed Phil: Season 4 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/30/20

Suburra: Season 3 - NETFLIX ORIGINAL – 10/30/20

October TBD

ARASHI's Diary - Voyage - Ep 13 & 14 - NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Brave Blue World

Start-Up - NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Netflix’s Movie Highlights For October 2020

While it’s not the bad movie that Adam Sandler promised he’d make after Uncut Gems’ unfortunate Oscar shut out, there’s still a playful energy to be had with The Sandman’s latest film, Hubie Halloween.As Sandler’s Hubie DuBois prepares to save the town of Salem, Massachusetts with his eccentric energy, a serious threat is starting to make Hubie look like the hero he’s always wanted to be. Though should you want your spooky season offering of choice to be more romantic and sinister, Ben Wheatley’s remake of Rebecca dresses up a classic tale of love and the ghosts of the past. Lily James and Armie Hammer bring Daphne du Maurier’s mysterious couple to life in a more modern context, and their performances look as gorgeous as James and Hammer’s period appropriate threads.

Last, but not least, Aaron Sorkin’s dramatic biopic, The Trial of the Chicago 7, finally makes its way into the world. After seeing itself change hands through helmers like Steven Spielberg and Paul Greengrass over the course of more than a decade, Sorkin finally landed the director’s chair on his own script. Depicting the trial of seven activists accused of trying to incite riots outside of 1968’s Democratic convention, this incendiary Netflix original boasts a cast that includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; among others.

Netflix’s TV Highlights For October 2020

While Hubie Halloween is a pretty big deal for some, to other Netflix subscribers that’s not exactly the sort of thrills that spooky season promises. No worries, as creator Mike Flanagan has followed up his terrifying but heartbreaking series The Haunting of Hill House with another adaptation of an old classic. The Haunting of Bly Manor takes Henry James novella, The Turning of the Screw, and for the second time this year puts a more modernized spin on its story of a governess who’s hired to watch after a pair of children in a palatial manor. Oh, and there’s also ghosts, for those of you who don’t think babysitting is horrific enough.

However, if you're looking for something uplifting and hysterical, a double threat is headed to your Netflix queue in October 2020! For those who hunger for adventure, and love the kind-hearted enthusiasm that Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal exudes, the fourth season of Somebody Feed Phil will be here to take you on the vacations you wish you could go on, with the foods that'll make your mouth water. If you like your comedy delivered in the format of an award-winning sitcom, this year's Emmy darling Schitt’s Creek takes its last bow, with the sixth and final season headed to the Netflix lineup. Brace yourselves, because it's been heard on good authority that you will cry by the end of this show's run.

Whether you want to hide under the blankets, or laugh out loud into the crisp fall air, Netflix is here to bring both sides of October to your television! Keep in mind, all titles are subject to availability and change. So if something seems to have moved, you might want to check back here and see what the schedule has to say about that. It’s hard to believe it, but the countdown to November 2020 is about to start soon. So we’ll see you back here around this time next month, when leaves won’t be the only thing we’re raking through.

The horror genre has always had a complicated history in cinema. While there is no arguing that some of the greatest films of all time fit into the category, it can sometimes feel as though the most incredible achievements are outshined by the thousands of titles that purely take advantage of the fact that horror often offers opportunities for high production values at low budgets. Still, every year sees the release of some new titles that you just know audiences are going to be enjoying for decades -- and it's those features that we are here to celebrate today.

Within the 21st century (which is to say going back to 2001), we've seen the release of some horror movies that are guaranteed to be considered classics in the long run, and we've decided to take a look back by ranking them. Below and across the next few pages are our picks for the 21 best horror movies of the century, so far. Can you guess our number one pick? Read on and find out!

#21. The Conjuring (2013)

Director James Wan has launched a number of horror franchises in his career, including the Saw movies and Insidious, but The Conjuring films are arguably the best he's ever made -- with the 2013 original standing as his greatest achievement. Even at a time when we are getting an endless stream of supernatural terror features, this one still managed to be successful haunting. A lot of it is Wan's direction, with his awesome moving camera consistently creating anxiety in a beautiful period atmosphere, but then there is the power of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who instantly solidify themselves as modern horror icons while trying to protect a family from a haunting specter.

#20. IT (2017)

Because of its immense length, Stephen King's IT was long thought to be totally unadaptable... but then director Andres Muschietti came along. Armed with a script that cuts the epic novel in half and focuses solely on the kids' side of the narrative of the haunted town story, the movie not only weaves a fantastic, self-contained scary story, but also immediately makes you start begging for the adult-centric sequel. Transplanting the story from the mid-1960s to the late 1980s, the film is successfully both a nostalgia bomb and hilarious, while also being surprisingly scary and shocking (with a great deal of credit in that department going to Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise).

#19. The Host (2006)

As you'll discover reading the rest of this list, the 21st century hasn't been tremendous when it comes to giant monster movies, Bong Joon-ho's The Host is the notable exception. The Korean horror film is as inventive as it is exhilarating as it is devastating, and ultimately a rather powerful cinematic experience. The story of a family in search of a missing daughter during a kaiju attack along Seoul's Han River, it packs a serious thrills and a sharp emotional punch, while also notably featuring some seriously impressive CGI for the era.

#18. It Follows (2014)

Slasher films in the 1980s did their part to illustrate some extreme dangers of teenage sex, and it's with deep respect for and partial homage to that particular decade of filmmaking that we got David Robert Mitchell's It Follows. Establishing a creative metaphor for STDs, the story sees a young girl (Maika Monroe) have sex only to learn that it comes with a serious consequence. She is passed a condition that will see her constantly pursued by a supernatural force that A) can take any human form and B) wants to cripple and disfigure her body. It's a wonderfully inventive film that packs more than a fair share of big shocks and chills.

#17. The Loved Ones (2009)

We regularly hear about horrific things coming out of Australia, but most of those stories involve sharks or creepy crawlies. In the case of The Loved Ones, writer/director Sean Byrne brought us a wonderfully messed up features bursting with colorful psychopaths. Robin McLeavy is fantastic as the absolutely crazy teenager Lola, who has the habit of trying to find her perfect man by kidnapping and lobotomizing them. Between the foot-stabbing, skull-drilling, and bleach-injecting, this one is definitely not for the faint of heart.

#16. The Descent (2005)

Neil Marshall's The Descent is a nice triple dose of fear. First there's the claustrophobia, with the audience trapped in a series of excessively narrow caves with the six main protagonists. Second is the intense darkness, with the bulk of the movie basically only illuminated by flashlights, flares, and glow sticks. And as if those two weren't enough for a terrifying experience, then the movie throws the flesh-hungry cave monsters at you, giving the last 45 minutes an impressive feeling of both constant paranoia and horror as the characters start yearning for the time when their biggest problem was just being lost. It's a scary and intense ride right up until the end.

#15. Goodnight Mommy (2014)

Filmmakers have been using creepy children to wonderful horrific affect for decades, but you'll find few better examples than Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz's Goodnight Mommy. Hailing from Germany, the story centers on a pair of twin boys (Lukas and Elias Schwarz) who harbor some deep suspicions about their mother (Susanne Wuest). She is recovering from face-altering plastic surgery in their new home, but the kids believe that it is not actually their mom who is underneath all of the bandages. It's an impressively unexpected and twisty-turny ride: just when you think the movie is about to turn right, it instead just punches you in the face.

#14. The Witch (2015)

There is a great deal to praise about Robert Eggers' The Witch, but we'll start with its impressive commitment. Even at a sacrifice of absolute clarity, the movie is remarkable in its deeply accurate depiction of life 17th century New England, and has the effect of entrancing you into its time unlike most period films. But then there are also its awesomely disturbing elements that firmly establish its place on this list. Because of the involvement of babies and children, there's a challenge to describe it without using the words "fucked up." It also provided us the breakout performance for emerging star Anya Taylor-Joy, whose current career trajectory will surely only improve The Witch's legacy.

#13. 28 Days Later... (2002)

Okay, so they may not really be zombies, instead just people infected with the Rage virus, but that's not going to stop us from giving Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later... credit for helping to totally redefine the zombie subgenre in the 21st century. Audiences had become comfortable with the shambolic, cannibalistic walking dead of the Romero persuasion, but this one jumps their adrenaline 10000% and the terror follows suit. It's hardly a complex or unique premise -- man wakes up from a coma in a hospital as the world around him is falling apart -- but Boyle's intense vision and the tremendous character work from Cillian Murphy, Naomi Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Megan Burns make this one of the best scare-fests of the modern era.

#12. Mulholland Drive (2001)

David Lynch is obvious a divisive filmmaker, with many either loving or hating his surrealist style. As a fairly pure extension of his style, Mulholland Drive elicits a similar reaction from audiences, as a good deal of it defies explanation, but can also be appreciated as a beautiful, complex, anxiety-inducing puzzle. Its bizarre structure demands constant attention and absorption, and within that leaves you open to serious apprehension and sincere shock (the king being the discovery of what exists behind Winkie's).

#11. Slither (2006)

Long before he was known as the man behind Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn was better known as a low-budget filmmaker with roots in the schlokiness of Troma Entertainment. His 2006 directorial debut, Slither, is a pure expression of this. While it's certainly as much a comedy as it is a horror movie, it blends the two gleefully with absolutely disgusting sensibilities, getting absolutely everything possible scare-wise with its slimy alien slug antagonists. Admittedly most of the titles on this list are more focused on straight up terror, but Slither comes with the bonus of being a ton of fun.

#10. The Ring (2002)

Fans may remember the period in the early 2000s when Hollywood became obsessed with all varieties of Asian horror, and began remaking titles left and right. As many as were made, however, nothing ever topped the trend-maker: Gore Verbinski's The Ring. Naomi Watts stars as a journalist investigating a mythical VHS tape that kills anyone who watches it in seven days, and it's not just a spine-tingling, scream inducing ride, but a well-crafted mystery as well. It's unfortunate that it's legacy must deal with two legitimately terrible sequels, but they still don't diminish our appreciation for the 2002 release.

#9. Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Sam Raimi's career was born in the horror genre, but much like the Evil Dead franchise, the scares eventually started to get left behind in favor of more genre exploration. Thankfully, in 2009 he returned to it full-bore with Drag Me To Hell. Bringing back many of the amazing, unique aesthetics that made his early scary movies so special, he tells his own take on a gypsy curse story, and it succeeds in being both frightening and at times puke-worthy gross. Alison Lohman is fantastic as the kind but selfish Christine Brown, and it has what is certainly one of the best endings on this list.

#8. Let The Right One In (2008)

In the years before the modern zombie craze kicked into full gear, titles like Twilight and True Blood established vampires as the chic "in" monsters -- but no movie about bloodsuckers from this particular era surprised and shocked more than Tomas Alfredson's Let The Right One In. A Swedish import, this tale is a cute but also fairly fucked-up tale about a bullied young boy (Kåre Hedebrant) who strikes up a friendship with his new neighbor, who happens to be deadly, dangerous vampire (Lina Leandersson). It's one of the best modern takes on the mythos, and even inspired one of the best English-language remakes of recent memory.

#7. ParaNorman (2012)

Not all horror films need be totally terrifying, and Chris Fell and Sam Butler's ParaNorman is proof of that. The movie fits the genre through its spooky characters and premise (kid who can see and talk to the dead must stop an ancient curse from tearing his town apart), but its greatness doesn't come from scares. Instead, this stop-motion masterpiece from Laika demonstrates its genius through pure emotion and tapping into the feelings of isolation that come from feeling like an outcast -- something of which a lot of true blue horror fans are probably very aware. It's a remarkable piece of animated filmmaking, that is also definitely one of the best genre titles of the young century.

#6. Black Swan (2010)

Darren Aronofsky may not be the first name you consider when you think of "horror directors," but when you factor in the horrors that he makes you feel with his work, you totally get it. This applies to both 1998's Pi and 2000's Requiem For A Dream, but in the 21st Century conversation, it's all about Black Swan. The movie is a trippy and distressing venture into jealousy-inspired madness, following Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) as she clings to her lead role in her ballet company's production of "Swan Lake" and goes completely insane in the process. It's the kind of movie that makes you occasionally forget to breathe, and the Oscar that Portman won is one of the most deserved in recent memory.

#5. Get Out (2017)

Even months after its release it's still hard to fully believe the true story behind Jordan Peele's Get Out. Prior to making the movie, Peele fully established himself as one of the funniest comedic voices currently working in the industry... but then he revealed to the world that his true number one goal is helming horror films. That led to his directorial debut, and what he made is nothing short of stunning. Get Out is a spectacular commentary on race in America, and blending elements of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner meets The Stepford Wives it makes a stunning commentary about prejudice and cultural appropriation. Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams are both incredible in the lead roles, and with any luck, it will be the first of many Peele directorial efforts that eventually find their way on to this list.

#4. Stoker (2013)

A wonderful reflection of the protagonist's intensely enhanced senses, Chan-wook Park's Stoker is one of the most meticulously put together and beautiful films you'll experience -- inside or outside the horror genre. Based on an original screenplay by Wentworth Miller, it tells the story of a teen girl named India (Mia Wasikowska) who sees her world start to change following the death of her father (Dermot Mulroney) and the arrival of her mysterious Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode). As India works to learn more about this strange relative, she begins to not only unravel a dark family secret, but also reveal new parts of herself that have laid dormant her entire life. It's a stunning, gorgeous piece of work that manages to simultaneously be both elegant and brutal, featuring some amazing performances and moments that stay with you long after the end credits have finished rolling.

#3. Shaun Of The Dead (2004)

Similar to Quentin Tarantino, Edgar Wright is a pop culture filmmaker. He not only has an immense and deep cinematic knowledge, but expresses it through his work -- using each of his features as a love letter to genre with the addition of his own unique sensibilities. He's made some brilliant titles to date, but there is arguably none better than his ode to zombie horror, Shaun of the Dead. Yes, the movie puts comedy first and foremost, and the buddy relationship between Simon Pegg's Shaun and Nick Frost's Ed is an all-timer; but you also have to love its clear affection for the cultural contributions of George A. Romero, making the walking dead not only horrific, but also a reflection of modern society ("apathy" being the big target this time around). Thanks to Wright's blissful and scrupulous use of foreshadowing, it's also endlessly rewatchable, with each viewing revealing something new you never noticed before.

#2. The Babadook (2014)

The Babadook is a film that came completely out of nowhere. Writer/director Jennifer Kent had never written or directed a feature before; and despite having some notable titles on her resume, star Essie Davis was hardly a household name. One amazing piece of work can leave quite an impression, however, and the reality is that their collaboration is not only one of the scariest movies of the 21st century, but rather one of the scariest movies of all time. The mother-son relationship between Davis and young actor Noah Wiseman is psychological torture enough (in a good way), but then the story introduces the titular monster and the whole thing just becomes a living nightmare that leaves you watching in the fetal position. It's an unbelievably terrifying cinematic experience, and would be #1 if not for one other title...

#1. The Cabin In The Woods (2012)

It's perhaps a bit strange for a film that deconstructs the horror genre to be the number one title on a horror movie list, but what can we say? Within the category, Drew Goddard's The Cabin In The Woods is the best film we've seen so far in the 21st century. Its release famously delayed for years and years due to the MGM bankruptcy, the film from the outside looks like your typical set-up (a group of college kids get terrorized by supernatural forces while vacationing in the woods), but there is just so much more to it than that. The script, co-written by Goddard and Joss Whedon, is an endlessly clever and meta analysis of what draws us to this kind of storytelling, and does a brilliant job of taking every notable trope and turning it on its ear. Add the totally unexpected yet genius turn the movie takes into the equation, and you have the title that we just had to give the number one slot.

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Horror has always been seen as a genre primarily for adults. After all, the entire intention of the storytelling style is to creep out and scare its audience, and that doesn’t often have a great effect on children who may not have a firm grasp on separating fiction from reality. However, that doesn’t mean that we haven’t seen some truly amazing horror movies made specifically for all audiences come out over the years, and now seems like the perfect time to celebrate those titles.

This weekend will see the theatrical release of Rob Letterman’s Goosebumps - based on R.L. Stine’s wonderful kid-friendly horror book series – and given the movie’s monster mayhem and target demographic, we decided to take a look back at the last few decades and pluck out a selection of 10 great scary movies that kids should love. Read on for our selections!

Monster House

Director Gil Kenan’s Monster House is definitely an off-beat movie. It has a peculiar CGI animation style, an odd ensemble making up its voice cast (including Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kathleen Turner and Jason Lee), and it’s story centers not just on a haunted house, but one that’s actually managed to come to life to eat any and all who pass by. Strange as it is, however, it also works as a creepy, fun 1980s throwback that has a fun approach to monsters and a hefty dose of imagination.

Ghostbusters

It seems silly in this time and place in pop culture to "recommend" Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters to anybody – regardless of age group – but it’s my job, so we’re going to roll with it. It’s true that the movie is really more ’80s-style PG, in that it still has a bit of bad language and the occasional creepy moment, but this is a film that is meant to be enjoyed by absolutely everyone, and the younger generation needs to know about the heroic acts of Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Raymond Stantz, and Winston Zeddmore.

ParaNorman

I love Chris Butler and Sam Fell’s ParaNorman so much that I honestly believe that if everyone were to see and appreciate it from a young age that it would create a truly great generation. There are few movies in existence that so elegantly capture what it means to be different and feel persecuted, and wrapped up in a beautifully crafted story of zombies and witches curses is an incredibly important message about acceptance and forgiveness. Do yourself and the world a favor by watching this one with your kids.

Hocus Pocus

Kenny Ortega’s Hocus Pocus was slammed by critics and was basically a flop when it was released in 1993 – but it has gained a tremendous following in the years since. Millennials who wound up catching this one on home video or on TV now have a key nostalgia pain for it, and with rather good reason: it’s a spooky and weird Halloween story that works on a small enough scale to feel surprisingly timeless. It’s a funny, scary movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family – and it may be worth sharing if not just in preparation for the potential sequel.

The Witches

There are some titles on this list that are absolutely appropriate for kids of all ages, and others that are really more for the little ones who can at least place somewhere on the maturity scale. Nicolas Roeg’s The Witches definitely falls in the latter category – but is still very much a film worth rediscovering. As the image above probably reminded you, there is some pretty intense material in the story (it is a Roald Dahl adaptation, after all), but it’s also a fun little good vs. evil adventure perfect for pre-Halloween viewing.

Coraline

There’s something about stop-motion animation that fits shockingly beautiful with kid-friendly horror films, and it’s why we’ve now come to our second example on this list (and it won’t be the last). Between its characters with sewn buttons for eyes, and it’s giant, spider-like main villain, Henry Sellick’s Coraline definitely provides a few chills as its unique alternate-world plot unfolds, but it’s also a special little adventure driven by a magnificent heroine and a powerful and important message about family and gratitude .

Monster Squad

Shane Black is best known for writing buddy cop stories with noir overtones and heavy action, but his work with Fred Dekker on 1987’s Monster Squad is a different flavor featured on his resume. This one has Dracula collecting a bunch of different classic monsters in order to take over the world – and can really only be stopped by a group of rambunctious kids. Fortunately, writing dialogue for young actors has always been one of Black’s greatest skills, and this movie remains a fun bit of ‘80s nostalgia that surely the younger generations will be able to appreciate as well. The legacy of "Wolfman’s got nards" needs to live on.

Gremlins

Joe Dante’s Gremlins seems like another movie that is just a tad silly to recommend, as any person who grew up in the 1980s or 1990s is going to have a healthy appreciation of the movie that makes them want to pass it on to the youngins of today. The tale of Billy Peltzer and the three rules of handling Mogwai will be a part of our pop culture forever, and it’s largely because it’s one of the best kid-friendly monster movies ever made.

The Addams Family

Cards on the table: I was four years old when I got to see Barry Sonnenfeld’s The Addams Family in theaters, and I cried to the extent that my parents had to take me out of the theater (young Eric was a bit creeped out by Thing). But while four years old may to too young for this one, it still remains a dark little treat that never goes too far over the line with its horror elements. Its goofiness will make kids laugh, while the film also gives them a healthy appreciation of gallows humor.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Sick of stop-motion animated films yet? Good, because we’ve saved the truly classic one for last. Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is a dual-holiday treat that will stick around for generation after generation, if not because of the wonderful soundtrack, than because of the beautiful and amazing cast of characters – from the heroically misguided Jack Skellington, to the lovable Zero, to the villainous Oogie Boogie. I’d recommend watching this one the night of Halloween, as it’s a rather perfect one to lead into the weeks/months of Christmas countdown.

The Boxtrolls is in theaters now and it's awesome. That much needs to be said up front. And it's with that in mind that we celebrate the news that LAIKA and Focus Features have firmed up an agreement to make three more films together. Pause for a moment and applaud, or slap your hands heartily against your boxy chest...

Focus and LAIKA announced today that they've secured a pact to distribute three new movies, with Focus set to distribute them domestically, and Universal Pictures International set to release them overseas. These anticipated but unspecified films follow the three previously released films that LAIKA and Focus brought us, going back to the 2009 film Coraline. That one was followed up with ParaNorman (2012) and then most recently, The Boxtrolls. The new deal ensures that the stop-motion animation studio and Focus Features will continue to work together on new and potentially great films.

While LAIKA's films haven't exactly been the mega-hits of say, Pixar, Coraline and ParaNorman both made their budgets back and then some, and The Boxtrolls just debuted with LAIKA's biggest opening weekend yet, with a gross of $17.3 million. Beyond the numbers, LAIKA's delivering films that are entertaining, funny and unique. With its incorporation of stop-motion animation, each film offers its own visual style, which sets LAIKA's films apart from other animated movies. It's that unique style, look and tone that's allowing this studio to shape its identity one film at a time. And in the process, they're giving us great stories and great characters.

Looking specifically at The Boxtrolls, the story is set in the European town of Cheesebridge, where the cheese-loving residents live in fear of the Boxtrolls they believe live below ground and come out at night to snatch up their young ones. As it happens the Boxtrolls do exist beneath the city of Cheesebridge, though they're hardly the ferocious beasts people believe them to be.

Isaac Hempstead-Wright voices the role of Eggs, a boy who's raised by the Boxtrolls. Also among the voice-cast are Elle Fanning, Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade and Tracy Morgan. If you haven't seen it yet, it's well worth a look -- though it does delve into darker territory, which might make it a bit more suitable for older children than for young ones. I'd described The Boxtrolls as funny, moving, visually stunning and just the right amount of cheesy. (Because of all the cheese.) But if you don't want to take my word for it, read Kristy's 5-Star review here.

Knowing that LAIKA and Focus are set to make three new movies together leaves us to wonder what their next project will be. We may have to wait a little while for that. Going by the last film's timeline, we learned about LAIKA and Focus Features' plans to bring The Boxtrolls -- based on the book Here Be Monsters -- to the big screen in February 2013, which was about six months after ParaNorman hit theaters. But looking at the situation more optimistically, maybe the announcement of this deal is build-up to an announcement of LAIKA's next project. We'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, if LAIKA's first three films are any indication, we have much to look forward to from this studio in the years to come. They've got the whole world in their hands...

I’m pretty certain nothing Laika Entertainment does in the future will ever impress me more than last year’s eerily gorgeous ParaNorman, but I can’t wait for each and every time they try. The stop-motion animation masterminds are next gifting the world the oddball comedy The Boxtrolls, and they’ve taken a novel approach with their latest trailer, offering viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the painstakingly meticulous work that goes into creating these features. My fingers cramp up just thinking about it.

The trailer, via iTunes Movie Trailers, is a dialogue-free clip set to the song "He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands," a particularly fitting tune, considering the artists at Laika are responsible for creating each entire universe that their characters inhabit. They deftly take us through the entire process, from the skeletal wirework to the molding to the painting and stitching the costumes. As amazing as all that is, it’s the bizarrely detailed set design that rattles my brain. This image below shows a level of commitment that I don’t even have for this story that I’m currently writing. It’s truly astounding.

Sure, one could argue that the people that create CGI settings are doing the same thing, but I’m always more interested in tactile methods than digital ones. And sure, there will be some computer-aided effects in The Boxtrolls, but a good part of that is in removing things like the wire set-ups used to make the characters jump. I’d like the next trailer to be nothing but bits like that one part of the trailer, where the scenes’ handiwork is shown and then fades away.

Based on the Alan Snow children’s book Here Be Monsters, The Boxtrolls is co-directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, and tells the story of Eggs (Isaac Hempstead-Wright), a boy who was raised by the titular trash-collecting critters that live underground beneath the town of Cheesebridge, wearing boxes as their clothing. All is going well until a pest exterminator (Ben Kingsley) wants to rid the town of the beasts to rise in social rank, and the Boxtrolls have to rely on a young rich girl named Winnie (Elle Fanning) to help them find a life on the surface. Also, everyone loves cheese. Can’t go wrong with that.

The film also stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toni Collette, Richard Ayoade, Jared Harris, Laraine Newman and Tracy Morgan. It will hit theaters and blow minds everywhere on September 26, 2014. Below you can watch the previously released trailer, which introduces the concept that families can be made up of anything, so long as it’s full of love. A nice sentiment, that one.

If you look back over the last hundred years, popular cinema has reflected much of the changes in society around it, but usually on a technological level rather than a social one, with CGI allowing directors to take their movies anywhere they see fit, even if it means the characters on screen aren’t nearly as evolved as the special effects surrounding them. Back in 1985, cartoonist Alison Bechdel introduced what became known as the Bechdel Test, which set three standards for whether a film had good female characters. 1) There had to be two women in the film. 2) They had to speak to each other, and 3) It had to be about something other than a man. You might be amazed by how many films fail this test.

While women are arguably still taking a backseat to men over 25 years later, GLAAD is adopting their own scale for LGBT roles in films called the Russo Test, named for GLAAD founder and The Celluloid Closet author Vito Russo. In their first annual Studio Responsibility Index, the foundation broke down the top 101 grossing films of 2012 and not surprisingly, they found that gay and lesbian characters are buoys in an ocean of heterosexuals, usually used as comedic fodder and played by actors who aren’t even gay.

Like the Bechdel Test, there are three rules for the Russo. 1) The film must contain a character that is identifiably gay, bisexual and/or transgender. 2) The character must not be solely defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity. 3) The character must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect. Those all seem to be simple enough to follow, but relatively few wide released films last year actually passed the test. Of the 101 films reviewed, only 14 of them qualified for a total of 31 LGBT characters. Note that smaller roles and cameos were included to even get that number that high.

And one of those cameos, from MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts, came from The Avengers, the biggest film of the year. But it was a fleeting moment, and it was Disney’s lone entry on this list. But if it makes them feel any better, 20th Century Fox films contained zero LGBT characters, much less any that might pass the test.

While films like Think Like a Man and That’s My Boy held their LGBT character up only to make disparaging remarks about them, Hollywood didn’t get it all wrong. Though it was produced independently, Cloud Atlas was distributed by Warner Bros. and featured a strong gay love story within one of its many plotlines. Incidentally, Warner also passed the test with Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand’s characters in Rock of Ages. Yeesh.

Probably the most popular LGBT character in cinema last year was Javier Bardem’s bisexual Silva in Sony’s Skyfall, even though he was also the most monstrous of them all. Three other films that passed the test were Paramount’s Fun Size for its hippy lesbian parents, and Universal Pictures’ The Five Year Engagement, for Lauren Weedman’s role as lesbian chef Sally, and Pitch Perfect’s Ester Dean was the only lesbian of color in major cinema last year.

Of course, independent films have always been where you go to get really strong LGBT characters, and last year was no exception. It’s worth noting that with its jock character Mitch, Focus Features’ Paranorman was the only PG film to feature a gay character last year.

With more and more TV shows writing less generic LGBT characters these days – Jeffrey Tambor playing a transgender parent for Amazon’s Transparent is a good example – it’s only a matter of time before major film studios get the message and realize that they’re shunning a large population. Just don’t expect it to happen for The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

If you're a movie poster collector, there's one more reason to look forward to Oscar night. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema's art division, Mondo, has three new posters set to be unveiled during the Academy Awards broadcast, marking their 2nd annual poster series tied to the nominated films in select categories. Check out three of the posters set to go on sale this Sunday ahead.

First up, this one celebrates Paul Thomas Anderson's film The Master, which has three nominations going into Sunday night's ceremony (Lead Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Supporting Actress: Amy Adams). Hoffman is put front and center in laurent Durieux's poster, which is priced at $55 (size: 24 x 36, Edition: 385).

And here's the poster for Les Miserables. Tom Hooper's feature adaptation of the popular stage musical received eight nominations, including Best Picture. Olly Moss' excellent, red poster focuses on the revolution, showing the barricades and the silhouette of a lone man with his rifle raised above his head, all under the words: Fight. Dream. Hope. Love.

You can practically hear the people singing in that one, which is priced at $50 (size: 24 x 36, Edition 380).

And this one honors one of my favorite nominees in the running for an award at this year's Oscars. ParaNorman directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler are up for an Academy Award for directing Laika's funny, exciting and moving 3D stop-motion animated comedy-horror. Just looking at this poster, which was created by DKNG, makes me want to watch the movie again. (Admittedly, it doesn't take much to make that happen.)

Mondo will have the ParaNorman poster on sale for $45 (size 24 x 36, Edition 275).

All posters will be available for sale during the awards show broadcast on Sunday, February 24 at MondoTees.com. Follow @MondoNews for the exact sale announce time. More posters will be unveiled during the Academy Awards broadcast.

Click the thumbnails below to view the bigger versions.

Many consider 1982 to be one of the greatest years in movie history. With titles like E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Blade Runner, The Thing, Poltergeist, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and many other influential, revolutionary, unforgettable movies, it’s a year that will always be remembered as a landmark in pop culture history. And now 30 years later we have a year that could very well end up being remembered the same way.

From start to finish 2012 has been an amazing year for the medium of film. We saw winners like The Grey and Haywire kick off the year, and great ones like Django Unchained, Life of Pi and Zero Dark Thirty close it out. Major franchises, like Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, came to an end, new ones, like The Hunger Games began, and others started right back up, like Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. We saw new movies from filmmakers like Wes Anderson, Sam Mendes, Rian Johnson, David Cronenberg, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Steven Spielberg. So where does one even begin when crafting a Top 10 list for a year like this?

Well, it wasn’t easy, but the job is done. I remembered all of the movies that I was still thinking about even weeks after my screening. I remembered all of the movies that had something important to say, or reached me on a personal level. I remembered all the movies that made me laugh and the ones that had me gripping the armrests. I remembered all the movies that I immediately wanted to watch again after the house lights went up. And from there I made my list – and you can read it below.

#10: End of Watch

Making a cut-and-dry cop drama is simple. The formula is so dry that all you need at this point is one or two hero cops, a vicious crime, and a scary villain to craft a story. But David Ayer’s End of Watch isn’t that movie. Instead, the writer/director does his part to try and turn the genre on its ear, and in doing so created not only a pulse-pounding thriller, but also a fascinating piece of cinematography and story experimentation.

Rather than just telling a simple story of cops and robbers, the movie lets the audience dive into the worlds of Officers Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena) as they work the beat in their Los Angeles neighborhood and try to keep crime and terror off the streets. Focusing on their lives beyond work, Ayer’s work allows the audience to understand the main characters as people more than just cops, and it creates a personal and emotional bond that connects movie-goers to the film in a very special way. Add in the found-footage type camera work, which gives us a look at the world through the cops’ eyes, and you have one of the most visceral, intense experiences of 2012. (Read my full review here)

#9: 21 Jump Street

It’s typical for studios to save their best films for the second half of the year, but the truth is that the funniest comedy of 2012 came out all the way back in March. While it seemed like a questionable project through production – why did we need a movie version of 21 Jump Street? – the end result is hilarious, features awesome performances from Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum and the rest of the excellent supporting cast, and with any luck it will help directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (who made the amazing Clone High and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs) keep finding work.

Walking into a screening earlier this year I went in with zero expectations, but quickly found myself nearly falling out of my chair laughing and actually gaining a newfound appreciation for Tatum’s skills as a performer. I continue to laugh to myself whenever I think about Jenko and Schmidt taking H.F.S. for the first time (“Fuck you, science!”) and the mix of action and comedy is perfect. You can’t ignore a movie that keeps you laughing every time you see it, and 21 Jump Street is no exception.

#8: Silver Linings Playbook

There are plenty of amazing turns to choose from when determining the best acting performances of the year, but Silver Linings Playbook is one that you have to look back to multiple times in order to get a truly complete list. Backed by an amazing script with a strong core message that points out just how screwed up each and every one of us are, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence alone make David O. Russell’s latest film not only a must-see, but one of the best of year.

Based on the novel by Matthew Quick, the story follows a former teacher (Cooper) who is released after a long stay at a mental hospital and immediately sets out on a mission to regain his wife’s love – but gets distracted when an equally-disturbed young woman (Lawrence) enters his life. The story is simple, but what makes Silver Linings Playbook such a fascinating piece is the work by the gifted ensemble cast. The stars of the show are obvious, and their shared chemistry elevates the movie’s main relationship to a new level, but Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker and John Ortiz take the film even further and help further explore the important central message. As much as I love Three Kings, Flirting With Disaster and The Fighter before this year I’m not sure I would have specifically labeled myself a David O. Russell fan. Silver Linings ensures that I will from now on. (Read my full review here)

#7: Jeff, Who Lives At Home

We live in incredibly cynical times when even the best things in our world can be degraded through negativity and pessimism, but that’s exactly what’s so great about Jeff and Mark Duplass’ Jeff, Who Lives At Home, a brilliantly earnest movie packed with lovely, relatable characters and a fascinating script and an interesting look at destiny and fate.

Jason Segel, who stars as the titular home-dwelling Jeff, once again proves himself to be one of the most likeable actors in film today, and pairing him up with the harder-edged, stricter Ed Helms as a contrast is an inspired move. In spite of being a story about lack of trust and infidelity – as the main characters work to find out if Helms’ wife (Judy Greer) is cheating on him – the story winds up looking at what really ties all of us together and the truly important relationships in our lives. While a bit disconnected, Susan Sarandon’s character’s story is just as interesting, playing the Segel and Helms’ mother who may or may not have found new love in her office. Walking out of Jeff, Who Lives At Home I actually felt an undeniable swelling of happiness forming in my chest, and it’s because of that feeling that the movie has made my top 10. (Read my full review here)

#6: Argo

As someone who paid close attention in history class I knew how the events in Ben Affleck’s Argo would be resolved in the end, but that didn’t prevent me from digging my fingernails into the armrest as I prayed that the embassy employees would safely make it through and escape the deadly Iranian territory.

While since the movie’s been released it’s been revealed that the story takes a few liberties with actual events for the sake of drama, that doesn’t change the fact that the world Affleck created in the film is intensely real and the director convinces you of its factuality, and as a political thriller it still knows exactly when it needs to break the tension and let the audience laugh a bit (John Goodman and Alan Arkin are phenomenal as the Hollywood-types who help the CIA get away with their mission). For a rather straightforward story, the movie is wonderfully paced and keeps the audience fully invested with every twist and turn of the story. Argo is only Affleck’s third directorial effort, but it firmly proves that he is very much the real deal – and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

#5: ParaNorman

To truly appreciate ParaNorman it helps to think of the incredible amount of work that went into making it. Animators spent months on end moving tiny pieces fractions of an inch and snapping photographs, working to put all of the images in order to create the illusion of movement and life. From a technical standpoint the movie is a true piece of blood, sweat and tears art and one of the most truly beautiful pieces to be released this year. And that’s not even taking into account the script, characters, performances or thousands of other factors that make the film one of the best of the year.

The story of a boy named Norman (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee) who has the ability to talk with the dead and must work to stop a witch’s curse from destroying his town, the film truly puts the audience in the mindset of a kid and has a powerful message not only against bullying, but in encouraging people to accept who they are, abnormal as they may be. Every step of writer/co-director Chris Butler’s script is a surprise, as conventions are turned on their ear and played with nearly to the point of parody (but it’s never overt). There are some questions regarding the movie’s suitability for young kids, as there are some legitimately creepy/scary moments, but there isn’t an adult out there who should hesitate at the opportunity to see ParaNorman.

#4: Cloud Atlas

It’s been nearly two months since I saw the Wachowski Starship and Tom Tykwer’s Cloud Atlas and I’m still trying to figure out how the movie got made. Not only is the movie contain six separate stories that could be individual films all by themselves, it also intertwines them so that each narrative is being put together at the exact same as the others. The end result should be a clusterfuck of extreme proportions, but with its breathtaking structure and outstanding editing it’s a triumph.

Admittedly it’s a movie that you have to open yourself up to and really get mentally prepared for, but if you do it will take you on a spectacular ride. Not all of the segments are as great as the others, but even when the narrative is lacking you can’t help but marvel at how the entire thing was put together. Taking advantage of the multiple timelines, the film is also beautifully directed, as the filmmakers set up unique worlds for their characters to inhabit and live through (the photography in the Neo Seoul segment is particularly stunning). Of all the movies to come out in 2012 there was none that had me thinking longer and harder than Cloud Atlas, and each time I did I couldn’t help but smile.

#3: The Avengers

The Avengers is the movie that I’ve spent my entire life waiting to see. As a geeky youngster I would obsess about superheroes and my love of film led to dreams of my favorite characters somehow all coming together for one big screen adventure. Had it been awful I would have been crushed, but instead I’ve already seen it more than ten times and think it’s one of the best films of 2012.

And thank the movie gods for Joss Whedon. The writer/director, who has spent more than a decade making magnificent television that everyone has ignored, finally got his chance in the spotlight and made a movie that is as funny and entertaining as it is dramatic and gripping. The 30-minute long action sequence where the heroes battle Loki and his army drops my jaw every time and I will forever remember listening to the movie-goers in the audience cheer when the team comes together for the first time on the streets of New York City. Watching The Avengers was like watching my 8-year-old imagination projected on the big screen, and I loved every damn minute of it. (Read my full review here)

#2: Seven Psychopaths

Walking into the theater to see Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths I have to admit that I wasn’t feeling the level of expectation that I expected. As a big fan of McDonagh’s only other directorial effort, 2008’s In Bruges, I was thinking that the Irish filmmaker’s latest would be good, but perhaps not as good. I ended up being completely wrong.

An epically weird story of a screenwriter and his two friends (Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, and Christopher Walken) who steal a gangster’s dog and must go on the run, the film is a genius meta comedy that not only impresses with fun characters and performances, but serves as a great meditation on violence and its place in our culture. The trio topping the film has some of the best chemistry you’ll see, and because of the eccentricities of the characters you never know what is going to hop out of the sack of crazy next, and having Woody Harrelson playing the shih tzu-loving madmen with the gun chasing them down is almost too much, but ends up being just the right amount. There are only two movies that I gave five stars in 2012, and Seven Psychopaths earns its place as one of them. (Read my full review here)

#1: The Cabin in the Woods

Remember what I said about thanking the movie gods for Joss Whedon? Well, this year it goes double. Not only did the man deliver us The Avengers, one of the greatest superhero titles of all time, but his pairing with director and long-time collaborator Drew Goddard also led to what I think is the best film of the year: The Cabin in the Woods.

The film is armed with a generic title and premise that we have heard a thousand times before, but it really is anything but. From the very beginning when we meet technicians Sitterson and Hadley (Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford) it becomes immediately clear that what’s going on in the movie isn’t anything we’ve seen before, and it fully explores every inch of its creative brilliance. While I still refuse to give any big details away because I still think not nearly enough people have seen the movie and I don’t want to give anything away, the explosive third act is one of the best I’ve ever seen, and inspired one of the longest jaw-drop moments I’ve ever had sitting in a cinema. The Cabin in the Woods is an unforgettable experience destined to find a cult following (if it hasn’t already), and hands down the best time I’ve had watching a film in 2012.

Great Movies That Didn’t Make The Cut: Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Wreck-It Ralph, Ted, Moonrise Kingdom, Skyfall, The Grey, The Master, The Raid: Redemption

Stop-motion films are special in the fact that they require so much time and effort to make, but making a feature entirely by hand has its limitations. While many directors and puppeteers have managed to invent and innovate rigs to accomplish more complicated cinematography, there’s only so far that practical effects will get you. To truly advance the medium there has to be a marriage created between stop motion and computer generated imagery. But directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell didn’t see the use of CGI as being a badge of dishonor while making ParaNorman. Instead, they saw it as a gateway to bigger and more impressive things.

Following my interview with Laika President Travis Knight a couple weeks ago, I had a chance to talk one-on-one with Butler and Fell about their new movie. Check out our conversation below in which we discuss working as one company under Laika, the possibility of last minute changes, and how the story evolved.

I know that you, Chris, have been working on this script for about a decade now, but how different is what we see in the final cut from your first thoughts on the story?

Chris Butler: Well, obviously it does change. It grows, it evolves. You’re constantly working to make it better, it’s part of the process. But I think what might actually be unusual about this movie is that, discounting the 10 or so years that I was writing it, when we got into production we knew what we were doing. We knew exactly what we were doing, I think. We knew what we were aiming for…

Sam Fell: Yeah, the basic story. The story and the characters and everything were all there. Chris rewrote during – it got rewritten.

CB: But, I mean, it wasn’t reinvented. That is the unfortunate thing about a lot of animation, that it has to be reinvented while you’re working on it. And you run out of time and you’re backed into a corner. I think we got the space, and part of it was having the opportunity to… [laughs] The opportunity? Basically, working on it for so many years just myself I knew where I wanted it to go, and Sam seeing that and liking it, it gave us an opportunity to get on the same page pretty quickly.

SF: I’ve been around the development proceeds and I know a lot of it is exploring stuff, and I felt that Chris had done that. And I had some questions, but they weren’t fundamental. So if I didn’t know about development I would have thought, “Well, why don’t we go over here [with the story]?” I’ve actually got the feeling that you’ve been over there [laughs] So the real development was getting into a director’s vision for it and figuring out how all aspects of the making of it would speak to the story and support the story and really knit into the story.

CB: It’s kind of how a movie should be made.

SF: Live action movies more, actually. You get the script right, you go.

In this medium you do almost create the entire film before you actually create the actual film. So much goes into the preparation process and everything is so heavily storyboarded. Does that make last-minute changes totally impossible?

SF: You have to leave room for these talented people to come in. We actually grow this team. The production designer is going to bring something to it – you’ve just got to set parameters so they know where they’re playing, and they they’ve got to play.

CB: If everyone knows the tone of what you’re trying to do…for everyone this one was an easy grasp because of the influences, because I think we all grow up watching the same kind of movies and the reference points were pretty clear.

SF: The design, the look thing came from a few key people. There were Heidi Smith’s character drawings, that brought a very illustrative live, kind of organic feeling, and Ross Stewart drew the world for us in a similar way, with a similar quality. Nelson Lowry, our production designer, brought all that together and made it into a really coherent aesthetic It had so many cool signatures that we carry throughout all the aspects of the design.

There are limitations to the stop-motion medium, were there any things that you wanted to do but couldn’t?

SF: No, there really aren’t those limitations to the medium anymore, to be honest. There used to be...

CB: [speaking for Fell] “And that’s why I got out of it.” [laughs]

SF: Coming back to it, no. You want a big vista you can have that now. We have CG set extensions and there used to just be a camera and a matte painting, but now you can actually have the camera moving up, so you can have a big world.

CB: I think what’s key, though, is being brave enough to try stuff that hasn’t been tried before. Because the technology is there to find a solution, I think. And there are many innovations in what we do, but you still need someone to say, “Just go for it.” If we select a design for a puppet and pretty much everyone in the room is saying, “Err, that’s hasn’t been done before. That’s almost impossible” – but to be told, “Let’s do it anyway!” [Laughs] That’s key I think. To really want, as a studio – not just as a production, but as a studio – to really push the boundaries.

I have to imagine Laika having this big place up in Oregon where you can control it all must be perfect.

CB: A big place, but also a very bold and brave outlook.

SF: They’re just a great mixture of high and low tech, you know? The old craft stuff, but there’s also rapid prototype printing and there’s the visual effects department, all of this is sort of a great blend between those two styles. So it’s not too slick.

Are you actively trying to do as much practically as you can, though, and trying to keep CGI to a minimum?

CB: We’re not militant purists about it. You could approach it like, “If we can’t do this practically, we shouldn’t do it” and we never think that. We always think, “We know what imagery we want to capture and then we use the best method to get it.” Our starting point is always going to be practical, it’s always going to be handmade, because that’s the studio we are. But we would never say no to something because you can’t realize it practically. If we need CG to fix this…

SF: You need crowds, so you get CGI characters in there. But the CGI characters were generated from the puppet department, so they were informed by puppet makers.

CB: And when we did visual effects for clouds in the sky, that was informed by the art department. They actually built models of this storm. So it’s totally integrated. It’s all generated from the same visual code.

And with stop-motion there is a degree to which you want to make the movie look flawed and handmade. Is that something that was integrated into the CGI as well?

SF: Yeah, yeah. They have to muck it up.

CB: It’s probably one of the most aggravating things that they have to do [laughs]. Because they do something right and they get told, “Actually, do it a little bit wrong.”

SF: But the right amount of wrong [laughs].

It's definitely the dog days of summer, with all the big blockbuster releases behind us, back-to-school shopping in full swing, and the promise of cooler weather just behind the corner. But before you write off this summer movie season entirely, wait! There are still good movies left to come to theaters, even if it just seems like there's nothing but horror movies and that Joseph Gordon-Levitt bike messenger movie. Below we've got five movies that we've seen and loved and think you will too, all of them due to hit theaters before September rolls around. Don't give up on summer! Check out one of these movies before you put away your cutoffs and flip flops this year.

ParaNorman

August 17

The best part about this particular upcoming August movie? It’s coming out this weekend. Even better? It’s one of the best films that we’ve seen so far this year. As you may have already figured out from Katey’s rave review, ParaNorman is an absolutely stunning piece of cinema that deserves recognition for being both visually spectacular and having a heartfelt, bold and important message at its core. It’s a fun adventure, a thrilling horror story, an entertaining fairy tale and laugh-out loud comedy combined into one film. The plot, written by co-director Chris Butler, is constantly snaking in unexpected directions, making it all feel fresh and new.

But you could watch ParaNorman on mute and still have a great appreciation for the film. Developed by Laika Studios, the company that brought us Coraline back in 2009, the stop-motion animation effort is jaw-dropping. The range of facial expressions that the characters are able to make is impressive and the production design, from wooded areas made of corrugated cardboard to Norman’s horror-poster filled room, will make you want to see the movie more than once just so that you can fully appreciate it. Don’t dismiss it as just another children’s movie: this is art.

Compliance

August 17

OK, so Compliance isn't exactly the breath of fresh air you might expect from a summer movie, and given the way it hearkens back to Stanley Milgram's famous psychological experiment and real-life news stories, it's likely to lead you diving into even more uncomfortable research when you get home. But Compliance has more power to make you think than most movies this summer, depicting with clinical detail a story based on real-life events, when a prank caller phoned a fast food restaurant posing a cop. He accused one of the employees of stealing, and had the manager detain her in a back room… then interrogate her… then strip search her. It only gets more uncomfortable from there.

Compliance is opening in limited release this weekend but will be available on VOD soon, and at the rate its director Craig Zobel is picking up new projects, you'll want to catch this one so you can say you knew him when. Compliance is an uncomfortable movie to watch, yes, but also an example of how terrific performances and a strong director behind the camera can make any tough experience worth seeing on the screen.

Sleepwalk With Me

August 24

Mike Birbiglia has performed stories about his life for years onstage in New York, and excerpts have run from time to time on the radio show This American Life, but you've really never heard his story dreaming of a pizza pillow until you've seen the pizza pillow (you're also going to wish someone would manufacture it, but that's another story). Birbiglia's inimitable sense of humor, as well as his truly bizarre sleepwalking affliction, means this movie about relationships and breakups and pursuing your dream is like none other you've ever seen. If you don't want to take my word for it, take the Sundance audience's-- Sleepwalk With Me won the Audience Award in its category at the festival earlier this year.

Written and directed by Birbiglia, who also stars as himself, Sleepwalk With Me could have felt way too personal and amateur, but it's pretty much the opposite, taking a very specific and weird story and making it into a universal tale about growing up, figuring out exactly what you want to do with your life, being good to the people who love you (Lauren Ambrose is great as his long-term girlfriend) and recognizing a problem that you can't take care of. Also, it's hilaroius-- way funnier than any of that made it sound. What can we say, Birbiglia tells the story better than we can.

Lawless

August 31

There’s only a small window left in the summer season and choices seem slim, but John Hillcoat’s Lawless, based on Matt Bondurant’s family portrait “The Wettest County in the World,” is most definitely worth a taste. Even without my recommendation, the prospect of seeing a Hillcoat-directed, Nick Cave-scripted, Depression-era, rural-set crime story should be enough-- after all, their last collaboration produced The Proposition, the most worthwhile Western since Unforgiven. Not to mention that the filmmaker, in the interim, continued his streak of beautifully bleak pictures without the singer-song-screenwriter with an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy The Road.

Then there’s Lawless’ stellar ensemble of Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikows ka, Guy Pearce and the Gary Oldman with everyone in absolute top form, even though Hardy once again steals the show with a ferocious yet humor-filled turn as Forrest. Lawless is an intense, often vicious look at the ‘Bondurant Boys,’ moonshiners in Franklin County, Virginia facing a hostile big city takeover of their family-run operation. Even before the bootlegging, people said the Bondurants were impossible to kill and well, you don’t get that title without plenty trying.

For A Good Time Call...

August 31

Lauren Miller has been best known until now as Seth Rogen's girlfriend, now wife, but that's all about to change with For A Good Time Call…, the new comedy she stars in and co-wrote, specifically in response to the lack of strong roles out there for young women. Starring opposite the always-hilarious Ari Graynor, Miller plays a girl who is struggling to come up with the rent, and eventually joins her new roommate (Graynor) in starting a phone sex line. Yes, it's as dirty as it sounds, but also really, really funny, and a strong story about friendship between women that, I promise, still feels nothing at all like Bridesmaids.

Like a lot of these late-summer gems, For A Good Time Call… premiered at Sundance, and was one of the best-received comedies of the festival. The girls at the center don't steal all the good jokes though-- Justin Long and Mark Webber are both strong in supporting roles, and if you look closely you might catch some cameos from Miller's husband Seth Rogen and maybe a few other familiar faces. Don't see it for the big names, though-- catch it for Miller and Graynor, two rising stars who prove serious comedy chops and make this film their own.

In 2009 Laika Studios debuted their first full-length stop-motion animated film, Coraline, and didn't just prove how incredibly lush and imaginative stop-motion could be, but made one of the best arguments at the time that 3D was the way to see it. Since then we've seen dozens of animated films in 3D, and more than a few stop-motion ones too, but few films have used 3D as well as Coraline did, immersing the audiences in the world of the film while also allowing us to marvel at these handmade creations better than ever before.

Now Laika is back with their second feature, ParaNorman, which is also earning rave reviews. But is the 3D as much of a slam dunk this time? Is it still the only way to truly experience the movie? To help you answer that question, here's our latest installment of To 3D or not to 3D, in which we run down the key components of any 3D movie experience and help you figure out which ticket to buy. Before you head out to see ParaNorman this weekend-- and you really should, it's terrific (my full review)-- make sure and read this guide first.

Does It Fit?

Animated films are usually a much better fit for 3D-- that level of control allows you to really make every scene pop-- and that goes double for stop-motion, where there's actually a third dimension, in the world, to pop out. The world of ParaNorman is incredibly visually dense and fun to run around in, and you know the perfectionists at Laika were eager to let that third dimension allow the audience to poke around in their sets as much as they did. ParaNorman doesn't have quite the same surrealism that made Coraline so brilliant in 3D, but its beautifully realized real world is just as perfect for the format.

Planning & Effort

It's mind-boggling the amount of work that goes into making a stop-motion feature, crafting every single character and every single scene by hand, using cutting-edge technology to make it all happen, and then shooting the entire movie frame by frame. With the animators and builders working within the 3D environment, they know exactly how the film will look in 3D-- and they actually used technology based on the human eye to craft their own 3D camera. That's right, instead of using a typical 3D camera rig, they shot the film with a DSLR digital camera, and set it on a rig so that the camera would snap one frame from the "left eye" position, then scooch over and shoot from the "right eye." It's the same effect as a 3D camera rig that shoots from the two angles that make the 3D image-- but astonishingly, innovatively fitted to the stop-motion process.

Before the Window

Because everything you see in ParaNorman was real at some point-- yes, even the ghosts that float around in the screen-- it's harder for this film to achieve the "before the window" effect, where something pops out of the screen and practically into your lap. But the movie gets close to it a handful of time, especially in the action-heavy sequences where things really are flying around (again, the innovation in the stop-motion here is incredible). With zombie limbs flailing around, a car flying around hairpin turns on a cliff, and a witch casting spells from the sky, there are a number of moments of pop-out glory in ParaNorman. It really could have stood to be more gimmicky with this effect, given its horror movie roots, but there's plenty to enjoy all the same.

Beyond the Window

The world of ParaNorman is deep, obviously, because it's real-- that's a real creepy corridor that Norman is walking down, that's a real school auditorium, albeit all in miniature scale. But it's not infinite, and the "beyond the window" score often works best with movies that can create the sense of vast rolling plains, or giant armies, or an endless avenue in Manhattan. So while the depth in ParaNorman is really effective, especially when placing characters within a confined space, it's not quite as stunning as you could get in a CGI animated film. It's not really fair to dock ParaNorman for this, but them's the rules.

Brightness

Being a movie about zombies and witches and curses that go into effect after sundown, ParaNorman takes place largely at night, but totally avoids the problem so many 3D movies run into when they don't' compensate for how much dimmer everything looks when you put your 3D glasses on. The brightness in ParaNorman is perfect, allowing for things to get shadowy and spooky when they need to, but popping with color at all the right moments, particularly a fiery finale. The Laika people thought of everything in making this movie, and keeping the screen bright is not a problem at all.

The Glasses Off Test

If you've ever taken off your 3D glasses in a movie and noticed that the screen looks blurry, you know what I'm talking abput-- the general rule of thumb is that the more blur you see, the more the image will "pop" when you put the glasses back on. We've been told by some people who are much more knowledgeable about 3D than we are that this isn't a hard and fast rule-- there are subtle 3D effects that you're just not going to suss out with this method-- but it's a decent test for the amount of effort being put into 3D, especially when you suspect you're being hoodwinked. The amount of blur in ParaNorman varies, as in any movie, and there were definitely a few dialogue scenes where the image had almost no blur at all. But I'm taking the expert's word for it, the quality of the rest of the 3D and the amount of blur in the other scenes-- ParaNorman passes this test enough to prove its worth.

Audience Health

Bad 3D has a way of making you feel nauseous, like you can't quite locate yourself in any of the film's dimensions. ParaNorman, as you can probably tell, doesn't have this problem-- the most ill you're likely to get is swooning at the effective design of the long-dead zombies.

Final Verdict: I started this piece thinking I could point out why ParaNorman's 3D was good but not up to the rapturous standards of Coraline, but as it turns out, ParaNorman's 3D is pretty terrific in general. That still doesn't make it strictly necessary to buy the 3D ticket-- you'll get just as much out of it in 2D, as friends who saw it that way tell me-- but if you want to get an even closer look at the movie's gorgeous stop-motion animation, the 3D won't disappoint you.

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For more 3D analysis, visit our To 3D Or Not To 3D archive right here.

Focus Features has the 3D stop-motion comedy thriller ParaNorman set to arrive in theaters later this summer (August 17). We'll be live-blogging the panel here at Comic Con today, which is set to feature stars Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick,Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Travis Knight, Chris Butler, and Sam Fell as they discuss the making of the movie. New footage from the movie will be shown and EW's Dave Karger will be on hand to moderate the panel.

From animation company LAIKA, ParaNorman follows Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a misunderstood boy living in a small town, who has the ability to speak with the dead. As his town is on the verge of a zombie invasion, this skill may prove to be vital to surviving the siege. It should be interesting to see what they have to show us from the film at the panel today, and hear what the cast has to say about the movie, which looks like a lot of fun.

10:47 a.m. - The panel is beginning with a screening. Be back in a few with an update!

Video - Begins with Norman getting up for the day. His parents dont get him. His sister doesn't like him. Kids at school pick on him. Most of his friends are of the dead variety. He sees ghosts and other deceased beings. A bearded ghost meets him in a bathroom stall. A witch's ghost is going to wake up and raise the dead. Norman has to use his gift of talking to the dead to stop it! To save his town, he'll need help ("and a whole lots of guts.") "This summer, you don't become a hero by being normal. I'm pretty sure we've seen either this trailer before or at least, this footage was shown in other trailers. Either way, it looked great in 3D and the movie looks funny, charming and just a little bit spooky.

10:52 a.m. - Moderator Dave Karger has taken the stage. Introducing the panel: Travis Knight, Sam Fell, Chris Butler, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. The last two got the biggest applause. Question goes to Chris Butler. He says this movie has been sixteen years in the making ("Not all the time," he says. "On and off, I dip into it.") They started actually making the movie about three years ago. Butler references The Goonies and Ghostbusters when talking about inspiration. Describes this as John Carpenter meets John Hughes. Travis Knight says the idea was a stop-motion animated zombie film. "Two great tastes that taste great together," he says. "A gumbo of our collective childhood loves and obsessions." He also says its a beautiful, poignant and moving story.

10:57 a.m. - Sam Fell is talking about American pop culture coming over to England in the 70s and 80s. References Stand By Me. Talks about a mixture of humor and scary. References Gremlins there. (Seems like they have some great influences for this movie!) Kodi talking about putting on an American accent and says halfway through the movie his voice-dropped, so Norman's voice doesn't even really sound like him now. Anna Kendrick says this is the first time she did animation. She was really nervous. She's always wanted to voice an animated character but she thought it would be a challenge. She says she looked "like a pretty big tool" doing the voice of her character because she wasn't focusing so much on how she looked during the production. She got up to demonstrate her knee acting. (Couldn't see behind the table).

11:01 a.m. - Mintz-Plasse says his character is the fat version of him. Now they're going to show us some more footage. It's a featurette showing some moments from teh previous trailer and a few new moments and behind--the-scenes bits. Creating the models. A scene where Norman is surrounded by zombies in a wooded area. Looks a bit scary. Lots of zombie growling. "This is awful!" Kendrick's character says as zombie mayhem ensues around her. "The zombies are like eating everyone!" Lots of running and action scenes. A zombie clinging to the roof of a car. Normal standing on a stage announcing that "The dead are coming!" Very Paul Revere. That's where the video ends.

11:08 a.m. - Kodi talking about the crew working on the movie. He's impressed by their patience. Anna Kendrick took lots of pictures of the the set. She says it's so well detailed. She said she got to stomp around the set like godzilla taking photos of the set when they were done shooting. And we're getting a 3D clip. It's at about the beginning of the second act. Norman has to read a book in the graveyard, which he's been trying to avoid doing. Will update in a few. The book he's given turns out to be a fairytale. Alvin comes to bully him and takes the book. Behind Alvin, a huge creepy green smoke-cloud looms up. It has a face and then turns into lots of hands. The smoke-hands swoop down and slam into the ground cracking it. The ground breaks and a skeletal hand emerges. The dead are rising! Norman and Alvin are surrounded by rising bodies. One comes up and roars. That's where the scene ends. The whole scene was animated by Travis Knight.

11:14 a.m. - Chris Butler says he was adamant that this movie had a strong ending. Sam Fell talking about the zombies and trying to find a balance of damage among the zombie's bodies. Missing arms and that sort of thing. Kodi said he saw the first scene for the movie and he was amazed, but before that, all he had to see of his character was a little puppet. Mintz-Plasse says he was throwing his arms around while doing the voice and that made it into the movie. And they're showing us another clip!

Norman has fled from the graveyard with Alvin. He bumps into his sister Courtney and some other people. This is the start of the big van chase. Will update in a few! Courtney's annoyed that her brother is causing problems. Then the zombie's hand comes through the roof of the van they're all in. A cop is riding a motorcycle behind them. She pulls up and tells them to pull over. Courtney's telling Norman he better think of something quick. Norman is holding the book and says "I have an idea!" and that's where it ends. The graveyard scene was intense. This one was more exciting and fun.

11:20 a.m. - They're talking about the Scooby-Doo vibe to the scene. Comments about how everyone in the van is so different, which is why they're all bickering. Now they're discussing the technology. Travis Knight talking about using 3D printers to make the models for the movie. "At some point we're going to be able to clone humans with this thing," he says. "It's very scary." It sounds like the 3D printer is very useful for their purposes in making a stop-motion movie.

11:23 a.m. - Mintz-Plasse says the directors loved when he did high-pitched voicing. Mintz-Plasse says he'll sing "Season of the Witch" if Kodi dances. Kodi's doing some popping and locking while Mintz-Plasse did a sort of rap that sounded like Eminem's "My Name Is." It was funny. Looks like the cast has fun with each other. Kendrick is talking about working with Casey Affleck. She says by the end of the day she and Affleck were sort of competitive with their voice-acting when doing scenes together. They're joking about Kodi having to make a shaky voice.

11:26 a.m. - Fan questions! A little girl asks what's next for LAIKA. Travis Knight says they have a number of things (adaptations and originals). Says they'll probably be making an announcement for the next project in a couple of months. First two questions are from adorable little girls. Microphone isn't working so we're waiting. The questioner is a little girl in a unicorn costume. She's very cute. She asked why the monsters were so scary. Answer is that the monsters are "quite sad, actually" and more silly than scary. Suggested age for this movie (per Sam Fell) is ages 7-8 and up. "Every parent knows where their kids at with what they can take," Fell says.

11:30 a.m. - Kodi says this film is a little bit scary. He loves animation and he loves horror. Next question is if the cast puts a part of themselves in their characters. Mintz-Plasse jokes he's always wanted to beat the crap out of Kodi. Kodi says he put being skinny into this character. Kendrick says this was the first job she thought she got because of Twilight (she plays a bratty teenager in Twilight), but they said she got it because they listened to her voice in interviews.

11:33 a.m. - There's a vulnerability in Chris' voice as the bullying character Alvin. They used the same casting director as Freaks and Geeks (that got some applause). They looked at F&G as far as the physical performances the kids did, especially for Norman.

11:35 a.m. - Christopher Mintz-Plasse says it's looking like Kick-Ass 2 is going to happen. Looking like it's going to start shooting in September.

11:37 a.m. - Travis Knight talking about the grueling work that goes into stop-motion animation.Fell says with VFX and green screen the filmmaking is getting more sophisticated. They can tell bigger stories. "The amazing thing about it is that every shot is a one-time-thing. It's lightning caught in a bottle. Slowly," Fell says. "There's a simple magic to inanimate objects being brought to life." Butler says he likes the limitations of stop-motion. "You have to really know what you're trying to achieve with it."

11:39 a.m. - Final question - They spent the longest time on Norman. Butler says Norman was based on him but he enjoys writing Kendrick's character and channeling his inner 15-year-old cheerleader. And that's it! Movie comes out next month. After what they showed us here and hearing about what went into making it, I have high hopes for this one. More information on Paranorman can be found in our Blend Film Database.

With Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Brave now in theaters, animation rivals DreamWorks and Pixar are duking it out to see who have the top cartoon of the summer season. And with colorful characters that are easily sold to families and converted into adorable children's toys, it's tough to compete with these dazzling CGI efforts. And yet there's a dark horse in the contest, a freaky stop-motion feature from Laika Entertainment of Coraline fame, called ParaNorman.

The Road's Kodi Smit-McPhee lends his voice to the eponymous hero of this creepy kid flick, a boy named Norman who has the incredible ability to see ghosts. Of course, that special skill can be a drag when no one believes you. But when Norman's town is besieged by zombies thanks to an ancient curse, his unique perspective is exactly what he needs to save the day.

Laika has already unleashed a string of trailers that revel in this tale's blend of humor and horror, but now they are offering a spirited behind-the-scenes featurette that shows just how Norman and his pals are constructed. Fittingly, it's in stop-motion. Check it out below—or to see it in HD head over to Apple.

While I'm sure there's some diligent animation enthusiast out there that will use this vid as a guide to build their own characters (and cheers to you!), I'd really like to see Laika team with Lego or the like and make kits that kids and adults dabble in their own interest in stop motion. Besides being a cool, creative and educational toy, it could also inspire a resurgence in stop-motion animation, a subgenre that definitely deserves to a resurrection.

ParaNorman. hits theaters on August 17th, in the meantime head over to our Blend Film Database to see more.

If you read my report from the set of ParaNorman that was posted yesterday, you know that Laika Studios is doing things unlike anyone else in the film industry. Their use of 3D printing alone – used to make replacement faces for their puppets so that they can show a variety of emotions – is groundbreaking and could end up changing the way that stop-motion animation is done. But with so much stunning technology at hand there is one big question that is raised: could ParaNorman have been made without it?

Continuing the interview that we posted yesterday with directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler, below you will find the filmmakers not only talking about the tech that went into making their new movie, but also the skill of the crew they have working with them, the calculated cost of one of the puppets, and dealing with star Kodi Smit-McPhee’s voice change.

When we were going through the costume area earlier I was looking at the amazingly tiny stiches in the clothing and I was just blown away. You’re working with this stuff every day, but do you ever get that feeling?

Sam Fell: Yeah, it’s amazing. Every now and then I’ll go on the tour myself, I just jump on the back and follow it around or I bring someone in, take them on the tour myself. Just to get out of that production mode for a moment and just look at it, it is astonishing.

Chris Butler: You talk about stitches? The stitches were designed to be asymmetrical. And sometimes I just walk around and I think, “What have I done to people?” [laughs] There are these people whose lives are spent stitching things incorrectly on purpose this big [holds up fingers very close together].

Fell: They love that!

How are they doing this by hand and having each copy match!?

Fell: Because they’re incredibly skilled!

Butler: Incredibly skillful – and if you analyze it, it probably is. That’s part of the fabric, of having it handmade.

So you must really cherish those imperfections.

Butler: Yeah. Obviously there’s a line [laughs]. But it is definitely part of the appeal.

How long can you work with one of the puppet before it needs to go into the repair room to be mended or fixed?

Butler: It depends on the puppet and it depends on the animator.

Fell: All the animators have heavy hands on this [laughs].

Butler: Our animation supervisor has a reputation, Brad [Schiff]. I’ve worked with him on other projects, and he used to have a tally on his animation card of how many puppets he had broken [laughs].

Like notches on a gun!

Butler: Yeah. And you’ve seen the armatures…

Can you assign a value to these puppets? With all the hours and hours of resources that go into them...

Butler: A lot of money.

Fell: You could have a very nice car for one of those. Brand new. Factoring in the development – and these ones especially because our characters designs were very unusual for stop-frame animation. Very small feet, no necks, big bellies, you know…

Butler: Everything that you’re not supposed to do, basically.

Fell: Pretty much, yeah. Basically. It caused a catalogue of problems for them. Some of the characters they just had to rip up the rule book and start again and come up with some new thing. Which they did!

Butler: It’s amazing, actually. There were things that we never thought worked but we’re like, “We’ll try it anyway!” And eventually you get there.

How many main characters are there?

Butler: Lots! [laughs]

Fell: 20? There are a lot. There are seven zombies, aren’t there?

Butler: Yeah. Seven zombies, five kids in the van, there’s mom and dad and grandma, and Mr. P., Mrs. Henscher, Hooper…lots!

Who’s your favorite?

Butler: Neil.

Fell: Yeah, Neil is pretty cool. He’s our little stand-out.

He’s the breakout star?

Fell: He really is. Everyone loves him. In fact, the last recording with did with Kodi [Smit-McPhee], because when we started recording he was 11 or 12 and now he’s 14 and we still had a few lines to get and his voice had changed. The ParaNorman sequel will be in his teens [laughs].

So did you have to change it in post?

Fell: No, we were lucky, actually, we just about got everything in time.

You didn’t have to add the Chipmunks effect.

Butler: [laughs] Yeah. He was actually really good and making himself sound younger too.

Fell: He was amazing, wasn’t he?

Talking more about the technology that went into making the puppets, I’m curious if you think that this film that you’ve made could have been made before now.

Fell: I think you could have, but it would have felt smaller.

Butler: Smaller in scope, and I think you would have had to change…

Fell: You could always tell the story.

Butler: Yeah, but it wouldn’t have been… I think part of this story, the reason for making it, is that it does have some scope, it does feel like it’s a real world and it wouldn’t have felt quite so real.

Fell: I went through it. On Flushed Away I wanted to do it stop-frame but it’s like this game. Couldn’t do it. I mean, that’s a long time away now, but…

Butler: Years and years ago! [laughs]

Fell: But yeah. You couldn’t do it then, and, as I said. It’s just a number of things that all happened at once that have changed the game.

From a technological standpoint, is anyone else making this kind of movie the way you are today?

Butler: Not quite. These technologies are available around the world, so I think most people are using some of this, but from my experience this is the most complete and full on toolbox you can have.

Fell: I feel like we’re leading the charge. There’s definitely a stop-motion renascence underway at the moment, which is amazing and great. And I like to think that this studio is partly responsible for that.

Butler: With Coraline, really. It changed the game. It totally revolutionized so many things and brought it back. I mean, it was always there, there’s always been stop-frame movies ticking along, but it’s usually one at a time.

Fell: I sound like an old git now, but back in the 90s [laughs] it was over. All the stop-frame animators were like, “Yikes!” It seemed like the old medium and CG was the new thing, but it’s really turning ‘round. It’s amazing – with the color printing and the visual effects and the 3D. See, now you got the resolution…we have better resolution than a CG movie because we have real objects and real light falling on them and it’s real photography. That’s been the thing that all those CG houses have been chasing forever.

Butler: And it’s something that we find, that added element of not being able to minutely plan it, you sometimes get real surprises with our process that you weren’t expecting. Certainly some of the innovations that we’re doing haven’t been tested before, so you’re trying stuff out that’s never been done. And some of the things that come as a result of that are mind blowing, because they’re not perfect, and you would have to actually work very hard to replicate them in CG. And I think that’s what makes it really viable because we’re not trying to make things super seamless and smooth.

Fell: We couldn’t.

Butler: Nor would we want to. We want to maintain that. You know when you see a handmade costume on the screen and you see the stitches and the work that’s gone into it, there is something really tangible about that, and with the new technology we can see that stuff better, and I think that’s really exciting.

It’s hard to imagine just how much skill, patience, control and endurance one has to have while making a stop-motion animated film. While most movies work to make you ignore the design process that went into the development of the world and story, on some level stop-motion animation invites you to peek in. The work not only features tiny imperfections that indicate hand-crafted artistry, but also the idea that it took hundreds of people working together photographing one frame at a time in order to make the project happen. But as monumental a task as one’s mind may make it, it wasn’t until I walked into Laika Studios to visit the set of ParaNorman that I realized just how breathtaking the entire effort is.

The film, based on a script by Chris Butler and directed by Butler and Sam Fell, follows a young boy named Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who has the ability to speak to the dead. When he learns that an ancient curse threatens to destroy his town, he comes to the realization that it is his destiny to use his powers to fight off the forces of evil. The all-star cast also includes Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Casey Affleck, John Goodman, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jeff Garlin and Elaine Stritch

Back during one early morning in late January, four journalists, including myself, boarded a plane to travel to Hillsboro, Oregon where we were given the chance to see not only the process behind the long-enduring craft of stop-motion, but also the fascinating, brilliant, futuristic technology that the studio is using and developing in order to make their films.

Making Norman Into The Boy He Is

When thinking about stop-motion animation most people think back to clay figures being bent and molded, but what Laika is creating is far, far more complex and interesting. Inside of each figure is an armature, which is basically a metal, bendable skeleton that makes up the body and joints of every puppet. The armatures are then put into a mold where they are cast into different characters using a synthetic latex-like material that feels eerily like human skin.

The heads of the puppets are fascinating as there are actually two different types that the studio implements. The first type is called “mechanical,” and is basically an armature for the face, filled with gears and switches. When covered by the face material, these mechanical faces can be manipulated to show different expressions. As you can imagine, there is a limit to the number of expressions that can be made using this type of head. For the characters that are featured in the film a lot and show a lot of emotions – such as Norman; his sister, Courtney; his friend Neil; or the bully, Alvin – they need to make what are called “replacements.” As the name suggests, this type allows the animators to remove the face of the puppet and replace it with a more accurate look. But how on Earth can they print enough faces to match all the various facial expressions shown by each character? You'll see by the end of this article, believe me.

As a result of each puppet being so intricately built and handled, there is a lot of wear and tear that goes on. For this Laika has an entire studio where artisans work on repairing various pieces and parts. Going through the various departments it was thrilling to see each crew member working so diligently with such tiny parts (you wouldn’t believe the size of some of the stitches made in the costume department). As you can imagine the number of man-hours makes each puppet quite valuable.

“You could have a very nice car for one of those,” co-director Sam Fell said later in an interview. “Brand new.”

The Life of The Animator

Let nobody ever say that the work of a stop-motion animator is easy because I can tell you for a fact it is not. At the studio we had the chance to visit three sets where members of the crew were hard at work quietly and carefully filming one frame at a time.

“I have, sometimes, slow motion dreams where I’m moving a frame at a time,” said Suzanne Twining, an animator working on a scene involving Norman in a school play. “I’m asleep, but my alarms going off, so I’m going [slowing moving each body part as she says it] ‘shoulder, arm, wrist, then follow the grid, then up, then down…”

But it’s not just the manipulation of the characters, but manipulation of the set as well. While touring the rigging department with Rigging Supervisor Oliver Jones, we got to see a stage set up where zombies were breaking out of the ground in a cemetery. Above the hole where the zombie is getting loose are pieces of dirt strung up on wires so that they will look like they are shooting out of the ground.

Not making the lives of the animators’ any easier is the advancing technology of the way we watch movies. High definition televisions are now the standard way to watch television and projectors in theaters are only getting better. As a result, the flaws of stop-motion animation are put under a microscope that they not work in their favor.

“I was worried about the whole HD thing, especially for TV, because you used to be able to get away with a lot of stuff, especially in stop-motion where not everything is perfect,” Twining said. “But, you know, it’s been okay, but I was a little worried. The last commercial I did we shot in HD and it was kind of like, ‘Urghhh,’ but it was okay. It all works out.”

The Big Boss

While many may envision the average Hollywood CEO as being a corporate fat cat sitting in a huge office burning money, when we were introduced to Travis Knight he was in the midst of setting up a giant forest made of corrugated cardboard and shredded paper, chicken wire, fake fur, AstroTurf and blown glass. In addition to being the president and CEO of Laika, Knight is also a producer on ParaNorman and, most impressively, the lead animator.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time and it still amazes me,” Knight said when asked if he is still impressed by the massive scale of the production. “It’s an astonishing group of people who would bend stuff every single day, and that kind of atmosphere just crackles with creativity…it’s inspiring to be a part of and it doesn’t get old.”

The studio broke out in 2009 with their first feature film, Coraline, which made nearly $125 million at the global box office. The movie put Laika on the map, but while ParaNorman does have some tonal similarities to Coraline (and, as Knight puts it “comes from the same DNA”) they are very different films.

“It’s not a fairytale, it’s more this kind of strange hybrid of a John Hughes-ian coming-of-age comedy and a George Romero/shambling zombie horror film, and kind of an Amblin-style adventure.

“It varies greatly in tone – it goes from humor and heartfelt stuff to excitement and danger and intensity and darkness. Just in terms of visually the way we approached it, we really did go for a more naturalistic style and it goes down to the materials that we choose to the way we’re lighting it, were using the camera, to the animation style. It’s much more of a skewed naturalism. So it’s not nearly as pose-y, it’s really well-observed – it draws from the things that we see people do. So it gives the characters and the setting a great verisimilitude, which I think makes the story more impactful.”

One key element that Coraline and ParaNorman do share, though, is that they both translate as horror movies for kids. What’s interesting about this, though is that it’s not a new phenomenon. Movies like A Nightmare Before Christmas and the upcoming Frankenweenie also share those horror roots. So what is it about stop-motion that makes it the perfect medium?

“There is something that is slightly inherently creepy about a puppet being brought to life. And so when you make a movie, because it’s an actual object that’s moving, so something just registers in your brain that that’s not quite right. But I think it creates a challenge when you’re trying to do a scene or a movie that has warmth and humor and heart because there’s an inherent thing with the process that’s a little bit off-putting, how do you then engage an audience so that you can overcome that? And one of the ways that you do that is by adjusting the animation style so can do that. By doing the kind of animation that we’re doing on this film, I think it gets rid of that weird kind of barrier between the audience of something kind of strange and an inanimate brought to life. So you do believe that these are living things.”

The Art of Rapid Prototyping

There wasn’t a single thing on the set of ParaNorman that didn’t blow my mind, but nothing I witnessed was as impressive or awe-inspiring as the process of rapid prototyping, also known as 3D printing.

When you break it down, the technology is a rather simple idea, but it’s the potential that’s so incredible. The printer functions by taking a 3D blueprint created by a designer on a computer and printing them out in physical form. What’s more, the machine isn’t limited to one kind of material, but instead can print in plastic, rubber, or even metal (and we’re talking titanium). The tech has actually been around for the last decade and was used by Laika to make Coraline, but what they are using now is even more advanced.

Primarily used by the studio to create replacement faces for each puppet so that they can express different emotions, the machines used on the set of Coraline were black and white printers that still required artists to paint in freckles, skin tone and more. For ParaNorman, however, they are using color printers that are actually able to consistently print out exact copies of the same design over and over again without inconsistencies.

With the use of the 3D printers, the team behind the film was able to produce approximately 8,000 different faces for Norman alone. Thanks to changeable and moveable pieces like eyebrows and mouths, this means that Norman can make about 1.5 million different facial expressions.

One major element that contributed to the fact that Laika could move to the more advanced equipment is that the price on the technology has declined massively in the last few years. According to Brian McLean, the Director of Rapid Prototype on ParaNorman, the studio paid $150,000 per black-and-white unit on Coraline and only $50,000 per color unit on ParaNorman. “You can get a little desktop unit for – a desktop plastic one – for probably $20,000,” McLean said. “So the price is really dropping.” In fact, he predicts that in 10 to 20 years the printers will be so affordable that you won’t go to Amazon to purchase a basketball, but will instead simply print one out.

But with the incredible advancements also comes questions for the moviemakers, namely how far you can push it before you’re just making advancements for advancements’ sake? “That’s one of the things that we really struggle with,” McLean said. “Making sure that the technology that we’re bringing into Laika and that Laika is adapting is pushing the artform forward. It’s not just, ‘We’re doing it because we can.’”

ParaNorman will be released on August 17th. Stay tuned later today when we post the first half of our interview with directors Sam Fell and Chris Butler! In the meantime, to see more from the movie check out two exclusive images from the set below. There's also even more over in our Blend Film Database.

This invading hand gives you a sense of the scale of both the characters and the sets-- this one, of course, is a school hallway.

Heidi Armour is at work making Norman's hair perfectly spiky.

Over the years a strong connection has been forged between stop-motion animation and the horror genre. In the last twenty years alone we’ve seen titles like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Coraline forge this bond (even James and the Giant Peach, a film about giant bugs living in a piece of rotting fruit, was fairly creepy for a children’s film). Hell, just a few hours ago we showed you the first trailer for Frankenweenie, a story where a kid brings his dead dog back to life.

But 2012 happens to be a special year because we actually have two stop-motion horror films coming out, the other, of course, being Laika’s ParaNorman. We’ve actually already seen a good amount from the title, as both a teaser trailer and an international trailer arrived online a few months ago, but now we get to preview even more as Focus Features has delivered a brand new look at the movie.

Check it out below and head over to Apple to see it in HD.

The film tells the story of Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee), an ordinary kid with an extraordinary ability: he can see dead people. While he is resistant to his abilities at first, when he learns that an ancient curse threatens to destroy his hometown he knows that he must do everything within his power to stop it. Directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell, ParaNorman also features the voice talents of Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Casey Affleck, John Goodman, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jeff Garlin and Elaine Stritch. Look for the movie when it arrives in theaters on August 17th and head over to our Blend Film Database to see more.