ParaNorman Returns to Theaters for One-Week Halloween Run

LAIKA’s award-winning stop-motion animated film ParaNorman returns this Halloween for a one-week theatrical engagement. As with the record-breaking 15th Anniversary 2024 re-release of Coraline in 2D and RealD 3D, LAIKA will bring the remastered ParaNorman (originally released in 2012) to global audiences.

Trafalgar Releasing is partnering with LAIKA to re-release the film in international markets on Thursday, October 23, and Fathom Entertainment in the U.S. on Saturday, October 25.

LAIKA’s second film, which garnered multiple awards including Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations, as well as multiple ANNIE Awards, was written by Chris Butler (Missing Link, ParaNorman) and directed by Butler and Sam Fell (Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget).

Offered in newly remastered RealD 3D and 2D formats, ParaNorman‘s return launches a year-long 20th Anniversary celebration of LAIKA, it was announced at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The studio’s new CG animated short film, ParaNorman: The Thrifting, is directed by LAIKA‘s lead character designer Thibault LeClercq and written by Chris Butler. The short features the voice work of Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard and Anna Kendrick reprising her role of Norman’s older sister, Courtney Babcock. Produced in association with Passion Pictures, ParaNorman: The Thrifting will be attached to the re-release screenings.

Coraline‘s re-release success last year signaled an audience desire for repertory cinema as moviegoers rediscover older films, especially accessible horror titles that families can enjoy together. Coraline’s return scored $56 million at the global box office, making it one of the biggest re-releases of the past decade and the highest-grossing stop-motion movie of all time.

“ParaNorman was a breakthrough film for LAIKA — emotionally rich, visually daring, and proudly weird in all the right ways,” said LAIKA’s Chief Marketing & Operations Officer David Burke. “Bringing it back to theaters in stunning remastered 3D, paired with a brand-new short film, is an invitation for audiences to rediscover the heart and humor of Norman’s world — or experience it for the first time.

“Today, horror has become a shared family ritual, and ParaNorman sits right at the intersection of spooky and meaningful. It’s the perfect ‘starter horror’ — a gateway into genre storytelling that’s as thoughtful as it is thrilling.”

“Fathom is very pleased to extend our distribution partnership with LAIKA and bring the critically acclaimed ParaNorman back to US audiences this Halloween in both 2D and RealD 3D and with the exclusive consumer-added value feature, ParaNorman: The Thrifting,” said Ray Nutt, Fathom Entertainment’s Chief Executive Officer.

“Coraline consumers voted with their wallets last year, resulting in approximately 70% of the record-breaking $34M+ U.S. theatrical box office coming in 3D. ParaNorman is the ideal, spooky follow-up for audiences to enjoy on the big screen later this year.”

“Following the incredible global response to Coraline’s theatrical re-release, which surpassed its original box office run in some international markets, we’re thrilled to partner with LAIKA once again to bring ParaNorman back to the big screen this Fall,” said Kymberli Frueh, SVP of Programming and Content Acquisitions at Trafalgar Releasing.

“ParaNorman is a visually stunning, emotionally resonant film that deserves to be experienced in theaters — both in 2D and in vividly remastered RealD 3D. We can’t wait for audiences around the world to rediscover this groundbreaking stop-motion classic.”