Mrs. F and I just got back from seeing ParaNorman in 3-D at the local megaplex. In brief, we loved it. If you enjoyed "Monster House" at the Marathon a few years back this should be every bit as good a fit if not better.

We were immdediately blown away by stunning and detailed visuals. From the B-movie parody at the begining followed by the gritty setting of a working class New England town, which bore a strong resemblance to Salem, we were drawn in to the a clever story filled with visual and verbal homages. This town, you see, has a past!

Voice characterizations went above and beyond as well. John Goodman's wierd uncle, Casey Affleck's dumb jock, and Anna Kendrick's non-stop cellphone-talking teen were laugh out loud funny without once dropping out of the fast paced story for a joke. Character voices were greatly enhanced by exaggerated body types, expressive eyes and effective use of textures and colors that went well beyond the shiny doe-eyed characters in lesser animation. It is no small achievement to make the audience look at an animated character and think: "Whew, this guy needs a bath!"

As far as whether it is too scary or violent for younger children, that's open to a parent to decide. I like to apply the standard put down by Bruce Campbell in "If Chins Could Talk". Knocking off a person's head with a shovel is violent and tasteless. Knocking off a rubber skeleton's head is hilarious.