See Anna Kendrick, Finn Wolfhard in new ‘ParaNorman’ short (exclusive)
Director Thibault Leclercq introduces a first look at the new animated short “ParaNorman: The Thrifting,” starring Anna Kendrick and Finn Wolfhard.
Just in time for Halloween, “ParaNorman” is rising like the undead
The Oscar-nominated LAIKA Studios stop-motion animated horror comedy is returning to theaters Oct. 25 in remastered 3D. And it’s coming back with an added treat. USA TODAY has the exclusive first look at the seven-minute short film “ParaNorman: The Thrifting,” which will be shown at screenings of the updated movie. Original star Anna Kendrick is back, and the short introduces a new character voiced by “Stranger Things” standout Finn Wolfhard.
When the kid-friendly “ParaNorman” was released in 2012, the horror genre was nowhere near the heights it is now. So think of all those youngsters who, after seeing an 11-year-old deal with a zombie invasion, were primed for “Hereditary,” “Get Out,” “Sinners” and all the good stuff since.
In “The Thrifting,” Norman (voiced by Brayden Gleave) is going costume shopping with cheerleading big sister Courtney (Kendrick) when he runs into his best friend Neil (Beckett Maillard) at a local curiosity shop. While Courtney flirts with tattooed store clerk Chad (Wolfhard), Norman and Neil meet a trouble-making (and territorial) phantom kid.
Returning “ParaNorman” writer Chris Butler, who also directed the original film with Sam Fell, had one rule for the new short: No zombies allowed. “This needs to be something else,” he says. That went for the animation style, too, as “The Thrifting” opts for a combination of traditional 2D and 3D instead of stop-motion puppetry. “My main goal was to find this balance between familiarity with the original and staying true” to the 2012 movie, “Thrifting” director Thibault Leclercq adds.
When Kendrick signed to return as Courtney in the short, Butler wanted to “give her something to play with,” he says. Because of the reveal at the end of the first film that her love interest Mitch actually had a boyfriend, Butler created Chad to be a new verbal sparring partner. (Courtney asks him twice if he’s gay. “I need to be sure,” she says.)
The idea of setting the tale in a thrift store dates back to the earliest days of “ParaNorman.” Butler started writing this gateway horror/zombie movie for kids 25 years ago, a project equally influenced by John Carpenter, John Hughes and “Scooby-Doo” that also tackled bullying and fitting in with others. Much of “The Thrifting” reflects the original film’s commitment to paying homage to Hollywood fright-fest history, including a building called “John’s Carpentry” and a familiar evil clown with a red balloon.
The movie still has a loyal fan base: There was a lot of social media interest in June when Butler and Leclercq revealed a drawing of Mitch’s boyfriend for the first time on Instagram for Pride month.
“We were allowed to make a movie that was quite brave at the time. We made some of those first steps to exploring greater diversity in animated movies,” Butler says, adding he’s loved hearing over the years how much “ParaNorman” meant to those “who did feel othered, who did not feel like they belonged. That for me has been the personal legacy, how much it connected with people who needed a story like that.”
