Laika delighted fans at the Annecy Animation Festival by announcing a re-release of the studio’s cult-favorite film, ParaNorman, and a new follow-up. The Annecy Festival is a celebration of animation that takes place in Annecy, France. Film studios and other companies use the festival to announce major animated projects. Disney unveiled a sneak peek of Zootopia 2 at the Festival, including an announcement of a returning director. Laika attended the Annecy Festival to officially announce that its stop-motion, kids’ horror movie, ParaNorman, will be receiving a new short called ParaNorman: The Thrifting. Anna Kendrick will reprise her role as Norman’s older sister, Courtney, for The Thrifting.
Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard will join Kendrick for the new short. The original feature-length film was directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, the latter of whom is returning for The Thrifting as a writer. The new short will instead be directed by Thibault LeClerq. The Thrifting will premiere alongside a new re-release of ParaNorman in RealD 3D, coming this Halloween, starting globally on October 23rd, 2025, and in the U.S. on October 25th. Fathom Entertainment will be handling the distribution of the film in the United States. Laika also shared a new poster commemorating the 3D re-release.
ParaNorman Is One of Laika’s Best
ParaNorman is a kids’ horror movie that originally opened in theaters on August 17th, 2012. The stop-motion film only earned $107 million at the box office with a budget of $60 million. However, the film developed a passionate cult following, with many praising the series for its unique tone, humor, animation, and thoughtful themes. The film would gain new success through streaming, becoming a Halloween favorite for a certain generation. ParaNorman was a direct follow-up to Laika’s first motion picture, Coraline, a similar horror-animated feature. The studio found success by re-releasing Coraline in theaters, with the 2024 re-release opening to $29 million worldwide, becoming one of the most successful re-releases by Fathom Entertainment.
Hopefully, ParaNorman can discover that same level of success with its Halloween re-release. The spooky holiday is an ideal time to watch the movie, working as a great gateway horror film for children. Laika recently shared a video that finally revealed the appearance of Mitch’s boyfriend from ParaNorman. The original film was noteworthy for incorporating a queer character among the main cast, even though Mitch’s boyfriend didn’t get revealed until the end of the movie. It’s unknown if the video and Mitch’s boyfriend would play a role in The Thrifting, but it’s a nice way to build up anticipation for the upcoming re-release.
Laika is currently adapting Wildwood, a novel by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis. The adaptation mysteriously disappeared from Laika’s release schedule before it was finally revealed by the company to open sometime in 2026. Butler will write the screenplay for the adaptation, whereas the company’s co-founder and co-owner, Travis Knight, will direct it. Knight is best known for directing Kubo and the Two Strings for Laika and the Transformers live-action film, Bumblebee. Wildwood will feature an all-star cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, and Maya Erskine.
H/T: Laika Official Website, Variety
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