9. Paranorman (2012)
Kids on the hunt for spooky ghosts, zombies, and witches? No, it’s not Scooby-Doo, it’s the overlooked 2012 feature film Paranorman. A young boy discovers that his town will soon be overwhelmed by an ancient witch’s curse and it’s up to him to stop it. But when he gets his mission explained to him by spirit-possessed toilet paper, you know it’s not going to be an ordinary ghost-busting expedition.
A witty take on the old “kids-versus-monsters” trope and very clever visual effects make this a mystery worth investigating.
8. The Lego Movie (2014)
This hilarious tale set in the world of the popular toy building bricks would be a classic for Batman’s scenes alone. Whether he’s ditching his friends to party aboard the Millenium Falcon or rocking out to his own industrial rock theme song (DARK-NESS! NO PARENTS!) the Caped Crusader will never be seen the same way again.
But everything in this movie is a gem of comedy and it’s brilliantly crafted and skillfully skewers all its source properties and storytelling tropes in such a way that it actually enhances the tale. Voice talent by Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, and Will Arnett certainly doesn’t hurt either.
