I’m not normally one to get excited for animated films. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: most of them are just not for me (obviously, save for Rango which combined my first two loves: cowboys and reptiles). But normally, I just don’t really get on board with animated films, as taboo that is to say. That’s right. I did not cry in Up, I did not enjoy Dory’s quirkiness in Finding Nemo, and I never understood the reason for making Cars.

Stop-motion animation, however, has always held a special place in my heart. Something about the nostalgia I have for the Wallace & Gromit films mixed with the endless possibilities of the present-day take on this form, that Wes Anderson was able to prove in The Fantastic Mr. Fox, manages to peak my interest every time a stop motion film makes its debut.

So, when the trailer for Chris Butler and Sam Fell’s stop-motion, horror-esque ParaNorman hit the web, I was less than reluctant to watch it, especially after learning that Chris Butler was also involved in fellow stop-motion, horror-esque 2009 hit Coraline. I mean, whoever thought to combine a take on a horror movie with the stop-motion animation so beloved from my childhood is a genius. There, I said it.

And, oh boy, is this trailer good! Telling the story of a boy with a sixth sense who must save his town from curse all the while crossing paths with zombies, ghosts and other scary creatures, ParaNorman manages to combine a fun plot with a star-studded cast. The movie boasts the voices of Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and, my personal favorite, John Goodman. Talk about a cast I’d like to see again! And if this film goes well, I might just get that very wish.

ParaNorman is slated for an August 12, 2012 release date. I will wait diligently until then. Watch the trailer below: