ParaNorman star Norman hosts 2012 Summer Theatrical Fundraising for the Will Rogers Institute

BURBANK, Calif., June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Will Rogers Institute (WRI) has announced that Norman, the 11-year-old boy who is the lead character in this August's new 3D stop-motion animated comedy thriller ParaNorman, will be its 2012 Summer Theatrical Fundraising Spokesperson. The fundraising campaign, underway in participating movie theaters across the United States, is a time-honored tradition that began in 1936 with James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Bette Davis in the first public service announcement (PSA). Norman joins the ranks of such beloved characters as The Muppets and Hank Hill, who have previously starred in PSAs for WRI.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120628/LA32971)

Throughout the summer, Norman will be encouraging moviegoers to donate to WRI in any of several different ways: by giving their spare change, buying a special purchase at the concession stand, purchasing a personalized pin-up for a display board, or making a one-time $5 donation by texting WRI to 85944. The money collected funds pulmonary research laboratories, medical school fellowships, neonatal ventilators for children's hospitals, and free educational materials. Participating theaters include BowTie Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, Cinemark USA, Clearview Cinemas, Goodrich Quality Theaters, iPic Theaters, Malco Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements, Rave Cinemas, Regal Entertainment, ShowPlex Cinemas, Southern Theaters, and the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association.

Opening nationwide on Friday, August 17th and MPAA-rated "PG," ParaNorman comes from Focus Features and LAIKA, the companies behind the Academy Award-nominated animated feature Coraline. Following Coraline, ParaNorman is the second stop-motion animated feature to be made at LAIKA in 3D, unifying the two stunning art forms to tell an all-new frightfully funny, magically emotional, and hilariously spooky story. ParaNorman, directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, is set in the town of Blithe Hollow, where 11-year-old Norman Babcock (voiced by Kodi Smit-McPhee of Let Me In and The Road) spends much of his days appreciating the finer points of scary movies and studying ghost lore. When a centuries-old witch's curse is about to come true, Norman bravely summons up all that makes a hero – courage and compassion – as he finds his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

About The Will Rogers Institute
The Will Rogers Institute is a program of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation -- a charity named after one of the greatest humanitarians, philanthropists and entertainers, Will Rogers. Originally a hospital for tuberculosis-stricken vaudevillians, The Will Rogers Memorial Hospital became a national training facility for doctors treating patients with tuberculosis and the Will Rogers Institute was created. Currently, the WRI perpetuates the legacy of Will Rogers as a national charitable health program dedicated to the support of research in debilitating lung disorders, medical school training fellowships and the distribution of free health educational materials to the general public; it recently became a national leader in providing life-saving neonatal ventilator equipment to hospitals throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.wrinstitute.org.

Contact:
Todd Vradenburg
Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation
818-755-2324/[email protected]

SOURCE The Will Rogers Institute