Proving once again the difficulty of having an original idea in Hollywood, last month saw the release of no less than three trailers for horror-themed, big-budget animation features, all set for late summer/fall release.

First on the release schedule is ParaNorman, in theaters August 17.  This date is an interesting choice, since the story of a young clairvoyant and his pals taking on a centuries-old zombie-causing curse seems like good fit for release closer to Halloween.

While the voice cast for ParaNorman has potential, it’s worth noting that Sam Fell (Flushed Away, The Tale of Despereaux) is directing, so here’s hoping ParaNorman won’t be the narrative mess that The Tale of Despereaux was.

And since we’re on the topic of directors, let’s talk about Tim Burton for a moment, my dears.  I’ll admit he has a certain cachet in horror circles, but let us be frank – for every film that was a wonder, we suffer through a handful of Johnny Depp be-wigged abominations.  You say Bettlejuice?  I give you Batman Returns, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Sleepy Hollow.  Edward Scissorhands? Alice in Wonderland and Planet of the Apes.   So it is with qualified interest that I offer you Frankenweenie, a stop-motion remake of an early Burton short film about a young boy that brings his dog back to life, à la Dr. Frankenstein.

The trailer does have a certain charm and the stop-motion looks well done.  It is also somewhat amusing to see this film as a Disney release, since Burton was working in the Disney animation shop when he made the original live-action short, which was considered a waste of Disney resources and resulted in Burton’s firing, thus freeing him to bring us such treasures as Batman Forever and the new Dark Shadows movie. Frankenweenie hits theaters October 5, so will be well placed for Halloween viewing.

Finally, there is Hotel Transylvania, with the story of a resort for monsters (or perhaps some kind of hunting lodge for rich weirdos?) that receives an unexpected guest.  Assumedly heart-warming chaos ensues.