Frankenweenie
(2012)Tim Burton’s monochrome stop-motion animated film about young Victor who conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended and monstrous consequences.... More
After Sparky's untimely death, Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best pal back to life - with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s friends (including Elsa, voiced by Winona Ryder), enemies, parents (voiced by Catherine O'Hara and Martin Short) and the entire town all learn that getting a new 'leash on life' can be disastrous.
Over 200 puppets were created for the movie which began life as Burton's 1984 short film, a comedy homage to Frankenstein.Hide
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Directed by Tim Burton
Starring Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell, Christopher Lee
Written by John August
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 2 providers
Flicks Review
BY Aaron Yap Flicks Writer
I can’t remember the last time Disney made a film as deranged and intensely morbid as Frankenweenie. With its cast of pale, saucer-eyed, zombie-like characters, macabre corpse-resurrecting, grave-robbing shenanigans and gloomy monochrome palette, Tim Burton’s return to stop-motion animation is fairly nightmarish stuff for what’s essentially “family entertainment” (the irony, of course, is that back in 1984 when Burton submitted his original Frankenweenie short for Disney, he was fired). A homage to James Whale’s 1931 classic Frankenstein, this is his spryest, most consistently enjoyable - and refreshingly Johnny Depp-less - film in years, especially after the leaden miscalculations of Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows.... More
It plays like textbook, back-to-basics Burton though, so Frankenweenie isn't exactly awe-inspiring in the way it might have been had it had seen the light of day in the ‘80s. Rather than break any new ground, John August’s script is a time-tested boy-and-his-dog tale, borrowing and referencing - Edward Gorey, Vincent Price (see Martin Landau’s science teacher Mr. Rzykruski), Gamera, other Burton movies - as it revisits those old themes (playing God, mob mentality) from Mary Shelley’s novel. But for dog-lovin’ celluloid nostalgists, Frankenweenie’s predictability and lack of ambition can probably be forgiven. Sparky’s an adorable creation, and if you can see past the film’s string of horror nods, Burton has made a highly affectionate bit of ghoulishness that remembers the warm, lustrous magic of black-and-white images flickering across the big screen.Hide
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Frankenweenie
BY RealityCheck superstar
This feature is fantastically done like 'Nightmare Before Christmas' with its beautiful animation and wonderfully (colourful *pun*) characters names. A mash of 'Edward Scissorhands', 'Nine', and perhaps ' I loved this as much as any person with a Tim Burton fetish. It mixes some old stories up an gives them a darling childlike, albeit sick and twisted, approach to the nomal adult fiction pages. Funny in parts, but he can fix that, with the little gap fillers (ie good bye kitty)... More you'll see them if your really watching & listening to the film. And I love Mr Wiskers and his owner!!
Genre : animation, horror/ish, comedy-ish
5/5 : stop motion just isnt used enough these days, gotta respect that, plus cool storyHide
The Press Reviews
87%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
This isn't one of Burton's best, but it has zealous energy. It might have been too macabre for kids in past, but kids these days, they've seen it all, and the charm of a boy and his dog retains its appeal. Full Review
It's a likeable film, though not a sensational development in Tim Burton's career. Full Review
'Frankenweenie' has that youthful verve and the ghoulishness of strange kids who will some day be eccentric creators. This movie is an attic experiment for its makers to be proud of and for audiences to cherish. Full Review
Though the tale demands a darker outcome, the director disappointingly goes the Mouse House happy-ending route with a reprise of the original short film's finale - one that somehow plays with even more cringeworthy sentimentality. Full Review
Burton's finest, freshest film in ages is a welcome homecoming. You'd call it patchwork pastiche, if it weren't so zapped with energy, feeling and imagination. It's alive! Full Review
'Frankenweenie', scripted by John August, and based on a screenplay by Lenny Ripps from Burton's original story, is tight and brief, hitting all the marks you'd expect from an animated kid's film, and enlivened by Burton's visual style. The man should make more small movies like this one. Full Review
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