Tim Burton brings back an old short in his latest stop-motion movie Frankenweenie
Director/writer/producer Burton originally had the idea for this black and white horror movie homage in 1984. The full-length realization of his concept was released on October 5. The stop-motion film features several of Burton’s favorite people who voice three or four characters.
Young Victor Frankenstein, voiced by Charlie Tahan, learns about how the body’s nervous system can respond to electricity even after dying after his beloved dog Sparky dies in an untimely accident. Hiding Sparky from his friends and parents becomes a problem when Edgar “E” Gore, voiced Atticus Shaffer, sees Sparky and forces Victor to reveal his secret. “E” breaks his promise to Victor about not telling anyone about Sparky, and well, one can imagine how the rest goes.
The character Weird Girl voiced by Catherine O’Hara and her feline companion Mr. Whiskers help move the plot forward by offering unblinking wide-eyed prophecies that come from the beyond the, er, litter box. For example when Mr. Whiskers dreams of Toshiaki (James Hiroyuki Liao) making a perfect pitch in a baseball game, it comes true days later.
Burton’s combination of creepy humor and oddly lovable characters creates the perfect pre-Halloween movie that is suitable for his current fans while making new ones. Frankenweeie has scary moments that only Burton could produce, but nothing that would scare children.
The movie has noticeable themes from old horror movies such as Dracula, Frankenstein and Godzilla. Shadows, thunder and lightning, graveyard scenes and ominous organ music all play a big part in making this film a creepy success.
My first reaction after coming out of the movie theater was that I liked the movie and that my favorite character was Weird Girl. Frankenweenie is great, and I recommend it for anyone that likes Tim burton’s style.
