Rating of
3/4
Review: Frankenweenie
MikePA - wrote on 12/23/12
Tim Burton's Frankenweenie is a remake of a short film of the same title that he had made several years ago. I have not seen his short film, but according to Wikipedia it's a beloved family movie. The feature-length animated film is lively and entertaining. I enjoyed it. Tim Burton pays homage to the classic monster films with heart and style.
The plot of Frankenweenie is fairly simple and straight forward. Young Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan) and his dog share a special friendship. Technically the dog is Victor's best (and only) friend. Victor isn't exactly the social or sporty young boy. He enjoys science more than anything else, and because of that his parents, voiced by Martin Short and Catherine O'Hara, think he's "different." Daddy convinces Victor to take part in the baseball game. When Victor is up, he slams it out of the field on the third pitch. Unfortunately, doggie jets through the field chasing the ball into the street and is hit by a car. Victor is devastated.
Victor, Mr. Boy Genius himself, decides to dig up his bestfriend and revive him in a Frankenstein-style manner, through the use of bolts and spinning machines and lightning. The procedure is a great success. I'm happy Burton didn't take the cheesy route and have Victor yell, "it's alive!!!" Victor's only worry is if his parents discover that he has brought the dog back to life. What parent wants to learn that their child is playing around with the undead? Slowly, more and more people find out about this event after the creepy Edgar (voiced by Atticus Shaffer) discovers this. All hell breaks loose once the kids in town attempt to revive their pets, but instead turning them into vicous monsters. Can Victor save the town? Will he and doggie lose each other, or will they find a way to remain together in reality?
I've always been a great admirer of Tim Burton as an art director. All of his films look terrific, even the bad and mediocre ones. One of the best things about Frankenweenie is the look and visual style. Of course, the art direction is superb and his crazy hand-made characters (this is a stop-motion animated film - my favorite form of animation) look better (and creepier) than ever. He shot the movie in black-and-white to appropriately pay homage to the classics. There's lots of eye candy to be had here.
What carries the movie is the relationship between Victor and his dog. They grow on you as characters. Their relationship with one another as best friends is believable and developed well, leading to an entertaining climax that can get pretty riveting because you actually care about what may or may not happen to them. The voice performances are first-rate, with Martin Landau providing noteworthy standouts. The screenplay give the characters plenty of heart and humanity without getting too cute or over-the-top. The only problem I have is just that it isn't that funny. Yeah it's entertaining, but many of the comedic attempts don't really work.
This is the Tim Burton I like, as well as Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, and A Nightmare Before Christmas. He cared about those projects. He put his heart and soul into making them. Movies like Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory he clearly made for the big paycheck. After inflicting Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows upon us, Burton ressurects himself with the wonderful Frankenweenie. It's fun, exciting, and will provide great nostalgia to those who love the classic horrror films.
3/4
