Frankenweenie

It's hard not to like this film. You'll especially enjoy it if you've seen (a) James Whale's "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein," and (b) Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas."

The plot is basically the Frankenstein legend. The variation is that it's about a little boy whose dog has been hit by a car. The boy raises the dog from the dead a la Frankenstein. Charming complications ensue.

This was Tim Burton's first film, and it's a great harbinger of things to come. Burton was an animator at Disney, but the company thought he was a little too weird and let him go as an animator. This film shows how he would treat children's films, and it's delightful. You'll recognize the art direction, especially in the graveyard, from "Nightmare."

The film does a wonderful job of including nuances from the Whale flicks, from the electrodes on the dog's neck to the resuscitation lab to the brief parody of "Bride."

There's enough scary-ish stuff (slightly more gentle than meeting the Almighty Oz) to keep kids going, and enough recognizable movie riffs and humor to keep adults going. What's not to like?

I just love this… A classic, immortal story enriched with personal ingeniousness! That's exactly what Tim Burton did here! His jolly little film introduces us to the 10-year-old Victor Frankenstein who can't bear the loss of his beloved dog. A car hit Sparky and Victor doesn't want any other dog to replace him. So, he sews him back in one piece and reanimates him electrically! This short only lasts a good half hour but that's more than enough time for Burton to inject memorable sequences, black humor and a healthy dose of social criticism. Burton mocks the life in small American villages, like he'd do it again later in his classic `Edward Scissorhands'. The director also knows the classic Frankenstein version by heart and terrifically reuses the settings and atmosphere here. Just look at that adorable scene with the miniature windmill near the end! An outstanding short with humor, a bit of tension … and even good acting! Frankenweenie stars Daniel Stern (C.H.U.D) and Shelley Duvall (The Shining). It can be found as an extra feature on the Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition DVD, for example.

Saw this on the Nightmare Before Christmas DVD and thought it was pretty good. Apparently Disney thought it was too dark but with the exception of one shot of the dead dog it was actually pretty cute.

Some of the performances were over the top (neighbors) but I am pretty sure that was supposed to happen - I mean come on we're talking about resurrecting a dog people. The ending is a little sappy but that's because it's a family film I suppose. I really did enjoy seeing Frankenstein replayed in the tale of a dog as well as references to Bride of Frankenstein etc. What is particularly weird is seeing Daniel Stern & Shelly Duval play parent roles, as well as the kid who played the older brother on The Wonder Years. For the most part the pacing is good since I almost never checked my watch.

Good camera work for a young Tim Burton and overall decent movie which shows the latent talent of Mr. Burton before he got really famous.

8/10

Ah, Tim Burton. One of the greatest and strangest directors in the world. I was lucky enough to have seen "Frankenweenie". It was one of the many wonderful extra features on "Nightmare before Christmas". I would highly recommend this to any Tim Burton fan. It is in fact probably a must. You get to see his early work. It is very interesting on his take of "Frankenstein". The story has some laughs. I think it was meant that way. So if you enjoy any of Tim Burton's stories, I think you will definitely enjoy this one. "Frankenweenie" is a great story. Tim Burton. He has come a long way from these days.

10/10

Frankenweenie is ironic because it was banned for being too out there for kids yet crap like Pokemon and Power Rangers is ok for them. The kid from Neverending Story stars as a kid who loves his dog and one day when his dog is killed he resurrects him from the dead, ala Frankenstein and lets his dog live again. This is a cute film and is noteworthy as being a creative concept by Tim Burton. If it wasnt for this movie, Pee wee's big adventure would have never existed.***1/2