Frankenweenie (Tim Burton, 2012)

I was not expecting to like this film as much as I did. Frankenweenie is a feature-length version of one of the first films Burton ever made – a short film of the same name. So this film really feels like it’s back to pure Burton basics – a black and white, stop-motion gothic horror with dark humour and just plain weirdness.

With echoes of Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie has the familiar pointy-nosed, thin characters you expect to see in a Burton film. The movie is inspired by classic black and white horror films, particularly the 1931 film Frankenstein. It parodies the genre but at the same time there is a sense of nostalgia and admiration for these films, which Burton himself grew up watching. The film is about a young lonely boy, named Victor, who brings his dog Sparky back to life – both the character and the plot of the novel very clearly referencing Mary Shelley’s famous novel Frankenstein (and my love of that novel means the film is already off to a good start). Also, there is an autobiographical element to the film as well – Victor is a keen filmmaker, making short films in his suburban backyard, very much in the way that Burton started his career.

In addition to being a quirky almost-satirical type of film, I was surprised at how touching it was. In fact, my eyes started to water in the scene when the dog is first killed – I was surprised that this type of animation could elicit this emotional response. (Well, I suppose it also had a lot to do with my love of dogs, and my own dread of one day having to face my pet dog dying – a close connection to the main relationship portrayed in the film). And as for being suitable for children, well I think this film clearly shows that not all animations are made for kids – I for one, wouldn’t recommend this film to a younger audience.

Frankenweenie clearly has many different ingredients that just made it work. It was like the good ol’ Burton who draws his audiences into a bizarre shadowy world that is really not that much darker than our own. I was also impressed by the 3D version of the film, especially after a string of slightly disappointing use of 3D in recent Hollywood films. Although the 3D in this movie was not groundbreaking in any way, I think having it as a black and white stop-motion film in 3D just made Frankenweenie a pleasure to watch – the type of movie-going experience you want to have.

4.5/5