I have always been a big fan of Tim Burton's directing in movies, particularly when he tells an animated feature. So when I heard of Tim Burton's latest directorial movie I immediately knew it was a movie that I would have to see. Frankenweenie is Burton's full length animated feature from a short animated film he did back in the 1980's. It's obvious from this as well as the short that Tim Burton holds the story close to his heart. It is a pretty sage guess that young Victor Frankenstein may have a lot in common with Burton's own childhood experiences, a misfit socially who finds enjoyment in less then popular outlets such as science, sci-fi and film making. Burton's Frankenweenie ends up being a film that really pays homage to the old monster movies of yesteryear.
The voice talents for Frankenweenie bring a lot to their roles and they elevate some of the characters more than one would expect in an animated movie. Charlie Tahan as Victor worked really well. This was the first movie I have seen him in where he was one of the lead roles even if it was him just lending his voice. Being a lead with such a stellar cast could be intimidating, yet I felt he embodies what I would picture young Victor to be like. Winona Ryder lends her voice as Elsa Van Helsing and she played her character fairly well. It just seemed that Victor and Elsa worked well and seemed to fit together well not only in their voices, but just on screen together. Catherine O'Hara who seems to be one of those actresses that lends her voice in more then a couple of Tim Burton movies does a great job with Martin Short as Victor's parents as well as the other minor character they lend their voices to. Atticus Shafer as Edgar "E" Gore as well as Martin Landau as Mr. Rzykruski are perfect supporting cast members. Particularly Mr. Rzykruski, who those who are fans of the old school horror/monster movies will recognize the science teachers likeness to that of the late great Vincent Price. Landau just played the role perfectly and I felt like Landau and Shafer in their roles nearly stole the show. "E" Gore was I think in a way the odd comedy of the film with his role being the parody of Igor.
The story for Frankenweenie begins fairly simple- Victor a socially inept kid, whose only friend is his loyal dog Sparky. Victor's parents try to get him more engaged, which after hitting a home run while playing baseball, Sparky chases after this ball and ends up having a tragic accident. Of course, like any young boy Victor is crushed, but his scientific mind along with some lightning leads to a shocking development that he is able to bring Sparky back. The secret though ends up getting out which leads to an interesting turn for the science fair taking it to a whole new competitive level. From here we get additional references to the Bride and son, Mummy and Invisible Man and even gives us a nod to the fiery windmill conclusion of the Karloff original. Where earlier we got a homemade monster movie, it leads to an actual giant monster movie, as Victor's different classmates wanting to win the science fair, essentially using the same cinematic "science" magic bring to life monsters from a Godzilla type monster, a bat/cat creature to even gremlin type creatures. This truly is an homage to the 1930's horror movies taking place in a 1950's suburban setting, so similar to many of the neighborhoods Burton has used in films like Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands.
The ability of the picture Burton is able to paint in his movies is probably the biggest reason I have grown to be such a fan of Tim Burton movies. It was truly awesome to see the textures and light they manage to capture even in the use of black and white. Having this film in black and white, while I am sure it drew some of the kids viewership away, it fit so perfect for what Burton was trying to do. The genre of animated films has such a wide variety of ways to make the animation come to life on screen that for me it is impossible to choose which animation format is the best. Tim Burton's use of stop animation is great, for some reason the energy of the characters is carried through the characters that it seems so real and nothing more then just seeing everything in black and white rather than color. Once again Danny Elfman brings a musical score that not only works, but fits the theme of Frankenweenie perfectly. There is just something about what comes out when Elfman and Burton team up and the way the musical score just interludes so perfectly with everything else.
Frankenweenie is an animated movie that has a great ability to pay tribute to the old horror/monster movies. This was a movie that was truly just enjoyable to watch from start to finish and for me, even though it was in black and white it kept the attention of the Little Movie Man throughout the entire movie as he just sat at home as we watched this movie. Tim Burton seems to always be able to bring strong casts to his movie and he does not disappoint with Frankenweenie. I can not say enough about the homage to monster movies, even tpaying tribute to Jurassic Park. I am giving Frankenweenie three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. Frankenweenie is one of those movies that is a great one to sit down and be able to enjoy with your family and it is one that will be definitely added to the movie collection soon.
-The Movie Man
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