Like the film's main character, Tim Burton is reanimating something
dear to his heart. In Burton's
case, it's an idea that he once tried as a short film called Frankenweenie. Utilizing stop motion
animation, the feature film expands the original story a bit while also
managing to homage almost every horror film imaginable. The result is a beautifully animated
film that's funny and enjoyable but ends up feeling like a good idea stretched too
thin.
Victor (voiced by Charlie Tahan) is a young filmmaker who
enjoys making monster movies with his dog Sparky. When Sparky unexpectedly dies, Victor decides to take the
science skills he's learned in school and bring Sparky back to life through a Frankenstein-like experiment. Eventually, news of the reanimated dog
spreads throughout the town catching the attention of Victor's fellow students
who want a piece of the action. It's a simple yet unorthodox story about the acceptance of
death in an honest and weirdly enjoyable way.
As weird and unorthodox as the story is, Frankenweenie is so dependent on the
horror homages that it becomes predictable every step of the way. There's a lot of filler here with
experiment scenes that go on far too long and characters that go nowhere.
Despite some of the filler, there are some really fun set pieces with Sparky that
keep the first half of the movie feeling fresh. Not all of the characters are forgettable fluff; Martin
Landau voices Mr. Rzykruski, a forward thinking science teacher that steals
every scene with some of the best dialogue in the entire film.
A fun beginning and a classic horror-soaked climax can't
save a boring middle third that drags on too long and for no good reason. Frankenweenie
is so visually interesting by effectively utilizing the stop motion animation
in black and white that it's too bad the same ambition couldn't be cultivated
in a more consistently engaging story.
Ultimately, this is a film for kids, and Burton has created a fantastic
way for younger movie geeks to get into horror through a relatable story and
wonderful visuals. Regardless of what I think, that's far more important and deserves
to be applauded.
