When you watch a Tim Burton film, you know what you’re getting. His body of work has a level of eeriness unmatched by any other director, and Danny Elfman’s ubiquitous scores help set that mood.
Frankenweenie is no exception. Based on his 1984 short of the same name (starring Barret Oliver, Bastian from The Neverending Story), the new version elaborates on the original tale, and the animation enables the story to unfold with more visual impact.
Victor is young intelligent boy who makes movies, casting his beloved dog Sparky in the lead role. His parents worry that Sparky is his only friend, but once you meet the cast of crazy characters that attend Victor’s school, his isolation begins to make more sense.
Elsa van Helsing is very reminiscent of Lydia from Beetlejuice, and when she spoke, I wasn’t surprised to hear Winona Ryder’s voice. There are other homages, as well, both from Burton’s earlier films and monster classics. Classmates resemble Igor and Frankenstein’s monster. The science teacher bears a remarkable resemblance to Vincent Price. And, in quite a departure from the original short, classic monster homages appear towards the end, including Godzilla, the Mummy, and what I can only imagine must be Gremlin-like creatures. There’s also a scene with a toilet that, for a brief moment, brought to mind Gennaro from Jurassic Park.
If you saw the original (included in the combo set), then the main plot won’t come as a surprise. However, Sparky’s fate was far more emotional in the new version, given that Burton provided more time for us to get to know Victor and Sparky. Burton was kind enough to handle the scene rather delicately, implying rather than showing directly what had just happened.
The original was a very simple story about a boy and his dog, but the remake expounds upon that, making a statement about science and tolerance for new ideas.
The clip below shows a classroom lesson from the science teacher:
I liked this film. I almost cried once or twice, but that happens whenever I watch a movie with a dog in it. (There are some movies I’m absolutely not allowed to ever watch again. Old Yeller, I’m talking to you.) As I already indicated, Burton has a brand, and if you like his style, then you’ll probably like this, too. It’s a very sweet story with monsters and incredible animation.
And, you’ll discover that Sparky is quite an appropriate name for this special dog.
The Frankenweenie Blu-ray Combo pack is now available on Amazon.