And You Will Hear
Last Thursday, September 27, BeautifulBallad attended a screening of Disney’s Frankenweenie in New York. The black and white stop-motion animation film is Tim Burton’s remake of……his own live-action short film Frankenweenie, which was released in 1984.
Like it’s predecessor, the 2012 edition of Frankenweenie is based off of that eternal gothic classic, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Frankenweenie also doubles as an homage to the original Frankenstein film of the 1930s, as well as to the art of movie making from yesteryear.
To read more of our review, click below the jump.
The tale of Victor Frankenstein bringing his beloved dog Sparky back to life, Frankenweenie was a smart, self-aware film that embraced new mainstream technology such as enhanced animation and 3-D effects while honoring the aesthetics of a by-gone movie-making era.
In the first scene of Frankenweenie, it’s established that Victor makes home movies that still run on old-school film reels, yet his movies are in modern 3-D. As the audience hears Victor clicking the reels into place, he gently chastises his parents (and the audience) for not wearing their 3-D glasses.
This entire scene sets the tone for the movie: it’s smart, self-reflexive, and humorous on several levels. Frankenweenie also did a good job incorporating aspects of the original novel and film in minor ways: Victor seeing inspiration in the lightning, the public’s reaction to Frankenstein’s puppy, and minor characters such as Edgar (a modern Igor).
Overall, this movie will appeal to both long-term Tim Burton fanatics, and more casual viewers. It definitely possesses the hallmarks of a Tim Burton movie: a little dark and slightly sarcastic with an excellent score.
The creatures in the climax of the film are where Burton is at his Burtonyist; however, it is neither over-the-top on eccentricity nor childish but seemed just right. There were a few scenes where the plot seemed to drag as if it were a true labor to extend the original short to a full-length feature, but overall the film felt cohesive and well designed.
If you’re looking for a cute Halloween movie this fall that is not super gory or horrifying, but is a bit more mature than animated ghosts yelling “boo!” at each other, Frankenweenie is the movie for you. It could be a bit scary for young kids, but overall is a festive Halloween film that will be enjoyable for adults and kids alike.
Grade: A-