I love the original short, but this is a boring and kitschy mess. It does not have enough plot to fill the runtime and fills the gaps with lame references to horror classics. Sure, those old horror movies are great, but paying homage to them in a never ending parade of in-your-face, yet out of place visual gags doesn't elevate this film in any way. In the end all the far reaching references cannot paint over the fact that the movie fails to sustain itself with enough of an original plot or engaging characters, and so it just collapses; yet sadly, just like for the reanimated pets, its natural death is not the end of this film and it drags on way too long.
While a perfectly acceptable boy and his dog story (for kids who love scary movies), Tim Burton's Frankenweenie is also a love letter to monster films, Frankenstein obviously, but also The Mummy, Dracula, Godzilla, The Invisible Man, Gremlins, and more. Many of the characters are cast have names pulled from Gothic horror and/or are cast as actors from Universal films - they do something really clever with the kid drawn (sculpted?) as Boris Karloff, for example - and Burton gets a double reference out of using Martin Landau (who played Bela Lugosi in his Ed Wood) for the Vincent Price lookalike. If you're a fan of the old movies, you'll smile and nod knowingly throughout. As a stop-motion follow-up to The Nightmare Before Christmas, it's charming and heartfelt (though another hit job on cats - they get little respect in most dog movies), and a novel way to remake Mary Shelley's classic without hitting the same exact themes (though the dangers of playing God are still a big part of it). Bonus points for the gorgeous black and white.
Pretty good, but the original short felt as though it had much better pacing, and was more focused on the central story of Sparky's relationship with Victor and the other townsfolk.
One moment it's reveling in it's gothic tone, sly pokes, and unsettling chuckles, the next it's a cheery kids' work. The tone doesn't hold and, even at 90 minutes, the pace flags because there isn't enough story. But there are plenty of good moments and I laughed more than a few times, even if it doesn't walk the line between horror satire and family fare as well as it thinks it does. Simply could have benefited from a slightly sharper edge.
it only shows that in everything we do, we should put our heart in it... well that's what I have learned in this film.
Why is it that Tim Burton always include really interesting attics in his films? is it a signature of his? anyway the attic always works well with his films.
The plot is unusual as well, but that's the thing with animations, nothing is impossible. Lastly, overall I think the movie is great, you can get something from it.
The best movie of Tim Burton since Big Fish (2003) with the exception of Sweeney Todd.
The movie is great, my favourite character was the dog of course, and Edgar 'E' Gore, that guy was very funny.
This movie in my opinion was better than Brave.
3.75/5
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 14 of 14
crazy_bitch
I love the original short, but this is a boring and kitschy mess. It does not have enough plot to fill the runtime and fills the gaps with lame references to horror classics. Sure, those old horror movies are great, but paying homage to them in a never ending parade of in-your-face, yet out of place visual gags doesn't elevate this film in any way. In the end all the far reaching references cannot paint over the fact that the movie fails to sustain itself with enough of an original plot or engaging characters, and so it just collapses; yet sadly, just like for the reanimated pets, its natural death is not the end of this film and it drags on way too long.Siskoid
While a perfectly acceptable boy and his dog story (for kids who love scary movies), Tim Burton's Frankenweenie is also a love letter to monster films, Frankenstein obviously, but also The Mummy, Dracula, Godzilla, The Invisible Man, Gremlins, and more. Many of the characters are cast have names pulled from Gothic horror and/or are cast as actors from Universal films - they do something really clever with the kid drawn (sculpted?) as Boris Karloff, for example - and Burton gets a double reference out of using Martin Landau (who played Bela Lugosi in his Ed Wood) for the Vincent Price lookalike. If you're a fan of the old movies, you'll smile and nod knowingly throughout. As a stop-motion follow-up to The Nightmare Before Christmas, it's charming and heartfelt (though another hit job on cats - they get little respect in most dog movies), and a novel way to remake Mary Shelley's classic without hitting the same exact themes (though the dangers of playing God are still a big part of it). Bonus points for the gorgeous black and white.chunkylefunga
It started off well but then the movie becomes stretched beyond belief. A good 30 minutes is superflous.Bobby Peru
Charming, dark and very Tim Burton. Loved it!ChrisReynolds
Pretty good, but the original short felt as though it had much better pacing, and was more focused on the central story of Sparky's relationship with Victor and the other townsfolk.MentallyHysteric
This movie was a great love letter to all the classics in the horror genre. That's the Burton I've missed so much the last couple of years!Pipistrellus
Cute :3Scratch47
One moment it's reveling in it's gothic tone, sly pokes, and unsettling chuckles, the next it's a cheery kids' work. The tone doesn't hold and, even at 90 minutes, the pace flags because there isn't enough story. But there are plenty of good moments and I laughed more than a few times, even if it doesn't walk the line between horror satire and family fare as well as it thinks it does. Simply could have benefited from a slightly sharper edge.vivienblue_06
it only shows that in everything we do, we should put our heart in it... well that's what I have learned in this film.Why is it that Tim Burton always include really interesting attics in his films? is it a signature of his? anyway the attic always works well with his films.
The plot is unusual as well, but that's the thing with animations, nothing is impossible. Lastly, overall I think the movie is great, you can get something from it.
sammysin
One of the finest animated films I can remember watching. It's a dream come true for lovers of classic horror & animation.Hilarious characters, touching friendships and extremely gratifying ending.
LOVE the final act. This is Burton's best in a long time.
twistedthursday
Very delightful.Bravesfan17
Tim Burton's best movie since Big Fish.BadFluffy
Boring, predictable and cliché. It's the original short, in stop-motion and dragged over 90 long minutes filled with every cliché character in the school roster and crammed with every possible "homage" to horror classics Burton was confident his recent audience would get. Meh.Joker of Gotham
The best movie of Tim Burton since Big Fish (2003) with the exception of Sweeney Todd.The movie is great, my favourite character was the dog of course, and Edgar 'E' Gore, that guy was very funny.
This movie in my opinion was better than Brave.
3.75/5