Day 25: Frankenweenie (2012)

Frankenweenie (2012)

Starring: Cathrine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Winona Ryder, Charlie Tahan

Category: New, animated/stop motion

Plot Tags: mad scientist, children's movie

Original release: Oct 5th, 2012

Format viewed: Theatrical screening

Directed by: Tim Burton

Written by: John August (screenplay), Tim Burton (concept)

Distributed by: Walt Disney

Tim Burton is a mixed bag of a creative person. At times, he is absolutely a genius and creates wonderful, eerie and all together original works. Such examples are Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Batman/Batman Returns, Ed Wood, Big Fish, Corpse Bride. Other times, his style and sense of things overrun the work and it becomes awfully hard to enjoy what he is doing. Examples of this include Planet of the Apes (remake), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (remake), Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows (which I so so wanted to like more than I did). So his vision and his work can be a mixed bag. 

It seems like he is at his best when he is able to create what he really cares about and doesn't have to try to stuff it into this box or that safety net or whatever else. You can really see the pure creativity in Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands without a bunch of other producer types muddling it up. You can see the quagmire of a mess that happens when a lot of extra bodies are involved like in Alice in Wonderland. So with Frankenweenie (a full feature 'remake' of his live action short film from 1984), you can almost immediately see the care and regard he holds for classic horror films and what it means to really care for them (for someone like me). There is an immense amount of inside baseball that happens in the film with a lot (ok, a ton) of references to many old classic horror films and monsters. But like with the other animated gem this fall, Paranorman, this adoration doesn't come off as recycling, more just use with affection. Plus, it doesn't rely solely on those previous works to tell the whole story. Regardless of my personal interests, I can appreciate this because it means that the average non-horror obsessed viewer can get into it and enjoy it. 

The story is pretty simple, Victor, a young aspiring scientist and filmmaker (his home movie/monster movie was just heart melting, a la the kids film in Super 8) lives in a small, slightly odd town with his parents who appreciate his interests but want some sense of normalcy for their son. After getting somewhat forced into baseball, an accident happens at the end of the game involving a home run ball that takes the life of his very beloved dog Sparky. Victor, determined to bring him back to life, sets up a lab in the attic and, with the help of a formula (I think a reference to Reanimator) and lightning, brings Sparky back to life. Unfortunately, as these things go, Sparky is discovered and through blackmail by one of his friends, is forced to explain how he has performed this amazing feat. This spirals out of control in a hurry and the kids at his school cannot handle the aftereffects of bringing their dead pets back to life, including a truly inspired bit of lunacy involving sea monkeys. Things progress to the point where the town is overrun by the weird hybrid creatures botched by the other kids and things start to get out of hand when the mayor's daughter is dragged, literally, into the mess. The sight gags and references come fast and furious in the whole second half of the film but if you aren't a horror movie junkie, you won't miss out. Very smartly, TIm Burton elected to fade these things into the background in such a way that they feel organic and certainly not forced. The last bit of the movie I won't spoil because it is not only enjoyable to watch/discover on its own, but there is an emotional clarity to it that I think shows a remarkable amount of maturity on the part of Tim Burton and his crew. 

All in all, I really loved Frankenweenie for its charm, its timeless quality, the remarkable art style and the heart it shows. So often anymore, Tim Burton has all the ingredients but fails to give his creations heart and soul but this is not the case in this film. This was most decidedly a great success.