Frankenweenie

Victor Frankenstein (Tahan) is a young budding scientist and filmmaker living in New Holland whose best friend is his pet bull terrier, Sparky. But when Sparky is accidentally hit and killed by a car, Victor decides he can’t live without him, and so secretly uses the power of lightening and science to successfully resurrect Sparky. However, Victor’s attempts to hide the newly-alive Sparky soon fail, and the secret of resurrection slips into the hands of other children similarly pining for deceased pets. When New Holland comes under threat from these Franken-pets, it falls to Sparky and Victor to stop the danger and save the town.

Based on an earlier 1984 short also directed by Burton, Frankenweenie is his second foray into stop-motion animation following 2005’s Corpse Bride. The film feels very much like a classic Burton film: heavily Gothic, displaying his love for classic monster movies (Frankenweenie was filmed entirely in black and white) and containing the Burton humour that many of his more recent entries have been lacking. Yet despite the somewhat darker than average tone for an animated film, this is still a movie that can be enjoyed by just about everyone and remains fun throughout.

All the vocal performances in the movie help to liven it up as well, with many actors taking on multiple voices. The standouts though are Tahan as Victor, former Burton collaborator Winona Ryder as Elsa Van Helsing, Victor’s friend and potential love, and Atticus Shaffer as Edgar ‘E’ Gore, Victor’s sometime assistant and homage to the Igor of classic Frankenstein.

With a great story containing some real heart, a terrific voice cast and great animation, Frankenweenie is a return to form many Burton fans have been waiting for, whilst still being an engaging movie in its own right.

Tom Freeman