Film Review: FRANKENWEENIE (2012)

Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Leonard Ripps (1984 screenplay), Tim Burton (original idea), John August (screenplay)
Running time: 84 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): PG

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Horror
UK Release date: 7^th October 2012

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 10^th August 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

For the most part, I’m a bit of a fan of Tim Burton’s work. I have always found something about his stuff I liked since I first saw ‘Edward Scissorhands’ many years ago. I find his animated work particularly interesting and this is a fine example of just how good it can be! I have to admit though; I watched it with a little trepidation; that Disney logo on the front doesn’t always mean good things for me. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

When Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) loses his dog, Sparky, in an accident, he is devastated. His parents, Mom (Catherine O'Hara) & Dad (Martin Short), do their best to console him but he is lost in his own world. However, when science teacher, Mr. Rzykruski (Martin Landau), talks about how electricity animates the body, he has an idea his science fair project. Digging up Sparky, he re-animates him with great skill but knows he must keep him a secret. Sparky, being a dog, gets out and is seen by Victor’s classmate, Edgar ‘E’ Gore (Atticus Shaffer) and he blackmails Victor into giving him the secret to re-animation. Of course, Edgar can’t keep a secret and soon the whole town is awash with re-animated creatures. Can Victor find a way to reverse the process before they take over the whole town? I should also mention Victor’s neighbour, the Mayor, Mr. Burgemeister (also voiced by Martin Short), who has his niece, Elsa Van Helsing (Winona Ryder) staying with him, with her dog, Persephone.

I love Burton’s stop motion animation style; it really suits this type of tale. The fact it was in black and white was also a bonus for me; it made it look like the early horror films, many of which are referenced here. I also like that he made Mr. Rzykruski look an awful lot like Vincent Price; he was an early horror movie hero of mine. I haven’t seen the earlier 1984 film and so cannot make a comparison with that but I did like what I saw. Definitely well worth a watch for any horror fan; or even if you just want to be entertained; it’ll do that too!

SteelMonster’s verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.7/10.

IMDb Score: 7.0/10 (based on 42,734 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/

MetaScore: 74/100: (Based on 38 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 87/100 (based on 199 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 71/100 (based on 61,365 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/frankenweenie_2012/

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LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frankenweenieukandireland?brand_redir=1
Official Site: http://www.disney.co.uk/frankenweenie/#
Trailer: