4 stars out of 5
Before Frankenstorm, I saw Frankenweenie. In 3-D with pretzel nuggets and a large root beer. (Well, hell, if it’s the last time I ever go to the movies….) Have I mentioned that I am a Tim Burton fan? Oh, I have? Well, I still am. I liked his first movie of 2012 (Dark Shadows), and I like Frankenweenie even more.
Which is not to say I didn’t go in with a bit of trepidation. Burton’s 1984 short Frankenweenie holds a special place in my heart. For those of us who became Burton devotees in the late 80s, Frankenweenie was this key piece of the legend that none of us had actually seen. Finally, thanks to the magic of home video, we could see it, and it was as great as we’d hoped.
So, in belatedly turning it into a feature, would Burton ruin things? Make it too kid-friendly and cutesy? Not to worry, not to worry. If anything, I like to think this movie may re-energize Burton’s dark side, much like lightning brings poor Sparky back to life.
He’s having fun right from the start, as Cinderella’s castle in the Disney logo becomes a haunted castle as Burton switches to beautiful black-and-white. There are many in-jokes (an immediate reference to 3-D) and homages, both to Burton’s own films and classic-era monster movies. The Frankensteins live in a suburb where you’d swear Edward Scissorhands lives down the block. Eddie’s old crush/Beetlejuice hauntee Winona Ryder is on hand as the voice of young Elsa Van Helsing. She’s a little husky-sounding for a kid, as if she had merged with Mermaids costar Cher. But it’s great to have her around. (I still love you, Winona!) Winona’s Beetlejuice mom, Catherine O’Hara, provides a few voices, as does Catherine’s SCTV cohort Martin Short. Hmm, where’s Joe Flaherty as Count Floyd? He would’ve fit right in. At first I thought Burton had scored a real coup with Tom Waits as the voice of (another nod) Burgermeister. Alas, it’s just Martin Short doing a decent Tom Waits impression, which he can’t quite maintain for the entire film. Burton also tips his cap to his stint as Batman director, back when those movies were fun. The Elsa character seems to be a tribute to Burton’s ex, Lisa Marie. (Of course, I thought the same thing in Dark Shadows, so maybe I’m just projecting.) And of course Danny Elfman wrote the spooky score.
On the monster front, you’ve got a kid with a Bela Lugosi voice, an Igor-type kid, a Japanese kid who you just know will end up in some Godzilla mayhem, mummies, the aforementioned Van Helsing, and even a clip from Hammer Studios’ 1958 Horror of Dracula.
The stop-motion reanimation animation is terrific, the movie looks great (especially the night scenes), and there are big laughs throughout. If the story drags a little in the middle, it builds to a madcap, exciting climax (and yes there are Sea Monkeys). At the end of the day, it’s simply a tale of a boy and his dog, and even with an undead dog, you can’t go too wrong with that.
Jack Silbert, curator