Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie

Tim Burton’s latest stop-motion feature Frankenweenie echoes quirky motifs from his most beloved pictures and reinstates Burton as the weird genius of Goth.

Filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D, Frankenweenie is a humorous, dark and visually impressive animation.

Fans of Tim Burton have long awaited the feature length version of the film. The short version was released at the beginning of his career in 1984 and was a live action film.

This time, Burton tells the Frankenweenie story in his trademark gothic animation style.

The film’s central character is Victor, an aspiring scientist who loves his dog Sparky. They live in the strange town of New Holland.

Victor is a bright, creative and care-free boy, and Sparky is his loyal and innocent companion. Together, they are an unstoppable duo.

But one day, during a game of baseball, Sparky chases a fly ball and unintentionally runs in front of a speeding car. He is killed, and Victor is devastated.

Mr Ryzkuski, an influential and misunderstood science teacher, inspires Victor to bring his best friend back to life by harnessing the power of electricity from one of thunder storms that frequently hit New Holland.

Victor’s experiment is a success, but he must hide his hewn-sewn creation because the people of the town “won’t understand”.

But Victor’s fellow students – particularly the meddling Edgar – eventually learn about Sparky and their interference has monstrous consequences.

Frankenweenie is an excellent film, full of Tim Burton’s odd humour and unique, dark visuals. Presenting the picture third dimensionally was questionable, with some scenes being made a little clunky and awkward visually.

Nevertheless, artsy fans and children alike will enjoy this eccentric homage to Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein.