Frankenweenie

I can't believe that Disney wouldn't let Tim Burton release this! They thought that it was too scary for kids?! Puh-leeze! "Frankenweenie" is a really cool movie! Basically a spoof of Mary Shelley's classic novel, the movie features suburban American boy Victor Frankenstein (Barret Oliver) resurrecting his dog Sparky, who got run over by a car. Needless to say, the reanimated dog creates some chaos once the neighbors meet him! I would imagine that they probably had a lot of fun filming this. Shelley Duvall and Daniel Stern play Victor's parents Susan and Ben, respectively. Paul Bartel also stars, and there's even a very young Sofia Coppola. "Frankenweenie" is a real treat for everyone!

I viewed the stop-motion animated 2012 expanded remake of this first, and this live-action original is much better because its plot is direct, and it's focused on referencing mostly only one monster movie, the 1931 "Frankenstein," although it ends with a poodle with a white-lightning-striped Nefertiti hairdo à la the 1935 sequel. Having seen this, it's now more apparent how much padding unrelated to the pastiche of monster movies is in the 2012 movie: the father pushing his son to play baseball, the parents getting a science teacher fired, the school science competition, the Dutch festival, etc. The movie would've been better without all of that, and this 1984 short film is the proof.

It also doesn't reduce Victor's parents to negligible nincompoops, so it doesn't have the ridiculous message of the 2012 feature that children are smarter than adults. Additionally, professionals like Shelley Duvall and Daniel Stern add credibility to the parts. I don't recall my favorite line from this film being in the 2012 remake, either: "I guess we can't punish Victor for bringing Sparky back from the dead." The windmill scene bothers me in both movies, though; the adults should've and could've ran in there. Thankfully, the 1984 film is also less saccharine than the 2012 one.

The focus on paying homage to one horror film also benefits the plotting. Almost everything in the 1984 version is directed towards it. Dog dies, Victor reanimates dog with household appliances in a scene that otherwise resembles the 1931 film with flashing and spinning gizmos and the spark of life from a lightning bolt, townsfolk react in horror towards the creature and form a mob per usual for Universal's classic horror films, chasing dog and Victor to a fiery windmill climax--in a miniature golf course this time, which is a humorous touch absent from the 2012 version.

The one thing the 2012 one did better was the opening film-within-a-film, as it was a pastiche of the B-picture giant monster movies of the Atomic Age, which the outer movie, then, went on to parody. We don't get that here, although it's likewise pastiche from a young artist just as the outer film of "Frankenweenie" itself is, so the reflexivity to the film and to its director, Tim Burton, still works.

Frankenweenie is ironic because it was banned for being too out there for kids yet crap like Pokemon and Power Rangers is ok for them. The kid from Neverending Story stars as a kid who loves his dog and one day when his dog is killed he resurrects him from the dead, ala Frankenstein and lets his dog live again. This is a cute film and is noteworthy as being a creative concept by Tim Burton. If it wasnt for this movie, Pee wee's big adventure would have never existed.***1/2

I just love this… A classic, immortal story enriched with personal ingeniousness! That's exactly what Tim Burton did here! His jolly little film introduces us to the 10-year-old Victor Frankenstein who can't bear the loss of his beloved dog. A car hit Sparky and Victor doesn't want any other dog to replace him. So, he sews him back in one piece and reanimates him electrically! This short only lasts a good half hour but that's more than enough time for Burton to inject memorable sequences, black humor and a healthy dose of social criticism. Burton mocks the life in small American villages, like he'd do it again later in his classic `Edward Scissorhands'. The director also knows the classic Frankenstein version by heart and terrifically reuses the settings and atmosphere here. Just look at that adorable scene with the miniature windmill near the end! An outstanding short with humor, a bit of tension … and even good acting! Frankenweenie stars Daniel Stern (C.H.U.D) and Shelley Duvall (The Shining). It can be found as an extra feature on the Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition DVD, for example.

Saw this on the Nightmare Before Christmas DVD and thought it was pretty good. Apparently Disney thought it was too dark but with the exception of one shot of the dead dog it was actually pretty cute.

Some of the performances were over the top (neighbors) but I am pretty sure that was supposed to happen - I mean come on we're talking about resurrecting a dog people. The ending is a little sappy but that's because it's a family film I suppose. I really did enjoy seeing Frankenstein replayed in the tale of a dog as well as references to Bride of Frankenstein etc. What is particularly weird is seeing Daniel Stern & Shelly Duval play parent roles, as well as the kid who played the older brother on The Wonder Years. For the most part the pacing is good since I almost never checked my watch.

Good camera work for a young Tim Burton and overall decent movie which shows the latent talent of Mr. Burton before he got really famous.

8/10