User reviews

With its cute, yet, decidedly creepy-looking characters, and all, I thought that Frankenweenie was a pretty darn good "Mad Scientist" story that's sure to be a hit with audiences of all ages.

Containing some very nice touches of warped humor, grotesque horror and several arousing moments of pathos (cleverly injected into its weird, but oddly wonderful, little tale), Frankenweenie has proved, once again, that director Tim Burton still has the master's touch when it comes to making stop-motion, animated films that seem to emerge from the very depths of the dark-side.

If nothing else, Frankenweenie certainly turned out to be a lovingly-charged homage to a variety of classic horror, monster, and Sci-Fi pictures from those glorious days of yesteryear.

All-in-all, Frankenweenie certainly had its share of flaws, but, just the same, I certainly hadn't expected to enjoy this film as much as I did.

Appropriately filmed in b&w, thank goodness that it didn't contain any musical numbers.

If anywhere there was a braver ending needed, it's here. Kids could have learned that life is but fleeting, we all suffer heartbreak sooner or later, say goodbye to the ones we love... This is an important lesson indeed. But, no. In the interest of a few mums and dads having to tolerate some waterworks on the way home from the cinema, Burton decides to go for what is essentially a cop out. Rather cowardly, if you ask me.

The whole film has the feel of an old B movie (but is set in the present day) as it is shot entirely in black and white and contains more than one horror reference. Spookiness pervades the atmosphere, as Danny Elfman's Gothic score meanders in the background like a funeral march. Poor Victor loses his dog, and his mourning and subsequent resurrection of his pet carries real emotion weight.

This doesn't last though, as the plot stretches to Victor's classmates experimenting on other deceased creatures, turning them into freaks of nature that invade the town. This is an arresting spectacle, but a betrayal of what transpired before... turning the movie from a personal tale about a boy and his half-dead canine, into an OTT monster movie. It feels like a different film, and not one that matched up to the poignant first half.

Not for one minute would I suggest I could tell Mr Burton how to do his job. But I think less action, and more storytelling would have improved the final reel no end... As well as a more courageous conclusion. Oh well, everyone's a critic (Most don't enunciate their thoughts as well as I do, though)... ;) 6/10

Judged as a comedy, Frankenweenie isn't really that great. The humor is rarely more than mild. But the movie actually did a pretty good job with the story, which is well paced and has moments of genuine - if mild - suspense.

It's also - and this is to be expected from any Tim Burton movie - really good looking, with stylish black and white animation and a cast of creepy looking kids.

As someone familiar with the original movies, I appreciate the way it pays tribute to its source material. It is also wonderfully imaginative, most notably in the first resuscitation scene.

One criticism; even by the standards of kids cartoons or old horror movies, this thing makes zero sense. The lack of any sort of logic is, however, so in-your-face that I accept it as purposeful and thus just accept that this is a movie that's not supposed to make any sense.

Burton is a cartoonist. I don't mean this as a putdown. He is at his best in short sketches, and his main talents flow from that: imaginative as a toymaker and has a knack for comedy, both short-term effects, both a matter of tinkering in the small, but he puts his heart to it.

I pass on his big 'storybooks' like Big Fish because layered long-term narrative is another thing altogether. In Burton's case, it is something he stumbled over as the only financially viable format to convey his sketches, so he treats narrative as only the canvas instead of as itself the sculpting matter.

Some of his other cartoons fail to reach me pure, because they are still big and polished studio-work and that all but defeats the intention. This is just the right size, an appendix of sorts to Ed Wood. It is a sketch, his first ever, this time reworked into a feature. And naked enough (no Depp, no Hollywood excess) to see the wirings and so appreciate what he loves about his work.

As you flip through this sketchbook, you will find the following:

The film opens with footage of a young Ed Wood's homemovie shot in his backyard—a giant monster movie, the kind that a kid (who we can presume is Burton) growing up in the 1950's can be expected to admire.

A teacher who looks like Vincent Price and inspires him to perfect his 'science', in the film it is supposed to be real science, but is actually viewed in the context of 1930's horror and Shelley before, a kind of cinematic magic.

This kicks off the Frankenstein story proper with the dog, which includes additional references to both Bride and Son, Mummy and Invisible Man, and the fiery windmill conclusion of the Karloff original. (also reused in Sleepy Hollows)

Eventually, this leads to an actual giant monster movie, where different classmates, essentially using the same 'science' of cinematic magic, bring to life different monsters: one is a Godzilla-type creature (kaiju fans will know it is really Gamera), there are Gremlin- type critters, and a cat-bat creature that I couldn't pinpoint.

So, there you have it: 1930's Universal horror, 1950's sci-fi, 1980's pop Hollywood, all of it sketched here that influenced the man's career.

Typical for Burton: the story goes nowhere, the ending is Disneyfied like the first time, it is fun in short spurts, and he has nicely sketched the world of his childhood, which is my favorite bit here—a clean and modernistic 1950's suburbia as was advertised to housewives of the time, it is amazing some of the textures and light they managed to capture. Stop-motion trumps cg animation in my mind, physical presence carries energy into the eye—this looks so real, it feels like it is taking place down the street from Ed Wood.

Overall, I don't know if releasing this confirms the nagging suspicion that Burton is over and done with as a creative voice and is really scrapping for material, but it is nice to watch, and reminds why he was at one time an interesting guy. What will it take for him to bounce back?

It's inevitable to compare Frankenweenie to ParaNorman due to both being 2012 stop motion animated films centered around Halloween. I would say Frankenweenie is the lesser of the two, but not by too much. The story is heartfelt, the visuals are distinctive, and there's a peculiar charm to it. This seemed like a passion project for Burton and it shows. There's a lot of love and care put into this film, but it's classic Burton in that it's often weird, idiosyncratic, and grim. Frankenweenie is a fun homage to old school horror movies and should be a welcome return to form for fans of Tim Burton.

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After 26 years of the short movie, Tim Burton brings us a movie with his name written all over it. Creative and original, Frankeweenie illustrates its writer's original roots.

The concept is fascinating. Most of the characters are based on iconic horror movie characters, like Frankenstein and Van Helsing. In addition, the movie is set in black and white, trying to capture the old look of horror movies. And yes, I don't think this film is suitable for children, more like teenagers and adults, containing some scenes that may disturb children.

It's the story of Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan), who, after losing his beloved dog Sparky, tries to revive him using lightning. The experiment is a success, but no one should know about what happened. Things start to get messed up when Edgar (voiced by Atticus Shaffer) discovers Sparky.

The animation is great. Tim Burton brings us a stop-motion masterpiece, paying attention to every detail from the movie's beginning to its end. The decent overall voice performance does the job just fine, giving us spooky character, Atticus Shaffer's voice gave me the chills. Tim Burton's fine job and the voice actors' performance give us the horror atmosphere necessary for the movie.

Burton is always highly imaginative and creative, but he's somehow missing something. Don't get me wrong, the movie's great, but something would've made it better. Frankenweenie will entertain a good percentage of its watchers, making it a must see 2012 movie.

Tim Burton hasn't been making any of his original ideas since 2005. His recent films are adaptations that most of them are not outstanding nor creative like his own stories. Tim Burton's returns to his original roots with this. Frankenweenie is based on a short he made decades ago. He remade it into a full length animated feature film with sheer campiness. It's great when it goes there but when it tries to be emotional, it works in a short while but it is more interested to its craziness and the storyline doesn't know where to go. The director may return to his style but he still has his old flaws.

The concept is fascinating. It sounds like it's going to be a heartwarming family fun film. It obviously tries to capture the old horror movies with black and white. Most of the characters are based on iconic horror movie characters. Tim Burton is always highly imaginative but somehow he's lacking something. In family films, he creates a charming innovation but he couldn't bring enough depth to it. There are things that could have been interesting. This is about a kid who brings his beloved pet back to life. There could have been more genuine cherishing moments of Victor and resurrected Sparky. There are times like that but it immediately skims to the comedy. The storyline doesn't quite know what to do until it hits to the big climax.

The voice performances were good. Martin Landau's is probably the best among them who gratifies and delights his character with his campy accent that reminds you of his role in Ed Wood. The stop-motion animation is simply majestic. The black and white effect makes it a lot more fascinating. The character and monster designs are magnificent. It's wonderful enough as a Tim Burton animated film.

Frankenweenie suffers with the same problem of Edward Scissorhands. Don't get me wrong, Edward Scissorhands is a beautiful film but there is a little depth to its concept and serves an awkward climax leads to an underdeveloped romance. At least there's an endearing performance by Johnny Depp. Frankenweenie is fun but it's kind of empty in the end. It's not bad, it just could have been better. The darkness of the film could have been something affecting instead of an impaled cat. The sad parts seem contrived for the idea's sake. The film messes around the rest of the runtime. I guess the throwbacks and the filmmaking are the only merits of the film. Fans of Tim Burton's dark and crazy vision would enjoy. Since we don't see a lot of stop-motion animation these days, I guess that what makes this appealing. To think about the story, still not satisfying.

In 1984, when Tim Burton worked for Disney made a short film called Frankenweenie, which tells the story of Victor, a boy who after losing his dog Sparky in an accident decides to bring him back to life in the purest Frankenstein style, without considering the consequences this may cause. This work helps us to understand the basics of Burton's thematic and visual style, which became his trademark over the years: dark worlds with isolated and/or solitary characters faced to the reality of the world that confronts or rejects them.

It is almost 30 years later and a streak of quite irregular films that Burton returns to his roots and decided to resume the story of Frankenweenie to make an animated feature making use of the stop- motion technique, with which he created some of his best works such as the Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, and Frankenweenie is no exception, as it represents a return to the best films of Burton.

On this occasion the original story remains intact and makes a bigger emphasis on the impact of the resurrection of Sparky among Victor's friends and as they'll try to emulate the feat with catastrophic results for the small town they live in. Likewise, the relationship between Victor and Elsa, her neighbor and school crush is explored, through which a great reference to The Bride of Frankenstein is made, although it'snot the only one, since along the film there are winks to classic monsters movies from the 30's as the Mummy, Creature from Black Lagoon, Cabinet of Dr. Cagliari and even classic monsters like Godzilla. And the film itself is a homage to this cinema being filmed in black and white and with music in perfect tone by Danny Elfman (Burton's closest collaborator).

An innate quality of Burton is the skill to create endearing characters out of the dark and grotesque and the best example of it is Sparky, a little dog now part of the most adorable creations on the burtonian universe, and that somehow reflects many of elements or themes that have remained constant in most of Burton's filmography: childhood, loneliness, friendship and a strange fixation with death and what happens after this.

Excepting the end that seems to betray the original concept, it is safe to say that Burton needs to do more films like Frankenweenie and much less like Alice in Wonderland.

I understand that many, even most, Tim Burton fans liked this movie very much. Some go as far as claiming that this is his best work, or that this is a refreshment to his work.

I see nothing special about this movie. This is just an average Tim Burton piece. Don't get me wrong, I love Tim Burton, but compared to his other two animated flicks ("The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Corpse Bride"), this one can't be called anything better than average. It has all the classic Tim Burton qualities - the extraordinarily weird characters (which are just plainly weird, with no extra explanation), some black humor, dark atmosphere, great music (courtesy of Danny Elfman) and artistic touch; yet it lacks of that certain something that makes movies out-stand.

I must additionally comment on the fact that the movie is filmed in black and white technique - although I understand the reasons behind this, and generally approve of such ideas, I don't think this was as essential to this movie; in fact perhaps it would have been better if it were in color. Although I say this from an utterly subjective perspective.

All in all, a nice movie to watch, but nothing to enjoy much about. I'd say this one is for the die-hard Tim Burton fans, if you are not one of them, you can easily skip this movie, you won't have missed much.

No spoilers here - just an honest review. I'm not going to write a novel on the evolution of Tim Burton as others have. The movie is, after all, what is being reviewed here.

In my opinion it's a "just scary enough" movie for kids for this Halloween season. My grandsons (ages 5 & 7)seemed to enjoy it, as did I. It has a little bit of everything - sad, happy, scary, funny moments. It doesn't focus too much on the "darkness" of the subject at hand before moving on to lighter moments, which kept the kids from either bawling their eyes out or hiding under my arm, and for that I am thankful.

I gave it 7 out of 10 - it was a good movie to take the kids to to kill an afternoon, but it wasn't one of the best movies I've ever seen, so it doesn't warrant a higher rating in my opinion.

Frankenweenie is a brilliant stop-motion animation. I did not think I would like this movie better than "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or "Corpse Bride" but I did. The other two Tim Burton films are outstanding and I still love those movies - but Frankenweenie quickly became my favorite Tim Burton animated film (so far). Maybe it's because the movie is loosely based on one of my favorite classic horror stories "Frankenstein".... maybe it's just the idea of bringing back to life someone you love (even a beloved pet)? I can't say for sure why Frankenweenie is my favorite of the Burton animations - it just is.

This is a great Halloween Holiday film -- and I'm sure it will be a classic. This film would be great to watch along with "The Nightmare Before Christmas", "Corpse Bride", "Hotel Transylvania" or "ParaNorman".

10/10

Young Victor (Charlie Tahan) conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky (Frank Welker) back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences.

As I like to do, let me respond to another (better?) critic. Roger Ebert says "the whole story benefits from the absence of color, because this is a stark world without many soothing tones." Whether or not I agree with the second half of this is undetermined -- is it a stark world? Not sure I felt that way. But the lack of color certainly does enhance the film -- because it is a Tim Burton creation.

Burton works best in black and white, because he is an artist first and director second. His best films worked not so much because of his direction, but because of his vision. "Beetlejuice" and "Edward Scissorhands" could have been done by no one else. Even the "Batman" films are incredible because of Burton's view of the world. He may not be Christopher Nolan, but that makes his Batman no less great.

We can tell that this was a trip down memory lane for Burton, too, back to his glory days. And I do not mean simply because he made a new version of something he made almost thirty years ago. Also notice his choice of voice actors -- we have neither Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter, who have (for better or worse) dominated his films for over a decade. We have Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara, two of his best actresses. Seeing them back together and with Burton -- even in cartoon form -- was a real treat.

What made this film especially meaningful was the science teacher's speech. Sure, I loved the references to classic monsters (and the turtle named Shelley was a touching nod to Frankenstein's creator). But the farewell speech wherein science is held to be a neutral field with only its uses truly good or bad... that was a key moment. Not only did it show the difference between Victor and his classmates (he was not only brilliant, but pure-hearted), it pointed out an important truth about the world: science can be a weapon or a salvation, depending on whose hands we wish to put it.

Frankenweenie (2012)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Tim Burton's excellent remake of his 1984 short about a young boy who suffers a heartbreaking loss when his dog is ran over and killed by a car. Inspired by a science experience, the young boy decides to use electricity to bring him back to life. FRANKENWEENIE was a pretty big disappointment at the box office but I guess this type of storyline would be a hard sell to certain parents plus the B&W might scare off a few as well. I can honestly say that this here is the best thing Burton has done in years as it really reminded me of his earlier days where the imagination was all over the place and it really delivered some fun, laughs and great emotion. I really, really loved the original movie and I really didn't think it would work when expanded to a longer running time but Burton and screenwriter John August has done a very good job with this. I think what makes this one so special are the various homages to earlier horror movies like BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, FRANKENSTEIN and there's no question that the scientist here is a homage to Vincent Price and we even got a great way to show off Christopher Lee. The entire look of the film is excellent as well because you really do feel as if you're watching a horror movie from their Golden Age because the sets are incredible, the humans are wonderful and once the animals start to come back at the end you can't help but smile. I really liked the way the other kids started to copy our hero here and we're left with a monster mash at the end including a giant turtle, which is obviously a wink to the Godzilla films. Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau, Martin Short and Winona Ryder are all extremely good in their vocal work as is Charlie Tahan as the young boy. FRANKENWEENIE is certainly a terrific little gem that I think will play extremely well with the right child and of course the parents are really going to enjoy not only the charm but also the respect towards the films that came before it.

I liked Frankenweenie and how it tackled how an outcast can be so attached to something and therefore will do everything to keep it. That ties well into its tribute to old horror movies.

Trying to make a dead dog come back to life via his science project at school was clever, but since I knew about how Frankenweenie is a tribute to old horror movies it got a little predictable to me. The horror references are quite obvious, like a Vincent Price lookalike and the fact that a couple of Victor's classmates are designed to look like other well known characters.

Speaking of the characters, they're not that interesting. Mostly they can be summed up in a few words or a short sentence. But their voice performances are good and the science teacher is enjoyably eccentric and is my favorite character along with the adorable Sparky.

Despite its mostly one-note characters and a bit of predictability it was a good and clever hooror tribute with a cute dog and a slow pace building up to a spooky and funny climax. Maybe not Tim Burton's best work, but one to check out.

'Frankenweenie (2012)' doesn't quite know what it wants to be, but for its first two thirds it actually works rather well as an offbeat, downplayed but inventive take on the 'Frankenstein' story. Although its characters all seem somewhat depressed, the film itself isn't dour at all. It's brisk, breezy and, generally speaking, enjoyable. In its third act, though, it completely loses its way and slips into bizarrely action-oriented madness. It just piles random - and incredibly obvious - monster movie references on top of one another until it reaches an almost arbitrarily dangerous climax. It just washes over you and leaves things on a fairly sour note. Still, it's not as if it's terrible. It's as well-animated as the rest of the feature and it doesn't stick around for too long, either. It's just so far away from what was previously the heart of the piece that it's really rather jarring. As a whole, though, the movie is a decent throw-back to the odd innocence of old horror. 6/10.

Tim Burton has been a very hit or miss director for me,for the most part I prefer his earlier films,but then this comes along and changes all my expectations. I'm a giant fan of monster and universal classic horror flicks, and also an animal lover,so this film just hits all the marks for me,like nothing else he has done. I adore all the characters,the Science teacher in particular just lights up the screen,but Sparky overwhelms them all,in the best way possible. Few films have managed to truly capture the sense of love and family between a dog and owner,this beautiful film just nails it. The wonderful,awe inspiring climax left my jaw on the floor,which is then combined with genuine emotions,it really is hugely satisfying,I truly love it.

I feel a little biased perhaps in my opinion of this movie cause the dog reminded me of my dog Yoshi a lot. And in that sense I felt myself completely engaged by the material and it's effect on me was pretty solid. Tim Burton goes almost bad to his roots in this darkly comic and morbid tale of a young boy whose pet dies and he decides to try and bring him back to life. Lots of inspired gags ensure as well as a nifty trip to the pet cemetery and some freakish mutations. But the films real magic lies in it's two main characters although I really did love the creepy girl with cat. Although a little generic in places Frankenweenie is a really unique cinematic experience a film that doesn't really cater to a specific audience but is a thing all it's own much like in the vein of Burtons best work Bettlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. Although not a complete success it's definitely a step in the right direction.

2012 is the year of animated horror films and this film, Frankenweenie might just be the best of the bunch. Tim Burton is at his best and is most effective here and this film gives off Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands vibes and that's a good thing. Filmed in stop-motion animation, this is a story that is creepy and borderline scary, but also funny and sometimes emotional.

Burton's film is a story that digs deep. It's about a boy and his dog but there are some underlying themes prevalent such as friendship and tight, life-long bonds. Victor loses his dog, Sparky to an unfortunate accident, so Victor decides to reanimate his dog's corpse and things may not be the same afterwards.

This film doesn't have many recognizable names here, but there are several Burton regulars here such as Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, and Winona Ryder. They all do a good job here.

Overall, Frankenweenie is an excellent film and a good spoof of horror classics. I like the use of black and white because it adds to the film and almost make it seem fifty years old. This is a creepy but sometimes funny film. A great animated film for adults, but perhaps a bit too scary for kids. I rate this film 9/10.

'FRANKENWEENIE': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Tim Burton's feature film adaptation of his 1984 short film of the same name, which is an homage to the 1931 classic creature film 'FRANKENSTEIN' (which is an adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic book). The film was directed by Burton and written by John August (who works with Burton frequently). It features a voice cast including Charlie Tahan, Martin Landau, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder (which marks a reunion of Burton, O'Hara and Ryder who previously all worked together on 'BEETLEJUICE'). The film is a black and white 3D stop motion horror-comedy about a boy who resurrects his beloved dog using science. The movie is charming and a good children's creature film but it lacks the energy and cinematic style that made Burton's previous film efforts so memorable.

The story revolves around a boy named Victor Frankenstein (Tahan) and his dog Sparky. The two live in New Holland where Victor pursues his interests in film and science with great passion. Victor's father (Short) encourages Victor to try out for sports as well and at his first baseball game Sparky is struck by a car (and killed) while chasing after a home run ball Victor hit in to the parking lot. Unable to move on and forget his fallen best friend Victor decides to use science, and the lessons taught to him by his teacher Mr. Rzykruski (Landau), to bring his dog back to life. When he succeeds (using the electricity from lightning) all seems right in the world again until his friend, Edgar 'E' Gore (Atticus Shaffer), starts snooping around and Sparky starts disturbing his parents and their neighbors. Victor then has to prove to his family and the town that Sparky is not a monster in order to save his resurrected dog once again.

The film is an effective kids movie and if I had seen it as a kid I'd probably have enjoyed it a lot more. It's a good homage to classic monster films (including one of my all time favorites 'GREMLINS') and it is a good Halloween film (for the whole family). It just didn't live up to my expectations and continued my disappointment in Tim Burton and his films as of late. I had no real problems with the film though, I just found it a little dull at times and nothing to get too excited about. Under a different mindset I can see why others might enjoy the film a lot more though. It's definitely not a bad film in any way. Fans of the original (which I am) or Burton (which I also am) might be thrilled with it, I was just a little disappointed.

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In New Holland, the boy Victor Frankenstien is a bright but outcast student without any friend but his dog Sparky. When the newcomer science teacher Mr. Rzykruski challenges the students to participate in the science fair, Victor's father forces him to play baseball otherwise he would not sign the necessary authorization for his son.

During the game, Sparky chases the ball and is hit by a car. Victor recalls Mr. Rzykruski's class about the effects of electricity and successfully resuscitates Sparky using lightning. Victor hides Sparky in the attic but the weird Edgar sees the dog on the garden and blackmails Victor to learn how to bring the dead to life. Edgar does not keep the secret and soon Victor's envious schoolmates revive several creatures to win the science fair contest. When the town is invaded by the monsters, Victor and Sparky are the last chance to rescue the girl Elsa van Helsing from the claws of Mr. Whiskers.

"Frankenweenie" is another stop-motion animation by Tim Burton in black and white with a great tribute to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with a happy ending. The story is actually an adorable tale of loyalty and friendship and it is delightful to see the frolic of Sparky. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Frankenweenie"

Let's start off with that this movie is amazing and there's no doubt about that but it can be disturbing for younger children. I recommend that even if you have a shadow of a doubt about this movie scaring your children, I would watch it first and then you will have a pretty good idea.

Apparently this movie was developed out of a short that Burton made some time ago. Should have stayed a short. Unfunny, manipulative, definitely Disney hands on the story and ending, the entire thing was a huge mistake - which is why it is doing so badly at the box office. It is supposed to be a comedy, but there is little to laugh at. The lack of character development is astounding. The main character, the dog Sparky, has no character development, so the entire movie suffers. It moves in fits and starts, and is alternately boring and insensitive and cruel. The kid goes now where, and the pseudo science is inconsistent. Very manipulative in terms of action and structure. What a waste of time.