 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** Frankenweenie is a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous. Storyline: When young Victor's pet dog Sparky (who stars in Victor's home-made monster movies) is hit by a car, Victor decides to bring him back to life the only way he knows how. But when the bolt-necked "monster" wreaks havoc and terror in the hearts of Victor's neighbors, he has to convince them (and his parents) that despite his appearance, Sparky's still the good loyal friend he's always been. Written by Kathy Li Cast Notes: Catherine O'Hara (Mrs. Frankenstien / Weird Girl / Gym Teacher [voice]), Martin Short (Mr. Frankenstein / Mr. Burgemeister / Nassor [voice]), Martin Landau (Mr. Rzykruski [voice]), Winona Ryder (Elsa Van Helsing [voice]), Robert Capron (Bob [voice]), Conchata Ferrell (Bob's Mom [voice]), Christopher Lee (Movie Dracula [archive footage]), Rest of cast listed alphabetically:), Tom Kenny (New Holland Townsfolk [voice]), James Hiroyuki Liao (Toshiaki [voice]), Atticus Shaffer (Edgar 'E' Gore [voice]), Charlie Tahan (Victor Frankenstien [voice]). User Comment: Drew St. Pierre from Maine, 5 October 2012 • Personally, I really like Tim Burton; I think he's a great filmmaker; he has made some great movies (Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish) and he also has done some not-so-great movies (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and his most recent, Dark Shadows). I haven't seen the original short film back in 1984; so, when I saw the first trailer for Frankenweenie back in March, I was really excited for Burton to bring back the Gothic tone that made his other movies great achievements. Not only that, however, this movie is also in black and white, which is rather unusual, but different than other animated movies. Sometimes, different can be good. That's what I sort of like in some movies. I went into Frankenweenie with high expectations, and came out satisfied. I think Frankenweenie is not only one of the best animated films of the year, but it's Tim Burton's best film since Big Fish. STORY: Frankenweenie tells the story of Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan), a boy who has a passion for filmmaking and science, has lost his beloved dog, Sparky. One day, at school, he learns about electricity, and he comes up with a bright idea to make a science experiment to bring Sparky back to life. When Sparky comes back to life, people are so surprised about this experiment, and all this causes mayhem around the town. MY THOUGHTStoryline: The voice casting in this is great. Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, and Charlie Tahan do great jobs. But, I think Martin Landau stole the show as the science teacher; I think I can describe him as the "Vincent Price of science teachers." The animation in this is fantastic; not only the movie looked gorgeous in black and white; it set the Gothic tone extremely well. I just love how strange the movie looked, and I think Tim Burton did a fantastic job with this movie. The story to this is well-written. It had really good themes involving love, loss and science; the climax is very entertaining and exciting. IN CONCLUSION: Frankenweenie is an enjoyable animated film, and Tim Burton's best since Big Fish. Summary: Tim Burton's best since "Big Fish". User Comment: Mek Torres from Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines, 19 October 2012 • 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. Summary: Pure Tim Burton. IMDb Rating (10/26/12): 7.6/10 from 5,391 users
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