Disney's Frankenweenie is a poignant story about friendship between a boy named Victor and his dog Sparky. When Sparky dies after getting hit by a car, Victor turns to science to bring his loyal four-legged friend back to life. He tries to keep the successful experiment a secret but when his classmates find out and try to recreate Victor's revival in hopes of winning the Science Fair trouble ensues.
I must warn you to bring tissue and lots of it. I caught myself bawling at certain parts because the connection between Victor and Sparky is so endearing that it is simply heart-wrenching to imagine them apart. I must admit that my four year old was a little reluctant to attend the screening but after the first 10 minutes she was hooked. Now every time she sees the movie posters she yells, "I saw that and I wasn't scared! Can we see it again?" You can't ask for a better endorsement than that.
There are colorful characters amongst Victor's classmates including a needy misfit named Edgar "E" Gore, the over-achieving mad scientist "Toshiaki" and (my favorite) a girl with a prophesizing cat and an unnerving stare suitably called "Weird Girl".
The three dimensional stop motion animation is fascinating to watch under the direction of Tim Burton accompanied by the music of Oscar nominated composer Danny Elfman. Kudos to all of the voice actors for making each character so distinct and memorable.
Be sure to catch Frankenweenie in theaters opening this weekend Friday, October 5.
Good review. Being a dog lover definitely helps this flick's story a lot more, but also does the love and knowledge for the old-school horror movies that Burton so obviously loves. Great return-to-form for him, let's just hope he can keep it going.
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