MOVIE OF THE WEEK (10/5/12): FRANKENWEENIE
"I'm either about to bring what's under this sheet to life ... Or really ruin a good set of linens!" Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan) preps his former canine companion Sparky (voiced by Frank Welker) for re-animation in a scene from Tim Burton's animated-just-in-time-for-Halloween tale FRANKENWEENIE. Credit: © 2012 Walt Disney Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Charlie Tahan, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Atticus Shaffer, James Hiroyuki Liao, Robert Capron and Tom Kenny
WRITER(S): John August (screenplay); Tim Burton (idea and story) and Leonard Ripps (story)
THE PLOT: A movie steeped in old Hollywood horror nostalgia as much as it is director Tim Burton's signature, well, Burton-ness, Frankenweenie tells the tale of Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan, best known from a multi-episode stint on Law & Order: SVU). A loner, albeit a fairly well-liked one at school, Victor spends most of his time with his dog, Sparky (voiced if you will by Frank Welker) and is fascinated by science – a fascination which increases with the arrival of his new teacher, Mr. Rzykruski (voiced by Martin Landau).
While they are supportive and used to their son's experiments in the attic, Victor's dad (Martin Short) and mother (Catherine O'Hara) still harbor a deep seeded wish for him to be a little more normal. Then again, given the nature of some of Victor's school mates – the always scheming-to-be-the-best Toshiaki (James Hiroyuki Liao), the appropriately-named Weird Girl (also voiced by O'Hara), Edgar "E" Gore (voiced by Atticus Shaffer with a great nod to Peter Lorre), the rotund Bob (Robert Capron) and droll Nassor (also voiced by Short and modeled strikingly like famous original 1931 Frankenstein star Boris Karloff) – "normal" is a relative turn. His neighbor Elsa van Helsing (Winona Ryder) accepts Victor for who he is, though ... Her domineering uncle/Mayor of New Holland (the town in which they live) just wants everyone to stay away from his
But once Sparky is involved in a tragic accident, the only thing on Victor's mind shifts back to science. And taking a cue from a lesson on electricity learned in Mr. Rzykruski's class, Victor heads to the attic with a new experiment that might just bring Sparky back to life. Problem is, once one of his classmates learns of his experiment, he wants to use it to win the school science fair ...
What happens next is classic Burton stop-motion animated-style chaos ...
While they are supportive and used to their son's experiments in the attic, Victor's dad (Martin Short) and mother (Catherine O'Hara) still harbor a deep seeded wish for him to be a little more normal. Then again, given the nature of some of Victor's school mates – the always scheming-to-be-the-best Toshiaki (James Hiroyuki Liao), the appropriately-named Weird Girl (also voiced by O'Hara), Edgar "E" Gore (voiced by Atticus Shaffer with a great nod to Peter Lorre), the rotund Bob (Robert Capron) and droll Nassor (also voiced by Short and modeled strikingly like famous original 1931 Frankenstein star Boris Karloff) – "normal" is a relative turn. His neighbor Elsa van Helsing (Winona Ryder) accepts Victor for who he is, though ... Her domineering uncle/Mayor of New Holland (the town in which they live) just wants everyone to stay away from his
But once Sparky is involved in a tragic accident, the only thing on Victor's mind shifts back to science. And taking a cue from a lesson on electricity learned in Mr. Rzykruski's class, Victor heads to the attic with a new experiment that might just bring Sparky back to life. Problem is, once one of his classmates learns of his experiment, he wants to use it to win the school science fair ...
What happens next is classic Burton stop-motion animated-style chaos ...
THE TAKE: A fact certainly almost all die hard Burton fans know, Frankenweenie was original a short film the director put out in the mid 1980s that he always envisioned as a full-length feature. Thus, it should come as no surprise this full-length version of his long-standing passion project is an very entertaining film that delivers a good mix of humor, horror and heart.
Whereas Tahan nails the voice-over work that makes Victor a gentle soul without making him morose, the rest of the cast does equally great work at bringing their characters to life. O'Hara's Weird Girl is hilariously awkward, while Atticus Shaffer's vocal work as Edgar would make Peter Lorre smile. Martin Landau nearly steals the show, however, as the Vincent Price-esque Mr. Rzykruski, delivering a vocal performance that is entertaining and enhancing to the movie as a whole.
Of course, none of this would work well without Burton's eye popping visuals; be it a scene intended to make you laugh or make you gasp, he keeps things moving along well while providing various nods to horror films of early Hollywood along the way. (Whenever you can make a barking dog the emotional centerpiece of your film successfully, you've done a good job.) In short, Frankenweenie finds the director working well within his wheelhouse to create a visually appealing film that while not breaking any new ground (not that he is trying to), but smartly paying homage to the films that influenced him in his youth.
Whereas Tahan nails the voice-over work that makes Victor a gentle soul without making him morose, the rest of the cast does equally great work at bringing their characters to life. O'Hara's Weird Girl is hilariously awkward, while Atticus Shaffer's vocal work as Edgar would make Peter Lorre smile. Martin Landau nearly steals the show, however, as the Vincent Price-esque Mr. Rzykruski, delivering a vocal performance that is entertaining and enhancing to the movie as a whole.
Of course, none of this would work well without Burton's eye popping visuals; be it a scene intended to make you laugh or make you gasp, he keeps things moving along well while providing various nods to horror films of early Hollywood along the way. (Whenever you can make a barking dog the emotional centerpiece of your film successfully, you've done a good job.) In short, Frankenweenie finds the director working well within his wheelhouse to create a visually appealing film that while not breaking any new ground (not that he is trying to), but smartly paying homage to the films that influenced him in his youth.
PARTING SHOT: A film that shows why Tim Burton was able to become such a big deal in regards to all things quirky, odd, weird and dark in the first place, Frankenweenie is an entertaining film that will help in the resurrection of its creator's return to prominence.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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