Frankenweenie – PG

Running Time: 87 min

Director: Tim Burton

Lead Voice Actors: Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short

Rating: 7

            Tim Burton can never disappoint when it comes to a story for Halloween. In his newest creation, Burton takes the Frankenstein classic to a whole new level, bringing a new level of creepiness to the tale by making the great mad scientist Frankenstein… an elementary school boy. In Frankenweenie, Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan) is a lonely outcast of his school, his only friend being his dog, Sparky, and his only pleasure coming from the art of science. But when his dog suffers an unfortunate end, he goes to drastic measures to bring his only friend back to him and must go to even further precautions to make sure no one in his little town finds out what he’s done.

            Of course, no Tim Burton film is complete without a brilliant score written by Danny Elfman. Elfman is undoubtedly most noted for his role in The Nightmare Before Christmas, where he not only wrote the score but played the role of Jack Skellington, and his touch in ambiance is unmistakable. It’s very obvious that the music takes at least a few measures from Batman: The Animated Series, but as it’s Elfman’s music anyway there’s no need for lawsuits or guilt on his part.

            The plot itself was decent, being supported by Burton’s naturally eerie atmosphere, yet the ending wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been. My mother and I found ourselves concocting a better ending once the credits were rolling, though we only rewrote the last five minutes or so. Usually, I manage to find flaws all throughout the movie, but Frankenweenie proved to have both structure and appeal throughout its entirety. Tim Burton leaves no room for flaw in the first place, and the story of Frankenweenie had a natural appeal that hooked the audience.

            Although I wouldn’t take this movie home to watch over and over again, there is no mistake that it was worth the money. When returning from the theatre, I was both light-hearted and holding onto my dog for dear life, my heart having felt the claws of death. I was sure to keep her away from the streets for a good while.