Review: Tim Burton revisits roots in Frankenweenie
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This film image released by Disney shows Victor, voiced by Charlie Tahan, left, and his pet Sparky in a scene from Frankenweenie. -- PHOTO: AP/ DISNEY
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This film image released by Disney shows Edgar "E" Gore, voiced by Atticus Shaffer in a scene from Frankenweenie. -- PHOTO: AP/ DISNEY
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This film image released by Disney shows Victor Frankenstein, voiced by Charlie Tahan in a scene from Frankenweenie. -- PHOTO: AP/ DISNEY
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Actress Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira), left, and director Tim Burton arrive at the premiere of Disney’s stop-motion animated full length black and white film Frankenweenie directed by Tim Burton on Monday, Sept 24, 2012, in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: INVISION FOR DISNEY/ AP
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Director Tim Burton arrives at the premiere of Disney’s stop-motion animated full length black and white film Frankenweenie directed by Tim Burton on Monday, Sept 24, 2012, in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: INVISION FOR DISNEY/ AP
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Actress Cassandra Peterson arrives at the premiere of Disney's Frankenweenie in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Actress Winona Ryder arrives for the premiere of Disney's Frankenweenie in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Actress Winona Ryder arrives for the premiere of Disney's Frankenweenie in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
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Cast member Winona Ryder poses at the premiere of Frankenweenie at El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Director and producer Tim Burton signs autographs at the premiere of Frankenweenie at El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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Musician Grace Potter attends the LA premiere of Frankenweenie at the El Capitan Theatre on Monday, Sept 24, 2012, in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: AP
This film image released by Disney shows Victor, voiced by Charlie Tahan, left, and his pet Sparky in a scene from Frankenweenie. -- PHOTO: AP/ DISNEY
This film image released by Disney shows Edgar "E" Gore, voiced by Atticus Shaffer in a scene from Frankenweenie. -- PHOTO: AP/ DISNEY
This film image released by Disney shows Victor Frankenstein, voiced by Charlie Tahan in a scene from Frankenweenie. -- PHOTO: AP/ DISNEY
Actress Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira), left, and director Tim Burton arrive at the premiere of Disney’s stop-motion animated full length black and white film Frankenweenie directed by Tim Burton on Monday, Sept 24, 2012, in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: INVISION FOR DISNEY/ AP
Director Tim Burton arrives at the premiere of Disney’s stop-motion animated full length black and white film Frankenweenie directed by Tim Burton on Monday, Sept 24, 2012, in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: INVISION FOR DISNEY/ AP
Actress Cassandra Peterson arrives at the premiere of Disney's Frankenweenie in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Actress Winona Ryder arrives for the premiere of Disney's Frankenweenie in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Actress Winona Ryder arrives for the premiere of Disney's Frankenweenie in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: AFP
Cast member Winona Ryder poses at the premiere of Frankenweenie at El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Director and producer Tim Burton signs autographs at the premiere of Frankenweenie at El Capitan theatre in Hollywood, California, Sept 24, 2012. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Musician Grace Potter attends the LA premiere of Frankenweenie at the El Capitan Theatre on Monday, Sept 24, 2012, in Los Angeles. -- PHOTO: AP
(AP) - Tim Burton reminds us of why we love Tim Burton with Frankenweenie, a feature-length version of the 1984 short that revealed early glimmers of the veteran director's darkly humorous style.
Beautifully detailed and painstakingly rendered in 3-D, black-and-white, stop-motion animation, Frankenweenie is a visual and thematic return to the best Burton has offered in his earliest films, such as Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice.
And it is a welcome return, given the reheated, unfocused nature of some of his more recent films like Dark Shadows.
Burton has said he'd always intended for Frankenweenie to be a full-length, stop-motion-animation feature, but he didn't have the means; instead, he made a 30-minute, live-action short featuring Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern and a young Sofia Coppola (credited as Domino).
