Frankenweenie is a dark but heroic tale about love and friendship for the whole family. 

• Entertainment factor: ★★★★★
• Scare factor: ★★☆☆☆
• Fun factor: ★★★☆☆
• Science fiction factor: ★★★★★
• Originality factor: ★★★★★
• Kids friendly factor: ★★★★★

Frankenweenie is a stop-motion animated movie with horror, humor and above all a very moving story about the love of a boy for his dog. It’s a spooky tale that is brought to life in a magical way that has epic joyful moments as well as very tragic and sad moments. It’s a big nod to the story Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and although it’s a macabre tale, with its lightheartedness and a happy ending this will enchant both kids and adults alike. It’s a wonderful film for the whole family. It stars Catherine O’Hare, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Winona Ryder, Frank Welker. It is directed and written by Tim Burton and cowritten by John August.

Duration: 1h 27min

Plot

Victor Frankenstein lives with his parents in New Holland. He’s very interested in science and experiments and he loves his dog Sparky. He has no friends and his parents worry about him, but Victor is perfectly happy. Until Sparky is hit by a car and dies. 

The new science teacher gives Victor the idea to bring Sparky back to life with electricity. And with the help of a big thunderstorm, he succeeds. He hides Sparky, but when some of his classmates find out they want to replicate the experiment to win the science contest. But this leads to some dramatic and dangerous consequences. 

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Short Review

Frankenweenie is a peculiar story about a peculiar boy who is different than his classmates. And when Sparky suddenly dies, it’s a very gruesome and heartbreaking moment in the film. It’s very sad and hard to watch and will be especially for kids, but fortunately Sparky is brought back to life. The story revolves around Victor and Sparky and their special bond that is a joy to watch. They both are the heroes of the story and have to clean up the mess his classmates have made. 

Because when they start to experiment some pretty dangerous creatures come to life. A cat-bat, a giant turtle, sea monkeys and a big scary rat and a teeny tiny little monster, who all bring chaos and mayhem to the town. These monsters are all created by not so nice boys and girls. They all look like quirky characters and a bit dark and are a bit of stereotypes. The only ones who look ‘normal’ are Victor and his parents. 

This adds to the parody atmosphere of Frankenstein, just like the poodle next door with her hair like the bride of Frankenstein. But the choice to shoot it in black and white and the music also enhances that old vibe of the classical films. It also does make the atmosphere a bit dark, just like the dark humor that can be quite grim and shocking even when the cat gets electrocuted big time. 

The heart and the core of the story are Victor and Sparky. It starts out that way and also ends that way when they get to finish their monster movie they wanted to make at the beginning. But in the meantime they become the heroes of the mess they started. It’s a very fun and exciting adventure that actually turns into a creature feature with several monsters terrorizing the town. At the end there’s a big battle that seems to not end well, but with the help of everyone Victor and Sparky get their happy end and are now loved by everyone in town. 

I love that fact that the bond between a boy and his dog is taken very seriously. And that Victor is a boy who’s different but doesn’t have to change to be accepted. Everyone else changes when they finally see how a wonderful heroic boy he is and smart. The scene where Sparky gets hit is a scene that I still find hard to watch. Although it isn’t shown, the idea alone can be very shocking. But the dark gothic fairytale vibe shows that anything can happen in movies and it even manages to turn this film into a monster movie. The end is very thrilling and also first very sad. But the happy end makes up for all the ordeals they have been through. The film Victor and Sparky made together is just wonderful and especially when it comes true for real. 

The film was made with a stop-motion technique, which is very time consuming, but has amazing effects. All the characters come to life and have their own personalities. It creates a gothic vibe by the black-and-white shots and the style and design of the characters and the setting. It can have a bit of a creepy vibe but the story shows otherwise. Although there are lots of scary creatures and monsters it’s a feel-good film that has something to say for the whole family. 

Frankenweenie offers entertainment for the whole family with a wide spectrum of emotions, some sad and scary moments but with a feel-good ending. 

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