I know this may shock you but Tim Burton is weird! A strange, strange, man and his latest Animated film Frankenweenie is just another example of his disturbidness (is that a word? No? I’m going with it). His latest animated film is a black and white affair that is a retailing of the Frankenstein story with a Burton kid-friendly take.
This is a project that has been near and dear to his heart for a very long time, as it was the story he used for his very first live action short. Frankenweenie uses stop motion animation in a unique way, the animators’ blended traditional techniques with 3D digital imaging.
If you are not a fan of stop motion animation, this film will most likely not change your opinion. Shooting this in black and white really brings out the sharpness and depth of the animation. On the one hand this makes the movie look like “glass” and the 3D adds another layer of depth to it. On the other, this flawless look seems almost too clean and perfect, especially for the subject matter. It is almost “antiseptic.” It is a great video to show off your new 3D TV. There is just enough depth to be noticeable, but not enough to be distracting. There are no jaggies, or fuzziness around the edges. The 7.1 DTS-HD Master audio booms.
While the animation is at times stunning to look at, it is let down by a pedestrian and forgettable story. The voice acting, while adequate is not memorable. Charlie Tahan does an admirable job as Victor Frankenstien the boy genius that figures out a way to reanimate his dog. Winona Ryder voices Elsa Van Helsing. Other notable voices include Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short (Mr. Frankenstein), and Martin Landau as Mr. Rzykruski.
Extras/Presentation
There is a cute 2-minute Original Short: Captain Sparky vs. The Flying Saucers, Miniatures In Motions is a 23-minute look at how the movie was made. It includes interviews with Burton and the producers. The extras feel pretty light. The highlight of the extras is the inclusion of Burton’s original 30-minute live action short that he shot when he was a kid. Even then, you can see all the Burton trademark quirks. The only thing missing is Johnny Depp. It is pretty cool to watch.
The movie comes in Disney’s famous Combo packaging, which means you get the movie in every conceivable format – 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet Digital Copy and iTunes Digital copy. I’ve made it no secret that I love Disney’s navigation system, however I think they go overboard with all the discs. This movie is only 90-minutes; does it really need four discs?
Conclusion
I’m not convinced you need to watch this in 3D, as the regular 2D (even the regular DVD version) makes you feel like you are in the world.There is no denying how incredible this movie looks on Blu-ray, but the movie just did not do much to hold my attention. It actually suffers from being too wholesome and plain.
Grades
- Movie – C
- Presentation
- Audio/Video – A
- Extras – C
Final Grade C