Art&Culture
A new leash on life
Tim Burton’s latest film, Frankenweenie, is a slice of what the director does best—wayward characters with hearts of gold, accidentally unleashing mayhem on small town America.
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A new leash on life
Undead pooches, schlock horror and black and white, all coming to you in 3D this October. Tim Burton, king of all things dark and strange, is back with Frankenweenie, a feature length adaptation of a short he originally directed in 1984. The film, at once parody and homage to Frankenstein, is a slice of what Tim Burton does best—wayward characters with the heart of gold, accidentally unleashing mayhem on small town America.
The film centre’s around well meaning protagonist, Victor, who loses his best friend, Sparky, in an unfortunate incident. Distraught at losing his pal, Victor decides the best way forward is some home-style reanimation — bringing Sparky back from beyond. While initially the the plan goes well for Victor, the other kids at school soon find out and start getting in on the undead action… Trouble inevitably ensues.
The stop-motion animated feature breathes new life into the Frankenweenie story. Originally produced 27 years ago as live-action, Disney thought the short film was too scary for children and it’s rumoured to be the reason they fired Burton. Now back on the payroll, Burton’s characteristically dark style is a drawcard for movie-goers and one that Disney is more than happy to bank on.
Speaking at a press conference, during the 2012 Comic-Con, Burton revealed that the relationship between Victor and Sparky in Frankenweenie is the realisation of a personal story, “When you’re young, it’s the first kind of pure relationship you have. It’s something that connects right to your heart. I was lucky enough to have a special pet that I had that kind of relationship with.” Bringing together this emotionally charged relationship with another of his passions, Frankenstein seemed like a natural conclusion for Burton, “it was easy to kind of marry the two things without it seeming like a stretch.”
The film brings together an intimate cast of Burton’s best loved collaborators (including Martin Landau and Winona Ryder) for a lavishly detailed production and is sure to inspire everyone from the trainspotting horror buffs and the little ‘uns to rig up a science lab in their mum’s attic.
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Frankenweenie opens 5th October
Images courtesy of Disney
Art&Culture
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Art&Culture
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Art&Culture
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Wild at Heart
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