"Frankenweenie" Review

In 1984, a young Tim Burton created a charming and slightly morbid tale of a boy and his dog. The film ran a modest 29 minutes and was called Frankenweenie. I'm curious to know if there has ever been a film quite as moving and simplistic as Burton's early short. The film portrayed a nosey-neighbor, cookie-cut town with the vintage vibe akin to Edward Scissorhands: and as we saw with the latter, it's the perfect location for a monstrosity. Victor, played by the soft-faced and perfect-featured Barret Oliver, was the ideal character through which the audience, and undoubtedly the filmmaker, saw themselves. His beloved bull terrier, Sparky, stars in his home-made movies and devotedly chases the ball that Victor throws, even when it is tossed into the street into the path of an oncoming car.

Frankenweenie (2012)
Directed by Tim Burton
Starring: Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau
My Opinion: Sweet enough for the kiddies,
entertaining enough for adults

The original strayed a bit from the purpose of Mary Shelley's novel. The abhorrent defilement of nature is disguised as an act of love rather than of curiosity. However, there is so much heart present, even in the redemption of the neighbors that bring the undead Sparky to his second demise, that the film becomes both deeply touching and thought provoking. It seems that the 2012 remake is more in tune with Shelley's original intent than with Burton's.

The feature-length Weenie divulges deeper into a cause and effect. It is quickly established that Victor doesn't have any friends except Sparky. In fact, none of the children of New Holland seem to be more than competitive rivals. The town has an added haunted feeling and bears very little resemblance to the original, save the fashion and hairstyles. Furthermore, rather than be concerned and gossiping citizens, the inhabitants of New Holland fit into two dimensional stereotypes: there is a fat child, a smart Japanese boy, a hunchbacked misfit, and a skeptical mayor who exploits his niece. Even Victor's father, so logical and understanding in the first, is pushing his scientific genius son into sports. Still, the actions of these characters are what move the plot, but they do lack the same psychological depth.

The 2012 film also included a lot more fantastical elements: former pets brought back from the dead for all the wrong reasons gave it that family friendly morality that has been lacking in most of Burton's films since his 2003 Big Fish. Although the films seemed to buckle a little under the weight of the added elements, it added a stronger adventure. Furthermore, few details from the original were sacrificed. Even the grave of a fish named Bubbles and a snake named Edward were still present. The film also made subtle references to other horror classics such as Godzilla and Gremlins. In an interesting twist, the film also added a vital scene from Shelley's novel that is so often skipped over by Frankenstein movies. At one point, Sparky sees his reflection in a shattered mirror. Somehow, his canine mind registers the monster that he has become and he flees in disgust. It might not have much logic, I mean, it's a dog, however, it works with Shelley's original purpose: what happens when humans intervene with nature.

I am the ultimate critic of this film. As a child, I must have seen the original Frankenweenie about a hundred times. I was nervous that Burton had produced a money maker rather than a movie that reflected the original's tone. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this funny and adventurous remake. It rings of the classic, slightly demented but still heartfelt Burton films I grew up with, and truly loved.