Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie trailer...

A few too many years ago I went to see a film at our local cinema. I have no idea what the film was, not a clue, but I never, ever forgot the short film that came on before t. It was called Frankenweenie, it was in black 7 white and was about a kid who decided to copy the classic Frankenstein movie and use lightening to bring his recently run over dog back to life. I loved the film, instantly and years later, when I discovered that it was by the same crazy guy who went on to direct Batman & Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands and many more, superbly bizarre and interesting films, it all made sense. Did seeing Frankenweenie as a kid mould me into somebody who would be perfectly primed to gleefully accept the weird and wonderful world of Tim Burton movie? Or was it simply that I was already that guy who likes things a little bit dark, weird and set to the music of Danny Elfman. In fact one of my favourite things about the Nightmare Before Christmas Blu-Ray is that it has the original Frankenweenie on it, as a bonus.

There’s a lot of talk in some quarters that Tim Burton’s best days are behind him and that he hasn’t produced much quality work in a while. I happen to think that’s utter bollocks to be frank. His Charlie and The Chocolate Factory is one of the best adaptations of a children’s’ story I’ve seen, both faithful to the source and the spirit of the source, whilst managing to translate the story into something that works in the medium of film. Pulling yet another inspired performance from his onscreen alter-ego, Johnny Depp, to bring Willy Wonka to life, Burton still returned the heart of the story to what it was always meat to be (and what the 1971 version wasn’t) about Charlie and his family. The relationship he has forged with Danny Elfman, over the previous 20 years, never bore better fruit than the wonderful work they did translating Roald Dahl’s cautionary poems into entirely different musical numbers, all performed by the extremely overworked Deep Roy. Big Fish may not be as good as Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood, but it is still a charming film, well made and a pleasure to watch. Then there’s the ambitious Sweeney Todd and the charming Corse Bride; which committed the apparently outrages crime of not being as good as The Nightmare Before Christmas! Then there is his film of Alice In Wonderland. Apart from being the only watchable filmed version of this tale I can remember, at all, the film did a great job of both updating the two Alice tales and presenting something fresh and exciting. His updating of Alice as modern, female “warrior” led to the greenlight for Snow White & The Huntsman.

Frankenweenie 2012...

Frankenweenie 1984...