This 1984 live-action version of Frankenweenie has since been remade into an animated full-length version in 2012, and having never seen that either - I'm really looking forward to watching it now thanks to this short.
Burton, even in the early days, absolutely nails his cast with Shelley Duvall and Daniel Stern and main characters. An interesting juxtaposition of Duvall playing a suburban American mom whilst still hinting at the horror element is nice compared to seeing her almost having her face chopped off with an axe and seeing the evident emotionally torture on screen at the hands of Kubrick.
Although this was shot as live-action, some scenes - such as the opening graveyard still - continue to have a very typical Burton-esque animated feel to them which keeps your mind in check to know exactly what you're watching. All this short is really missing is the predictable melodies from Elfman.
The film briefly explores the idea of gossip and rumours in the small town, where the neighbours all state that they've seen something different and instil fear in each other of what inevitably is a small dog (albeit a zombie dog...). Ziad K. Abdelnour states "Rumours are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots" (Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics) and this is a prime example of this!
There's enough humour in the film to keep you smiling - such as the "ex-frog" (eh, hello Monty Python?) when Sparky springs a leak and when Sparky meets his beau - with a very familiar head of hair. But, the film is also incredibly smart. Baring in mind, that our protagonist as this version of Victor Frankenstein is only 10 years old, so instead of the makeshift laboratory filled with high-tech machinery normally seen in such adaptations of the Mary Shelley novel, we see regular household items to make equipment including a swing set, a bike, and an ironing board, which all absolutely look the part. A personal favourite is the adapted version of the windmill and its inevitable downfall.
Highly recommended if you want to one of three incarnations of Burton's Frankenstein - what, you didn't think Edward Scissorhands was actually a portrayal of Frankenstein?
Burton, even in the early days, absolutely nails his cast with Shelley Duvall and Daniel Stern and main characters. An interesting juxtaposition of Duvall playing a suburban American mom whilst still hinting at the horror element is nice compared to seeing her almost having her face chopped off with an axe and seeing the evident emotionally torture on screen at the hands of Kubrick.
Although this was shot as live-action, some scenes - such as the opening graveyard still - continue to have a very typical Burton-esque animated feel to them which keeps your mind in check to know exactly what you're watching. All this short is really missing is the predictable melodies from Elfman.
The film briefly explores the idea of gossip and rumours in the small town, where the neighbours all state that they've seen something different and instil fear in each other of what inevitably is a small dog (albeit a zombie dog...). Ziad K. Abdelnour states "Rumours are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots" (Economic Warfare: Secrets of Wealth Creation in the Age of Welfare Politics) and this is a prime example of this!
There's enough humour in the film to keep you smiling - such as the "ex-frog" (eh, hello Monty Python?) when Sparky springs a leak and when Sparky meets his beau - with a very familiar head of hair. But, the film is also incredibly smart. Baring in mind, that our protagonist as this version of Victor Frankenstein is only 10 years old, so instead of the makeshift laboratory filled with high-tech machinery normally seen in such adaptations of the Mary Shelley novel, we see regular household items to make equipment including a swing set, a bike, and an ironing board, which all absolutely look the part. A personal favourite is the adapted version of the windmill and its inevitable downfall.
Highly recommended if you want to one of three incarnations of Burton's Frankenstein - what, you didn't think Edward Scissorhands was actually a portrayal of Frankenstein?