Frankenweenie (1984)

A short film directed by Tim Burton, this is absolutely sublime. It is a brilliant, touching film which both parodies and pays tribute to "Frankenstein", the 1931 film version in particular. It tells the story of a ten-year-old boy named Victor Frankenstein, based on Burton himself as he makes short films in his backyard, who is distraught by the death of his (very appropriately named) dog Sparky. Shortly afterwards, he learns that electricity can be used to stimulate muscles, which inspired Mary Shelley to write "Frankenstein" in the first place. He harnesses the power of lightning to revive Sparky, who soon comes to be misunderstood and feared by the Frankensteins' neighbours. The script by Lenny Ripps, based on an idea by Burton, is top notch.The use of black and white is extremely effective and Burton's direction is excellent. Barret Oliver, a prolific 1980s child actor best known for his roles in films such as "The NeverEnding Story", "D.A.R.Y.L." and "Cocoon", is pitch perfect as Victor, who manages to seem like a real boy in spite of the plot. Shelley Duvall and Daniel Stern are great as his supportive parents. Joseph Maher excels as the film's "antagonist" Mr Chambers while Roz Braverman is a laugh riot as Mrs. Epstein. It also features fairly small appearances by Stern's future "The Wonder Years" co-star Jason Hervey and Sofia Coppola, a making a rare appearance in something not directed by her father Francis Ford Coppola.Considering that I basically prefer dogs to people, I was a little apprehensive about watching this given the subject matter but I need not have worried as it is as heartwarming as it is macabre. It perfectly conveys how much a dog can mean to a person. I couldn't imagine life without my dog Freddie! It has already become both my favourite film about a dog and my favourite short film. Were it not for "Ed Wood", my 17th favourite film of all time, this would be my favourite feature or short film directed by Burton. My enthusiasm for it knows no bounds.

And this is probably also my biggest criticism for Tim Burton's short film "Frankenweenie" from over 30 years ago. A bit of drama, comedy, fantasy, family, horror, a touch of Lassie here, an ounce of Old Yeller there and some elements from "Edward Scissorhands" and of course Frankenstein. The half hour is entirely ion black-and-white. This was already Burton's 7th short film, although he was only in his mid20-s when this was made. Very prolific for such a young age. I cannot draw any parallels to the animated full feature from three years ago, but I was rather underwhelmed by the original here. The cast is decent, you may have seen the actors in "The Neverending Story", "Home Alone", "The Shining" or "The Godfather 3" and they all played major characters in these. Even the dog was in "Blue Velvet". Looks like Burton knows talent when he sees it. Still, something was missing in this short movie, because somehow I really wasn't captured by the story at all. Maybe Burton should really entirely focused on one genre, maybe horror and I'd have appreciated it more. Not recommended.

This is another cult Tim Burton short – although at 29 minutes, live-action, and featuring the likes of Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern and child actor Barret Oliver (from the same year's THE NEVER ENDING STORY), it is a considerably more ambitious effort.Again, it draws inspiration from classic horror cinema and, in fact, its variation on the Frankenstein theme made for a belated addition to my James Whale retrospective of some months back! Here we have an adorable dog (that is even made-up by its child owner to star in amateurish monster movies!) being run over by a car and killed. The boy cannot get over its loss but, suddenly, during chemistry class at school (presided over by an uncredited Paul Bartel!), he learns how dead things can be literally reanimated via electricity.So he goes to work in the family basement – while his oblivious parents think he is acting strangely as a way of coping with the dog's death – and creates a makeshift Frankenstein (incidentally, that is the boy's very surname and he is, of course, called Victor) lab, complete with mounting slab! Unearthing the dead pet from the nearby graveyard, the funeral set-piece is a veritable homage to the opening sequence from Whale's FRANKENSTEIN (1931), as is the fiery climax at the mill!Immediately after being revived, the dog (appropriately stitched-up, which however makes one wonder just how bad the afore-mentioned accident had been!) runs out into the streets again (the boy having fallen asleep from exhaustion) and, causing no end of havoc, terrifies the neighbors. These in turn, present themselves before the parents to give them a piece of their mind; the latter, naturally, are completely unaware of what has been going on but, even when Stern sees Oliver feeding the dog, he claims the neighbors were mistaken as he clearly needs time to process this astonishing fact! Eventually, the family decides to have the other people in the street meet the dog and verify for themselves that it is its old self. Predictably, however, their plans goes awry as the dog panics and, once more, goes on the lam, heading towards its resting-place (as if it did not want to keep on living unnaturally)! With the boy running after it and the whole neighborhood following in an uproar, we assist to the inevitable near-tragedy as the mill by the cemetery is accidentally set on fire with Oliver still inside. However, the dog springs into action to save its owner and dies again in the attempt; suddenly seen as a hero by the neighbors, the latter put their heads together to revitalize it once more through the combined electrical currents from their car batteries!Unlike his previous effort, VINCENT (1982), then, this comes with a happy ending; still, this was no cop-out as, in spite of the morbid subject matter, it is essentially an uplifting yarn about puppy love. Being a lifelong animal lover myself, I know exactly how the boy felt about the loss of a beloved pet: my large but quiet and friendly 11-year old dalmation called "Renoir" passed away only last year – right on the day that the World Cup final was held! Besides, a few years before it was lost to us for 3 whole weeks when someone inadvertently left a couple of doors in the house open and, until we found it again in the company of other stray dogs, we had already gotten ourselves another dog – easily the loveliest and liveliest we ever had but also needful of constant medical attention at first – so we dubbed it "Bresson"!

"Frankenweenie" is a brilliant short. I don't even particularly enjoy Tim Burton's movies, but this one is really good. This is his greatest achievement. It's a bit difficult to describe this mini-film. It is genial, plain, simple, macabre, dark, dramatic, touching, disturbing, cute, comical and fun at times... It's a tribute to the Gothic horror genre, yet there's practically nothing scary about it. It isn't one of those commercial terror/horror films from recent years or nowadays. This is a classic.One of the most distinguish things about this movie is that it is entirely in black and white, despite being a production from the 1980's. Perhaps they did it to make the story feel more heavy and darker. Or maybe they did it to accent the spirit of Frankenstein. It also accents the nostalgic feeling/spirit. You know something? It actually works! Considering I don't say the same thing about "Schindler's List", some folks might wonder how can I possibly feel the opposite about "Frankenweenie". All I can say is that some things just can't be explained - one simply feels them.This is a very well done short film and its plot is equally interesting. The story's about Victor Frankenstein and his friendship with his beloved dog, Sparky (a Bull Terrier). Although it's sad to see the dog dying twice, it is happy to see that the dog is brought back to life. For example, Victor makes use of electrical impulses in muscles learned at school and even creates genial machines which resuscitate his pet by bringing a bolt of lightning.At one point, Victor correctly says that «People are weird» because his neighbors fear his dog with no reason. In the meantime, a mess caused by their anger makes Sparky run away and Victor goes after him. They end up finding themselves in a miniature golf course and use its flagship windmill as their hiding place. However, they are soon found and an accident lits the windmill on fire. Victor nearly dies, but Sparky saves him just in time. Sparky dies again, but this time people recognize him as a hero and bring him back to life. Our story has a happy ending.The friendship between Victor and Sparky together with the fact that Sparky rescues Victor makes me understand why Bull Terriers are considered such good dogs for children and also that they have a natural instinct of protection towards children. These «canine gladiators» are lovable dogs with a jolly character and their peculiar appearance is unique, being their egg-shaped head their most distinctive feature.Generally speaking, the actors are good in their roles. Shelley Duvall is good as Susan Frankenstein. Daniel Stern, best known for playing Marv in the first two "Home Alone" films, portrays here Ben Frankenstein and he's good too. Barret Oliver, a familiar actor from "The Neverending Story" and "D.A.R.Y.L" (both awesome movies), as well as one of the best and cutest child actors of all time, is excellent in the role of Victor Frankenstein. And last, but not least, there is Sparky (his name was really Sparky), as formidable and as intelligent as a dog can be in the acting business.I am surprised that this motion picture is from Disney studios. This is perfect to watch anytime of the year, not just on Halloween.Some elements in this small film remind me of "Back to the Future", particularly when Victor uses the elaborate machines to revive the dog, as well as the clocks seen in that room and the use of a bolt of lightning. Some of the sceneries, sequences and dark elements create this resemblance too. There is a bit of a "Back to the Future" atmosphere in this live-action short.I've read that Tim Burton will make a "remake" of this, but as a full-length movie. It is more than good the way it is, why bothering to remake it? They can't use the same cast. Plus, Barret Oliver is an adult now and I think no one but him could do Victor Frankenstein. I also wonder: will they use a Bull Terrier to be Sparky this time? Or will they use a different dog breed?This should definitely be on Top 250.