The World of Stainboy (2000)

I expected this to be a lot better. I love Tim Burton's work, so I was really excited to see these online short films. Well, they weren't at all what I had expected.I don't really know what exactly it is I don't like. I guess they're just sort of dull. The sound bothers me, and most of the characters, although I loved Roy the Toxic Boy, and Stainboy.The Match Girl episode probably bugged me the most, although it was pretty funny.I also don't like the way some of the characters die. Like how Match Girl basically set the gas station on fire, or how the Girl Who Stares died, in general. Roy's death was amusing, surprisingly. Death by a car freshener. Very original ;-) That made me laugh so hard...There are some things that aren't appropriate for kids. Just some language and gore. That's about all I have to say! 3/10

Tim Burton is my favorite director and he has created a black comedy/stop-motion animation/short-film series about a superhero named Stainboy. Firstly, I read "The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy" which is where Stainboy originates from. This is not much different. Here's what it's about: Stainboy is a lonely superhero who works for the police, detecting out any strange and/or harmful activities that occur daily in Burbank. Some examples involve other characters {but not all} from Oyster Boy. They include Roy the Toxic Boy, Robot Boy, the Staring Girl, Match Girl and one character that wasn't in the book called Bowling Ball Head. Each cartoon is about 5 minutes long and each one has one of these characters that Stainboy has to confront, as directed by his boss, Sargeant Glen Dale who is voiced by Glenn Shadix.Highly recommended. 10/10 stars.

It is difficult to describe what Stainboy is. What we can say is that Stainboy is another one of Burton's darkly mischievous and funny creations. Directly from his book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy, Burton takes Stainboy's character from a sketch to a full-fledged character who tackles his counterparts in, well, rather unique ways.The series is almost a parody of superheroes (what kind of a power is staining, anyways?), yet you as the viewer will indefinitely find yourself cheering him on towards success. Although the villains aren't as evil as they could be (and bizarre nonetheless), the creators have envisioned a world mirroring our own, where superheroes are simply strange creatures, and life is simply screwed up.

I felt when watching this film that we are getting a glimpse at what's going on in Tim Burton's head (much like we do with anything else he creates). The film is quite strange and with a run-time of less than 8 minutes, it's hard to really develop any kind of plot line. This, of course, is quite needed because we as the average viewer may not understand the concept of what a "stainboy" actually is. Once the film is over, we question everything we had seen before. We see Stainboy and he is told by a chief that he can go home because there is no trouble in their town. He goes home and turns on the TV. A commercial for stain remover comes on and he begins to get sad. You see, he is basically a stain himself. He lays down and remembers his life filled with rejection and sadness. He is abandoned by his parents and sent to live with a bunch of other freaks. At the center, the chief from the beginning shows up and mentions Stainboy by name. He faints and returns to his reality where the chief is telling him to get up. This time, the chief is in his home and we see on the TV the same scene from the beginning. This raises the question of how much we have just seen is actually true. Is he actually a stain, or does he just feel so rejected? Was he actually abandoned or does he just feel that way because he feels different? I think this is a very personal movie and most people will just think it's stupid. Look beyond the face value and try and find the meaning behind it. I think Tim Burton is expressing his true feelings and he does so in a very original and creative way.