Frankenweenie (2012)
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 197
Fresh: 172 | Rotten: 25
Frankenweenie is an energetic stop-motion horror movie spoof with lovingly crafted visuals and a heartfelt, oddball story.
Average Rating: 7.7/10
Critic Reviews: 39
Fresh: 33 | Rotten: 6
Frankenweenie is an energetic stop-motion horror movie spoof with lovingly crafted visuals and a heartfelt, oddball story.
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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 59,123
My Rating
Movie Info
From creative genius Tim Burton comes Frankenweenie, a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life-with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor's fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new "leash on life" can be monstrous. A stop-motion animated film, Frankenweenie will be
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Cast
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Charlie Tahan
Victor, Victor Frankens... -
Winona Ryder
Elsa, Elsa Van Helsing -
Martin Landau
Mr. Rzykruski -
Catherine O'Hara
Gym Teacher, Mrs. Frank... -
Atticus Shaffer
Edgar, Edgar "E" Gore -
Martin Short
Dad, Edward Frankenstei... -
Robert Capron
Bob -
Conchata Ferrell
Bob's Mom -
James Liao
Toshiaki -
Tom Kenny
Fire Chief, Soldier, To...
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Frankenweenie Trailer & Photos
All Critics (197) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (174) | Rotten (25) | DVD (4)
Tim Burton's most enjoyable movie in a long time.
Top CriticBurton's best film since 1994's Ed Wood or even 1990's Edward Scissorhands.
This is a Tim Burton film with something to say. And that's a rare and precious thing.
The stop-motion animation - a favorite tool of Burton's - is given loving attention, and the character design is full of terrific touches, such as the hulking flat-topped schoolmate who looks a bit like a certain man-made monster.
The best thing about an animated monster movie with this much heart is: It's alive. In the best possible way.
This 3-D, black-and-white "family" comedy is the year's most inventive, endearing animated feature.
... a padded short story that didn't require embellishment... looks very weak directly compared to the sheer brilliance of the similarly themed ParaNorman.
The real audience here is Burton fans (add an extra star to this review if you're a Burton fan).
Something of a return to form for Tim Burton, Frankenweenie plays like a Greatest Hits by way of his early work.
A remake of not one Tim Burton movie, but all of them.
Actively frustrating and a tedious experience to endure.
"Frankenweenie" is not just cute, it's weird. And, I love it.
A bittersweet and delightful bit of animated fare...
The heedlessly macabre tone treats its audience with respect without slavishly condescending to kiddos for easy chuckles, and the visual style is elegant and haunting.
Compared to the shorter and more to the point original, the expanded Frankenweenie is padded and less focused, meandering from a simple path of what was a clever parody/homage.
Tim Burton's Frankenweenie embodies the excitement, innocence, awkwardness and imagination of childhood.
Extended to feature length, the premise doesn't thin out but gains substance and momentum.
"Frankenweenie" isn't Burton's best work, but it's still a solid outing for the strange, death-obsessed director.
Disney should've had more faith in this premise back in 1984, when it mattered, instead of shocking it back to a bigger life now...
Victor's relationship with Sparky is lovely, even when the revivified dog corpse is stitched together with thick black thread and his tail or ear falls off.
While not a true original in its own right, and therefore not a classic, it is still classic Burton with his creepy, kooky trademarks, so we'll take it.
Maintains the legitimately dark tone of the original short while expanding the narrative in a pleasingly Scissorhands-esque direction.
In the very best sense, the film is wall-to-wall eye candy.
'Frankenweenie' is far from his best, but it is a timely reassurance that the old Tim Burton still exists and may be able to work his black magic again.
Beautiful, technically astonishing animation and the emotional whack of a lightning bolt cannot quite hide the stitches holding together a paucity of ideas and humour.
Audience Reviews for Frankenweenie
Super Reviewer
Victor Frankenstein is a lonely young man who's best friend is his energetic dog, Sparky. When Sparky is run over and killed by a car, Victor is devastated but he refuses to give up hope of spending time with his beloved friend again. Inspired by his science teacher, he decides to rig up a laboratory and harness the lightning to bring Sparky's corpse back to life. His attempts are successful but it soon causes havoc within his neighbourhood.
Burton has came in for a critical panning from many people of late (myself included). The major issue being his seeming inability to change his idiosyncratic style. With this latest venture into stop-motion animation, he has answered his critics in style and it makes you wonder whether he even should change his approach when the results can be as good as this. Here, his gothic idiosyncrasies are entirely suited to this homage to director James Whale and his classic horror movies "Frankenstein" and it's follow-up "Bride Of Frankenstein". He also throws in some references to horror stars Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Vincent Price and includes a whole host of quirky characters - the one that stood out for me the most was 'Mr. Whiskers'; a cat who can predict the future of others by the shape of the shit left in his litter tray.
Burton's decision to film in gorgeous monochrome really adds to the proceedings and gives Mary Shelley's classic literary tale his own spin and he (and us) has a lot fun in doing so. It also has a similar off-key suburban setting like Burton's earlier film "Edward Scissorhands" and shares the same balance of that film's darkness and macabre humour. Younger children may balk at the unravelling of the darker tale but older kids and adults can revel in it's decent into a reanimated, monster B-Movie which is entirely fitting and in doing so, never loses it's sense of fun.
A lot of animated films these days have an appeal for children and adults alike and the balance that Burton achieves here is proof that that's not about to change anytime soon. One of 2012's very best animated films and one of Burton's best for quite a while.
Super Reviewer
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- Victor: Nobody likes scientists.
- Mr. Rzykruski: They like what science gives them, but not the questions, no. Not the questions that science asks.
- Victor: [thinks for a second] Actually, I have a question.
- Mr. Rzykruski: He, he. That is why you are a scientist.
- Victor: I was doing my experiment, my project, and the first time it worked great, but the next time it didn't. I mean, it sort of worked, but then it didn't. And I don't know why.
- Mr. Rzykruski: Then maybe you never really understood it the first time. People think science is here [points to his head], but it is also here [places his hand on his chest]. The first time, did you love your experiment?
- Victor: Yes. [thinks of Sparky licking his hand]
- Mr. Rzykruski: And the second time?
- Victor: [Thinks of the invisible fish] No. I just wanted it over.
- Mr. Rzykruski: Then you changed the variables.
- Victor: I was doing it for the wrong reason.
- Mr. Rzykruski: Science is not good or bad, Victor. But it can be used both ways. That is why you must always be careful.
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- Mr. Rzykruski: People think science is here [points to mind] but it also here. [touches heart]
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- Mr. Rzykruski: The first time did you love your experiment?
- Victor Frankenstein: Yes.
- Mr. Rzykruski: Ah. And the second time?
- Victor Frankenstein: No, I just wanted it over.
- Mr. Rzykruski: Then you changed the variables.
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- Mr. Rzykruski: Science is not good or bad Victor, but it can be used both ways. That is why you must always be careful.
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- Mr. Rzykruski: They like what science gives them but not the questions no, not the questions the science asks.
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- Edgar "E" Gore: Your dog is alive!
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| franken | 4 months ago | 2 |
Latest News on Frankenweenie
January 10, 2013:
Parental Guidance: Horrid Henry: The Movie and FrankenweenieThis week, the three big releases -- Gangster Squad, Zero Dark Thirty, and A Haunted House -- are...
October 5, 2012:
Tim Burton, Martin Landau, and Winona Ryder Talk FrankenweenieThe director and his stars discuss this weekend's 3D IMAX stop-motion undead extravaganza.
October 5, 2012:
15 of the Saddest Pet Movie DeathsIn honor of "Frankenweenie," here are some other cinematic critters who bit the dust.
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Foreign Titles
- Frankenweenie (DE)
- Frankenweenie (UK)
