Frankenweenie

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Frankenweenie

PG

2012

1h 27m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

222 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher (Martin Landau) gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals -- with monstrous consequences.

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Critics Consensus

Frankenweenie is an energetic stop-motion horror movie spoof with lovingly crafted visuals and a heartfelt, oddball story.

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Mar Diestro-Dópido

Sight & Sound

Jul 12, 2018

Admittedly less eccentric and more classic in style than some of Burton's acclaimed earlier works, Frankenweenie is still chock-full of the filmmaker's old dark magic.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 7, 2017

B+

... Frankenweenie beautifully merges the old with the new as it also celebrates filmmaking both literally and fictionally with its relatable protagonist.

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Tom Charity

CNN.com

Jan 7, 2013

Tim Burton's most enjoyable movie in a long time.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Feb 15, 2023

3/4

The stop-motion animation looks especially crisp in the film’s black-and-white world.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jan 7, 2023

[Tim] Burton mixes in a love of horror movies with an innocently ghoulish sense of humor and harmless gross-out gags, capturing that childhood fascination with monster movies and the macabre.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Sep 23, 2022

3/4

Burton has set aside his usual, increasingly cloying commercial drives to tell a story that means something to him.

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Krystal W

Nov 26, 2021

My son enjoyed this movie.

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Brendan K

@Bkeller25 Nov 1, 2026

An interesting yet very strange film. You feel for Victor’s trauma and the tough position he is put in. It’s very Tim Burton in every sense of the word. I dig the black and white color palette. Definitely give it a shot if you overlooked it.

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Josiah M

@RT69451458 Oct 24, 2026

Frankenweenie is an amazing combination of typical tropes of these types of movies but makes it refreshing by adding references to older horror movies such as but not limited to Frankenstein obviously, gremlins, and the mummy and I think it will still be a good family friendly horror movie to watch with the kids it does have some frightening seens in it but nothing that will Traumatize them but still will spook you so and that's why it goes on the shelf with nightmare before christmas as good horror movies for kids it was an extent movie and loved it so much

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Alfredo P

@RT03403867 Oct 21, 2026

Experiencing another stop motion animated film really feels more revolutionary, even after experiencing a movie about a dog being brought back from the dead like Frankenstein. And adding the black and white color palette really defines Burton's style that feels like it'll never die.

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Bret M

@BretM-3 Sep 29, 2026

Y’know, we have the debate all the time about whether 3D or 2D animation is better, but we need to further our appreciation of stop motion animation. Especially when that stop motion is creepy, Tim Burton stop motion. I love this style, and I love Tim Burton as a director. Pair that with the amazing voice cast and the great story about a kid and his dog and you’ve got a great movie the whole family can get behind (especially the guy in the family that loves Burton’s signature gothic style). I recommend this movie to anyone who likes stop motion, Tim Burton, or anyone who just needs another great family movie for the spooky season. It’s a good one!

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 24, 2026

Frankenweenie = a *4* star Movie!

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Synopsis

Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher (Martin Landau) gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals -- with monstrous consequences.

Director: Tim Burton
Producer: Tim Burton, Allison Abbate
Screenwriter: John August
Distributor: Walt Disney
Production Co: Walt Disney Studios
Rating: PG (Scary Images|Action|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 5, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 8, 2014
Runtime: 1h 27m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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