Elkins Frankenweenie

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Tim Burton’s 2012 animated feature Frankenweenie may not be his best film yet, but it most definitely screams “Tim Burton!” And by that, I mean it includes everything that makes Tim Burton who he is: outsiders, archetypes, gothic themes, etc. It is also fitting that the 1984 version of Frankenweenie was one of Burton’s first films – the 2012 version is like a more perfect version of the 1984 film.

The 1984 version, being about thirty minutes long or so, obviously has a shorter, more basic story than the 2012 version. In the 1984 version, the only storyline is bringing Sparky back to life, the townspeople chasing him, and Sparky’s acceptance by the townsfolk. The 2012 version includes that storyline (which it drags out) and also includes the storyline of the science fair, where many of Victor’s classmates steal Victor’s idea of bringing the dead back to life, resulting in a catastrophe of many different monsters plaguing New Holland. All in all, I liked the original Frankenweenie more than the 2012 version. The 2012 version, I felt was unnecessarily long and included pointless things (such as the different monsters coming to life). Not that the different monsters idea was not creative, I just do not think it was really needed for the movie to be enjoyable.

However, one thing I think the 2012 version has over the 1984 version is stop-motion. I did not dislike the live-action of the original – it was very well done. I just think more artistic things can be done with stop-motion. Characters can be exaggerated to levels that would be difficult for live actors to pull off (Edgar is a prime example of this), and, in general, the look of the different characters is in no-way impeded by an actor’s set characteristics – the filmmakers more or less can literally do anything they want to make the characters look just right. Also with stop-motion, Burton can exercise his signature drawing habits (really skinny people, creepy faces) as seen with Victor and the girl that looks like Staring Girl from Oyster Boy. Ultimately, live actors do not allow an audience to get as in-depth into a movie as with stop-motion – there are too many faces one might recognize. With stop-motion, the only thing one might recognize in regards to the actors is the voices.

There are multiple scenes taken out of the 1984 version that are almost identical with the 2012 version. These scenes, such as the scene in which Sparky is brought back to life and the whole windmill sequence, get a sort of upgrade. They take longer, are better described, and are over all just “shinier” than in the 1984 version.

I did not hate the 2012 version of Frankenweenie, but nor did I think it was Burton’s best. I enjoyed its artwork, and felt that it had many creative elements to it, but I do not think its creativity justifies its length. It did succeed over the 1984 version in some aspects, but, overall, I think the 1984 version told the same story better in a more concise way.