Frankenweenie
2012
Tim Burton
Sprinkles of the macabre are usually absent in an animated film. A ghastly or ghoulish atmosphere is usually avoided to not influence their sugar coated perspective of the world that children harbor. Yet in a Tim Burton film it's commonplace and familiar. And thank goodness. Frankenweenie brings Tim Burton back to his roots and has many familiar elements of Burton's earlier films that have been gravely missed. It brings back the originality, the magic, and the human elements (all of which missed me completely in Alice in Wonderland).
Victor Frankenstein likes to be alone, alone in the sense he's completely absorbed in his own world, a world that meets all his human requirements - he finds companionship in his dog, Sparky, and has a passion for making films (that star Sparky) and science. It worries his parents, but precocious Victor just seems to want to exercise his curiosity and indulge in his own thoughts. I think it's safe to say without spoiling it that the general premise of the film is about how after an unfortunate accident Victor brings his dog back to life.
Firstly the visuals of the film are very beautiful, in classic black and white, the various shades of monochrome reminiscent of classic horror films perfectly sets up the gothic atmosphere. The characters are designed with the typical Burton quirk, some large and waddling, some very thin and spindly, with their own distinctive personalities. The movements of the characters is truely a marvel. The fluid kinetics of the ways the characters are very humanistic and delightful. The way Sparky bounces around with vigor and energy is full of life, with a distinctive moment where Sparky keeps bouncing and chasing the water that he drank which escapes through the seams of his patches.
I think the film did a great job in capturing the charm of Sparky and Victor. Their companionship seemed very strong as well as his sorrow. My favourite scene is a short montage of the day that Victor spends without Sparky (gif above). It's got accompanied by an enchanting yet morose composition by Danny Elflman (whom I love and is making a big streak in my Spotify playlist) and it very simply captures the way there may be a lack of life and passion when feeling sad. The way we slowly sink into a slump that we can't control. The face of Victor stays the same, yet his surroundings change, but his face slowly drops during the day. I guess everyone feels this way at some point in their life, I have been fortunate enough to not lose a pet yet that I cared about dearly, but this film made the possibility of the occurrence seemed all too possible and painful without making the feeling forced. The subtleties of sadness.
The film is rooted in love and passion. Victor simply wants to get back his friend even if it means going through any type of scientific necromancy, and the problems arise when good intentions turn sour. It also seems to have an overarching point about the responsibility of power. To have the chance to change or create must be done with good intentions (as his science teacher Mr. Rzykruski says, one of my favourite characters) creating a golden fable for children to achieve only things out of love and goodness, not for their own personal gain. It also makes a point about the fear the resides in the unknown - a primary trait for the classic Frankenstein story. The townsfolk don't understand the resurrection of Sparky as well as the science that Mr. Rzykruski teaches. It emphasized the primal fear of the unknown and the sad truth that we don't try to understand that that we don't, and try to destroy instead. Overall Frankenweenie embodies all the beauty of childhood in the somberly graceful Burton aesthetic. A story of love, curiosity, discovery and overall, friendship.
(Also, as a Winona Ryder devout it was great to see her back for a small voice role as Elsa Van Helsing (!!!))
