Frankenweenie (Four-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) by Buena Vista

Actors

• Winona Ryder
• Catherine O'Hara
• Martin Short
• Martin Landau
• Charlie Tahan

Format

• Animated
• Box set
• Color
• Dolby
• DTS Surround Sound

Editorial Review

Essentially a Tim Burton homage to the classic 1931 film Frankenstein, Frankenweenie is a stylized black-and-white, stop-motion animated movie about a very smart boy named Victor and his love for his pet dog Sparky. When Sparky gets hit and killed by a car, Victor is heartbroken at the loss of his only friend. Then, in his science class, Victor's teacher demonstrates how electrical impulses make muscles move. Victor gets the sudden inspiration to harness the power of lightning to bring back his friend and win the school science fair at the same time. Victor's experiment tests the limits of science and love, provokes jealousy in his classmates, sends a serious shock wave through the neighborhood, and generates unintended consequences that threaten the entire community. This film is funny and engaging, especially to those familiar with the original Frankenstein, but the plot does feel rather piecemeal. What's absolutely perfect is the ominous black-and-white world Burton creates with an abundance of puppets and his eye for the creepy. Tim Burton fans will be interested to discover that Frankenweenie is actually a remake of Burton's 1984 short film of the same name. (Ages 8 and older) –Tami Horiuchi