"Frankenweenie" : Spooky Resurrection Of A Loyal Pal

Death is the last realm for the reach of human technology. It is definite and irreversible. What comes after we cease to exist is one of the most debated and unexplainable questions. Furthermore, to toy with the possibility of returning from this final trip is even more disconcerting, it goes against all the accepted truths of life, human or not. Once you are gone you are gone. But if there is a chance to bring those we love, or even oneself back from the land of the deceased, would it be morally correct to do it? This existential puzzle is nothing new for the human mind, the idea or hope that one day technology could bring back the death has disturbed our minds forever, because it also rises the question of what is the status of those who come back, are they fully themselves again? or would they be a mere embodiment of what they used to be? The quintessential example is the classic novel by Mary Shelley which title "Frankenstein" would become a synonym with a monstrous creature brought back to life through lighting. The original story is dark and provocative, ahead of its time and always current in a world that searches to extent life as much as possible.

To present this bizarre and spooky concept as a dark comedy, stop-motion animated film is a feat only fit for one strange artistic vision : Tim Burton. The script for "Frankenweenie' is based on his original idea from a live-action short he directed early in his career, its a touching, family friendly, but still edgy and fresh adaptation of the terrifying original novel. True to his artistic sensitivities, he made the film in exquisite black and white, in a beautiful technique like stop motion, giving it heart and laughs to make it a complete package. This film about a kid who brings his beloved puppy back from the underworld, feels really alive despite all the dead in it.

Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a introverted kid who keeps to himself and has as his only friend his dog Sparky. Victor spends the time making stop-motion films of his own, and creating things in his attic, always followed and helped by his loyal pet. In school he is surrounded by many strange characters starting with his subversive yet caring teacher Mr. Rzykruski, and his classmates. Among them his love interest Elsa Van Helsing (Winona Ryde),  a hunchback, malicious kid named Edgar (he is a version of Igor, Dr. Frankenstein's sidekick) , and a huge-eyed, weird looking girl who carries a psychic kitten named Mr. Whiskers (who in my book steals the show every time he is on screen). When the science fair  approaches, all the kids seek to partner up with Victor, but when an accident kills his beloved Sparky, then it all takes a different turn. Devastated by the depart from this world of his canine friend he remembers a lesson on how bodies react to electricity even after death. Honoring his name and using lighting he brings Sparky back only to notice this is just the beginning of his problems. Hiding his resurrected pal becomes difficult as his parents, his classmates, and his sneaky New Holland-obsessed neighbor Mr. Bergermeister are following his steps. Set in a "normal" suburban town with a cast full of gloomy eccentricism , the movie still manages to be very, very fun. Sparky is just a lovable dog, he is far from being a cartoonish depiction of an animal, instead he acts as irrationally and free as a real pup, which is something I personally appreciate, Burton made him something real and not an unnatural, overly intelligent creature. In the middle of this dark, unrealistic animated adventure we have two very ordinary characters that ring true, a lonely kid and his dog.

Now that I'm done dealing with what the movie is about on the surface, we can get into all the nerdy and great little details and funny bones (no pun intended) Burton throws at us. This is Burton's homage to not only "Frankenstein" but to an era in filmmaking. This is his love letter to what has inspired him throughout his career, all those B-pictures about campy monsters and fantastic worlds. From his choice of making it in black and white to the film Victor's parents watch on TV. Every character's name, look, and behavior are carefully created to reinvent "Frankenstein". Probably, a very funny one is the name of one of the kid's turtle, who he calls "Shelley", a double meaning referring to a turtle's shell and to the name of the 19th century writer who created the original story, Mary Shelley. The story has multiple gags dealing with classic monster pictures like the Mummy, Godzilla, and obviously Pet Sematary, but it all seems so nicely weaved into the universe of New Holland. All this great touches are not bane, the story does have a real message, perhaps greatly expressed through Mr. Rzykruski's speech towards the school's parents. He speaks of the fear they have towards innovation, their ignorance to face the questions science rises, but their hypocritical willingness to benefit from what such sciences discover. I would dare to say the film in a way, just like the original novel, is concerned with the ethics of science, and when it becomes too much like playing God. Lots of great things packed into a 100 minute film.

Technically impressive, and as usual with Tim Burton's work, stylized and dark. In fact this film really brings back what some other recent Burton films were missing, a more intimate view into his mind and obsessions, without being visually overpowering, or too abstract in concept. It seems like with this trend of dark, monster-friendly  animated films the Oscar battle for the Best Animated feature will include both "ParaNorman' and "Frankenweenie". Although I loved both, it feels like this would be the perfect excuse for the Academy to give Burton a deserved lifetime award under the skin of Sparky. Out in theaters now. Grade A.