Film: Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie is a riff on the Frankenstein story with young Victor (Charlie Tahan) bringing his dead dog, Sparky, back to life; causing chaos in the process. In the style of other Tim Burton films most of the characters are tall and lanky, despite it being set in modern day there's a real 1950s vibe and there's a gothic atmosphere. With its setting on dead pets this is by far the oddest children's film of the year, but what else would you expect from Tim Burton. It is also at times very sweet, telling a traditional boy and his dog story; a friendship which transcends even death.

There are some very Burton-esque characters; particularly the science teacher Mr. Rzykruski (Martin Landau) who is very clearly based on Vincent Price. My favourite character has quite a minor role, the creepy blonde girl (Catherine O'Hara, who also plays Victor's mother and several other characters) with giant eyes and fluffy white cat who gives out omens. Every scene with her in is hilarious, as well as being totally ridiculous. For a genius Victor comes across as a little dull, all he really cares about is having his dog back and when he brings him back there isn't much more to his character. There is an attempt to give him a love interest in the form of Winona Ryder's Elsa but it feels a bit lacklustre. In fact Elsa seems to mostly exist to bring Sparky's love interest in to the story, Persephone the poodle. The stuff between Sparky and Persephone is very sweet, with her taking on a Bride of Frankenstein appearance after Sparky is reanimated.

The animation is very well done and carries Burton's style, at times you may think you're simply watching a cartoon. The Frankenstein movie inspired reanimation scenes are the highlight of the film, directly mirroring the style of Hammer horrors. Many other classic horror are also referenced including Godzilla.

The ending is a bit of a cop-out and frankly leaves a very odd message for children. As a whole the film just feels like its missing something and some parts seem a bit dragged out.