Studio Synopsis ~ From Disney and creative genius Tim Burton comes the hilarious and offbeat “Frankenweenie,” a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town learn that getting a new ‘leash on life’ can be monstrous.
Studio: Disney
Running Time: 87 minutes
Rating: PG
Number of Disks: 4
Special Features:
- All New Original Short: 'Captain Sparky vs. The Flying Saucers': An exciting all-new short featuring Victor and Sparky’s home movie.
- Miniatures in Motion: Bringing ‘Frankenweenie’ To Life: Viewers get an in-depth tour of the London set that includes never-before-seen footage showcasing the hundreds of artists who worked on the film.
- 'Frankenweenie' Touring Exhibit: Allows audiences to explore the artistry of the film’s puppets, sets and props in a showcase that’s traveling the world.
- 'Frankenweenie' Original Live Action Short: Burton’s original live-action short film
- Music Video: 'Pet Cemetery' performed by Plain White T’s
Putting stop-motion once again in the top slot, “Frankenweenie” brings Burton back from the dark shadows to one of his most imaginative and charming mediums. And while some of weenie’s themes might float right past the kiddies like ghostly notions they have yet to fully understand, the sheer beauty of its thoughtful story and the brilliance of each goth-marked frame make this family friendly fright-fest so much more than cartoonish child’s play.
Never one to back down from a good subtext, Burton – sometimes squarely, sometimes subtly – pokes fun at many of his past films throughout, while also paying homage to the classic 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s monster films of which he was undoubtedly inspired. And with Burton’s usual band of cherry-picked talent – fronted by odd-ball alum Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau, and Winona Ryder – providing personality to his play clay, every stitch on this petrified pieced together pup is sparked with exhaustive charm.
In true Burton fashion a large portion of the extras are dedicated to the stop-motion process, in particular the “Miniatures in Motion” featurette. Topping out at only 20+ minutes but containing an amazing amount of insight, the feature deconstructs the laborious processes involved with the stop-motion medium, from constructing the scaled-down sets and modeling the characters, to finding the voices and expanding the script.
Following those same “expanded script” lines, Burton’s 1984 genesis live-action short film – of the same name – is also included along with the film-in-film “Captain Sparky vs. The Flying Saucers”, an even shorter picture shot during the feature film by Victor. The touring exhibit feature gives a five minute glimpse of the artifacts of inspiration that toured the world in 2012 – with U.S. tours being held during the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con and in Anaheim, California in the fall of 2012 – and the Plain White T’s music video “Pet Cemetery” puts this pooch to bed.
So whether you tune in for the latest brilliance of the Burton line, or simply for the zombie-fied canine, “Frankenweenie” bolts itself into place as a monstrous good time.
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Additional Resources:
Central Voice Cast: Catherine O'Hara | Martin Short | Martin Landau | Charlie Tahan | Winona Ryder
Director: Tim Burton
Central Writers: Leonard Ripps | Tim Burton
Theatrical Release: October 5, 2012
Blu-Ray/DVD Release: January 8, 2013
Genre: Animation | Comedy | Horror
Supporting Cast and more Writers found HERE
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