October is always a fun month, especially with the immediate plethora of Halloween themed movies that are saved for the special occasion and presented to the public for all ages to enjoy. On Friday, Tim Burton once again returned to his animation roots, placing his own take on Mary Shelly’s classic story “Frankenstein” in the movie “Frankenweenie.”
Resurrected from his 1984 short film, “Frankenweenie” is a heartwarming, yet twisted and creepy tale of a boy and his dog. Taking place in the suburban town of New Holland, the story focuses on the life of Victor, a bright and intelligent boy and his beloved pet dog Sparky. More interested in science and spending quality time cooped up with Sparky, Victor seems content living the life of a loner.
Like a typical dog, Sparky never leaves Victor’s side until his life is cut short. Heartbroken by the loss of Sparky, he has nothing else to look forward to until he was inspired to revive his dog. Conducting an electrical experiment, Victor succeeds in bringing Sparky back to life, but his greedy classmates wish to outdo Victor in an upcoming science fair, mimicking Victor’s experiment. A few of his classmates dastardly headed to the cemetery, digging up deceased pets, attempted to bring them back to life in hopes of winning the science fair. Little did each of them know, their experiments backfired in horrid disaster, turning against their creators as they headed to wreak havoc on the town. Throughout the rest of the movie, the plot parallels between Mary Shelly’s “Frankenstein.”
This movie is overall very enjoyable. “Frankenweenie” is not just a typical boy and dog story. Gaining influential elements from classics like “Pet Cemetery” and “Frankenstein,” this is a movie that brings the imagination and creativity of Tim Burton to life. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll even cringe in fear while embracing the bizarre and almighty uniqueness that Burton provides with each movie he creates. Young or old, “Frankenweenie” is a definitely a movie to check out as the Halloween season approaches.
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rmcgrath@ramapo.edu
