Frankenweenie

16/10/2012 by Alexander Gordon Smith · No Comments

Bestselling author Alexander Gordon Smith talks to Inis at the premiere of Frankenweenie - and reviews Tim Burton's latest film:

Tim Burton's original Frankenweenie short actually got him fired from his job as animator at Disney, way back in 1984, because they deemed it too scary for children. Now the idea has been reanimated, with some electrifying Disney and Burton magic, as a feature – a full hour longer than the original.

The plot – a loving take on Frankenstein involving young Victor bringing his dead dog Sparky back to life – is a slight variation on the original. But what's the same is Burton's absolute passion for this story. It's clear in every beautifully crafted black and white shot, in every exquisitely handmade weird and wonderful character, in every hilarious line of dialogue, in every homage to the classic horror movies and TV shows that, sadly, are no longer staples of Saturday afternoon television.

At the end of the day Frankenweenie is a sweet, funny, occasionally scary and occasionally sad tale about friendship, and how – like Sparky is to Victor, and Frankenweenie is to Burton – when you really love something, you never truly have to let it go. Well worth a watch.