Frankenweenie Movie Review

I was out of our home when my mother told me that our dog had already died. Before I left, my dog has been battling a twitching stomach. The only veterinarian in town was not available that day. There was a saddening damp of coldness slapping my humanity after reading that text. I wanted to burst into tears right in the middle of the crowded area. But I controlled my emotions.

When I got home, things are different. The only sound I hear is the creaking of our old door. There are no barks, no wagging of tails, no moisten tongue welcome me home late that night. All I’ve witnessed was my dog’s old penguin stuffed toy, his blanket and his feeding plate. The body has been already buried.

To overcome the sadness it brought, I opened my DVD storage, browse on the collection of movies and my fingers flicked on the name Frankenweenie, with a somewhat dubious picture of a dog with a stitch on its face, reminding of Grade B movies of Filipino movies.

I’ve played the movie with my thoughts wandering, until things gradually changes. I am relating to the story. And this is one of the best movies I’ve watched so far.

Frankenweenie is a 2012 3D stop motion horror family film directed by Tim Burton. It is a remake of Burton’s 1984 short film of the same name and is parody of and a homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein based on Mary Shelley’s book of the same name.

Like both those films, Frankenweenie is in black and white. It is also the fourth stop-motion film from Burton and the first overall that isn’t a musical. In the film, a boy named Victor loses his dog, named Sparky, and uses the power of science to resurrect him.

The emotion and the ambiance of the movie doesn’t need colors to be colorful. The depth of the story is obvious. The eyes of the characters are somewhat implying the reality of bereavement and how we desire that something or someone we love must not leave us forever.

The night finishing that movie made me sleep well. And who knows? Maybe someday, I’ll be digging the grave of my pet and try to be Victor. But crossing the boundaries between life and death is what I am afraid of. That gives me a second thought.

By the way, here’s the real movie poster of Frankenweenie. The one above is a fake one. Kidding!