Frankenweenie: Review By AvalleAJ

Tim Burton's 'Frankenweenie' is a well-adapted stop motion version of the 1984 short (which I wound up watching after this one). The film stars Charlie Tahan as the voice of Victor, a kid with a love for science and a dog named Sparky. When his dad talks Victor in to playing baseball, something big happens as foretold by the weird girl's cat. Victor's dog is hit by a car which also hits Victor right in his heart. Good thing Victor's science teacher was doing the frog and electricity demonstration when he did, or Victor may have never had the idea to raise his beloved dog from the dead.

Burton has created what seems like an animated replica of the 1984 version but with twice as much story, an extra dose of creepy, and casket full of imagination and surprises. After Victor successfully brings his dog to life, he gets more than he bargained for. His disobedient zombie dog runs amuck around the town, and the whole thing spirals out of control with Victor being oblivious of it until later, when his classmates try to recreate Victor's own experiment.

The story moves along smoothly, but at times, I wondered where it was moving to, but it wasn't long before it grabbed my attention again. 'Frankenweenie is children's movie, sure, but kids won't respect it for what it is, and they won't get the jokes or references, but people of all ages should enjoy it. It's a good family movie about the love between a kid and his undead dog. Oh, and an adventurous tale of irresponsible classmates with animals of their own.