Young Victor resurrects his beloved pup Sparky in the teaser trailer for Tim Burton’s 3D stop-motion adaptation of his original short, ‘Frankenweenie’.
Even though Dark Shadows is the first Tim Burton-directed movie due to hit theaters in 2012, a trailer for that film has yet to be released. Instead, today marks the arrival of a teaser trailer for the Gothic artist’s upcoming return to the world of stop-motion animation: a feature-length treatment of Burton’s original 1984 black-and-white short riff on the Frankenstein story, otherwise known as Frankenweenie.
Frankenweenie is a 3D project which retains the black and white aesthetic of Burton’s original half-hour movie (as a homage to classic horror titles of the early 20th century) and reunites the filmmaker with such familiar folk as Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, and Martin Short – who are all lending their vocals to Burton’s latest warped mix of macabre whimsy and tender sentiment.
Adolescent actor Charlie Tahan also lends his voice to Frankenweenie as Victor, a young boy heart-broken by the unexpected death of his beloved dog, Sparky. When Victor thereafter uses the “power of science” to resurrect his beloved pet, he’s overjoyed about being reunited with his best friend. Everyone else in the neighborhood… well, they don’t take so kindly to Sparky’s return from the grave.
Big-eyed oddball characters, a “monster” who’s just misunderstood, an off-kilter portrayal of suburban life – all brought to life with an aesthetic that can immediately be identified as “Burton-esque”? Frankeweenie is clearly another chip off the old block for the Beetlejuicedirector, and it looks as though the film will find him back in top form after his thematically disappointing (but still extremely lucrative) work on Alice in Wonderland.
Screenwriter John August (Big Fish, Corpse Bride) is collaborating with Burton for a fourth time here, and is the main force responsible for fleshing out the filmmaker’s originalFrankenweenie story so that it can sustain a 90-minute (or so) movie and still offer plenty of entertainment value. Based on August’s previous work, there’s good reason to suspect he’s up to the task.
Basically, those who have gotten their fill of Burton cinematic ghouslishness: suffice it to say, Frankenweenie isn’t for you. Everyone else who still loves the filmmaker’s brand of twisted eye candy and weirdly moving stories: you’ll probably want to give this one a look.
Frankenweenie is slated to hit 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D theaters around the U.S. on October 5th, 2012.
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 all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.
Writer: Tim Burton, John August
Genre: Adaptation, Animated, Comedy, Horror
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Date of release: October 5th, 2012
Cast: Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell
Download Frankenweenie Teaser Trailer in HD here:
