DAPs Magic Disney News – by Mr. DAPs
There are few things more precious than the love between a boy and his dog. That love is simple, pure, and deep. This is the love found in Frankenweenie between Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) and his dog Sparky. In Frankenweenie, Victor is a young aspiring scientist and Sparky is pretty much his only friend in the world. When disaster strikes and Victor’s world is shattered by the death of Sparky, he puts a scientific demonstration he’d seen in school into action and re-animates his beloved dog. Of course, the law of unintended consequences takes affect. One other student finds out about Sparky’s rebirth and soon everyone wants Victor’s achievement for themselves… and mayhem ensues…
Picture and Sound:
Frankenweenie looks and sounds absolutely amazing. I had to stop and remind myself several times that I was watching a stop motion film. It really is amazing at how far stop motion films have come through the years. The movement was smooth and natural but there was still the feel of it being stop animation… just not jerky as sometimes happens. The picture was pristine. It was done right. The sound was of equal quality. In the first few seconds of the film I found myself really enjoying the quality level of the sound coming into my living room. I really like when effort is put into creating not only a visual world, but one that makes sens from an audio standpoint as well. It really helps make the movie more immersive.
Bonus Features:
There were a couple of bonus features included with Frankenweenie. I will admit, I was kind of hoping for more. Here is what was offered:
- Captain Sparky vs. The Flying Saucers – A short where Sparky battles martians…and cats.
- Miniatures in Motion: Bringing Frankenweenie to Life – A look at Tim Burton and the stop motion process.
- Frankenweenie Touring Exhibit – A look at the display of the Frankenweenie figures.
- Original Live-Action Frankenweenie Short – The short that started it all.
- Plain White T’s Pet Sematary Music Video – A cover of the song originally by the Ramones with clips of the movie included.
This wasn’t the strongest set of bonus features included with a blu-ray in recent years. It wasn’t the weakest ever. I wouldn’t buy this blu-ray specifically for the bonus features though.
Final Thoughts:
Frankenweenie is a movie that I was not overly looking forward to reviewing. It didn’t do fantastically during its run in the movie theaters. I hadn’t heard a lot of good about it from people who did go see it… I didn’t even make the effort to see it on the big screen. That all being said, I was pleasantly surprised. It is a cute story about a boy who loves his dog. There are some parts that are a bit long but for the most part, I found this movie to be enjoyable enough… I think the original is a stronger film but… if I hadn’t seen it before I don’t know that I would be complaining… which is always the problem with returning to remake films. There are definitely some darker moments in this film so I wouldn’t recommend it for families with younger kids or more sensitive kids. However, I’ll give it a hat nod for keeping me engaged at 11:30 at night. If you are a fan of Tim Burton, you’ll definitely want this in your collection. If you are a fan of stop motion, yea… get it. If you want a more kiddie friendly version of the traditional Frankenstein story, check it out. It’s not a home run but it is cute.
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