Corpse Bride (2005)
Directed by: Tim Burton and Mike Johnson
Premise: Victor (voice of Johnny Depp) gets cold feet during his wedding rehearsal and accidentally marries a reanimated corpse (voice of Helena Bonham Carter).
What Works: The stop motion animation in the film is incredible and far surpasses the work in The Nightmare Before Christmas. The subtlety achieved in the faces and gestures of the characters gives them a credible dimension not seen before in the stop motion form. The story spends its time with the characters and does not let the fairy tale world of this story take over. It is a very sweet story with reasonably well developed characters.
What Doesn’t: The film lacks energy after its first major plot turn and the second act of the story meanders in places. The plot twists are familiar and despite the originality and flair of the film’s look, the underlying story is cliché.
Bottom Line: Within the genre of animation, Corpse Bride is one of the best films since Toy Story because of its dedication to the characters and the beauty and originality of its setting. Despite the clichéd plot line, the film is never dull to look at.
Episode: #69 (September 25, 2005)