Frankenweenie 3D Blu-ray Review
Updated: Apr 8, 2023
Frankenweenie is a 2012 animated horror (kinda) comedy about a boy named Victor Frankenstein. He is know for being into two main things more than anything in his life: science and his dog Sparky. But one day, after his dog dies in a freak accident, he is left completely heartbroken. Longing to see his dog again, he conducts an elaborate science experiment using a ridiculous amount of electricity to bring his dog back to life, obviously spoofing the popular novel Frankenstein. He becomes successful in doing so. But to prevent something unusual from happening, he tries to keep it a secret from the neighborhood. However, it isn't too long before a few of Victor's "friends" discover what's been going on. And from there, we're thrust into a ride of offbeat hilarity and scientific weirdness.
You know, with films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, and Beetlejuice, it can be a bit hard to remember that there are actually a few Tim Burton films out there that have plenty of genuine heart. Edward Scissorhands was one of them. And now (more like ten years ago now), we have Frankenweenie. Before diving into the film itself, I think I ought to give you some backstory behind the film as it's actually somewhat funny. This 3D stop-motion animated film is actually a remake of an old 1984 live-action short film by Tim Burton from way back at his early days at Disney. And funny enough, that film ended up getting Burton fired at Disney on account of the film being too scary for kids (I've watched the unedited version of the film. And while I guess I can understand where Disney is coming from, I didn't really think it was anything to fuss over). Obviously, after he had success with films like Batman and Beetlejuice, Burton ended up getting hired back to Disney to make The Nightmare Before Christmas. And in 2012, he remade Frankenweenie, and he created what is arguably a more frightening version of what he made 28 years before. So yeah. I guess Disney just loosened up over time.
None the less, this is actually, what I think, a remake that is actually better than the original. The original was good enough on its own and I do recommend you watch it. But for some reason, Frankenweenie simply works better as a stop-motion animated film. In terms of positive aspects about the movie, I think I'll start with mentioning the animation. Obviously, Tim Burton is known for his strange, creepy aesthetics. And this one contains his Corpse Bride-esque character designs. This is one, though, is slightly more stylized as it's in black and white, to mimic the popular film Frankenstein (it was black and white in the 1984 version too). While I wouldn't say all the onscreen details are as creative as the ones in The Nightmare Before Christmas, the movements and motions all flow a lot better here and are a lot less jerky than the ones in Nightmare, mainly because this one's much more modern. It all comes together in very surreal look and feel that screams it's a Tim Burton project.
That, I think, really services the story and characters pretty well. It allows the film to be frightening and creepy when it needs to be. But it also allows for some quirky humor as well. Frankenweenie isn't by any means a laugh out loud comedy. But the way it uses its different unique characters and their personalities to act off one another allows for some pretty fun-to-watch moments. It almost reminds me of Fantastic Mr. Fox, but it's done in a very Tim Burton fashion. You have Victor, the straight guy. You have Edgar, the strange-looking kid who constantly maintains a freaky grin. You have Robert, the tall kid, whose appearance can intimidate the small kids around him, but it's also pretty entertaining and somewhat funny when it needs to be. There's also the weird girl who takes on a slightly creepier personality and appearance than the rest of the characters, especially with the fact that her pupils are smaller than everyone else's (and that's saying something). And then there's the fat kid, who I best remember for being voiced by Rowley Jefferson from the Wimpy Kid movies. All the designs match the characters perfectly, and it makes for some pretty decent comedy.
However, the thing that really brings the film together is that "heart" element I mentioned earlier. With Burton's film getting stretched from 30 minutes to 80, he uses some of that time to build up the connection between Victor and his dog Sparky. It's because of that the emotional moments feel deeper and much more impactful than they do in the first movie. And it's aided well with Danny Elfman's score (which sounds like it came out of Meet the Robinsons at times, but still). The dynamic between Victor and Sparky serve as the core of the whole story and it's handled very well. When there's a heartbreaking moment, you feel the heartbreak. When there's something sweet going on, you feel that sweetness. I don't want to go too in-depth on this due to potential spoilers. But I will say that part of the reason this story works very well is how it builds up it's themes about science and doing things out of genuine love. When Victor figures out how to bring his dog back from dead, he conducts the experiment out of love and it works wonderfully. But with his new discovery comes a whole new world of possibilities that gets tapped into when the other kids begin to try using Victor's science experiment for their own selfish actions. The plot of how the other kids try raising their own creatures from the dead seems a bit random at first. But it actually helps to emphasize just how genuinely Victor loved his dog when he resurrected him and whether or not his new discovery was worth all the potential trouble from people who misuse it. It's a theme that never got tapped into with the first film. And I'm glad this film went into it as it makes the story all that much deeper and leave adult viewers with much to chew on.
Frankenweenie isn't one of Tim Burton's best works. But it remains very fun and charming in a way only Tim Burton make it. The visuals are surreal. It's funny and offbeat, making for some good quirky comedy. It carries a warning message for what happens when we do certain things for the wrong reasons, leading up to a somewhat intense but entertaining climax. And it also contains a very well-rounded emotional dynamic between Victor and his dog that leads to some genuinely heartwarming moments, and some deep themes and questions for the adults in audience. All in all, it's a very fun treat and, in my opinion at least, an underrated gem. It might not quite be for everyone. But for Tim Burton fans a little less than impressed with Burton's output over the last little while, this one proves he's still got it in him.
OVERALL FILM RATING: 4/5
You know, I haven't really mentioned it here on the 3D Dinosaur before. But there are two main types of good 3D movies: the ones that look like they have great 3D potential when watching it in 2D and all that potential really comes through in the 3D experience; the category that includes films like Avatar, Gravity, and Kung Fu Panda. But then there are ones like Hugo or Jaws which look like they'd be just fine in 2D, but end up working way much better in 3D anyway. Now this film isn't quite up there with Hugo as that movie is, in my opinion, the gold standard of 3D films. But Frankenweenie still falls in the latter category. For as modest as Frankenweenie is with its 3D, it's actually surprisingly effective.
I guess I'll start off with the base level stuff. From beginning to end, everybody maintains good three-dimensional shape, which is made even more fun by the film's weird aesthetic. And if you're worried about the black and white visuals, I'm pleased to say this film still remains just about as bright as most color 3D movies. Throughout the film, the parallax isn't that intense, so the 3D for the most part is pretty soft. In fact, there were a few moments, such as inside living rooms or tight spaces where I actually ended up removing my glasses just to see if the 3D was there. But even in most of these moments, separation was still apparent, if not quite as deep as other films. Although I would've preferred some stronger 3D, this film still features plenty of 3D space.
Now what it does with the space is why this movie is fantastic in 3D. Now, the setting of the film takes place in a suburban neighborhood, which includes homes, a school, a graveyard, and a fair. This shouldn't seem all that ripe for the 3D treatment. But it manages to get very good milage out of it. There is usually lots of good camera composition that allows the added depth to really pop. One such highlight includes the resurrection scene starting the second act. The bright lights and the surrounding objects all going off are much more mesmerizing to see in 3D. There is a spinning bicycle, some chains, rain, kites flying in the wind, and so much more going on to make this experience a treat. Now this scene presents some really good 3D, of course. But all throughout the film, the composition lends itself very well to the environment in a way that much more fun to see in the third dimension. There are some shots involving wire fencing you can see through, the graveyard hills go off way into the distance with tombstones sticking out of the ground, the fair is plenty huge and has lots of objects in their own 3D space, and the windmill climax with its fire, surreal-looking wooden construction, and height is a stellar watch. It's the subtle usage of 3D like this that makes the world of Frankenweenie all the much more interesting. In fact, there's a pretty fun scene at the beginning of the film where Victor and his family are watching a home-made stop-motion in 3D. That really goes to show just how much 3D was a part of this movie's production.
Most of the things I mentioned often happen in the screen. But that doesn't mean we get plenty of great pop outs as well. A lot of them are once again, mostly subtle and not drawing tons of attention to themselves. But they are pretty effective none the less. Early on in the film, we see Mr. Rzykruski give a speech in the science class about the way lightning works, and he does so in an intimidating manner. But what makes this moment cool is how his strange looking head comes out of the screen during this speech, and soon his arms as he yells "Boom!" Throughout the film, we also get plenty of fun scenes like this where people such as Edgar and Robert leave the screen and enter our personal space. And besides the characters, the great composition of the environments allows for plenty of pop outs including the fence I mentioned earlier, some chains, a bowl with an invisible goldfish, a two forks (one with steak on it and the other with shrimp), and even a couple of times, Sparky himself. That doesn't mean the film doesn't have a few fun gimmicky shots in it. We get a flying baseball, a shrieking cat in the graveyard, a monster rat, a giant turtle, and some sea monkeys. The depth inside the screen in certainly something great. But the pop-outs really help to sell the immersion factor of the movie.
Frankenweenie was "shockingly" good in 3D. In fact, I'd even say it borders on being an excellent 3D presentation. The reason it falls just a bit short of that rating is because the film can still be enjoyed well in 2D and there were a few moments where the 3D was so mild, it looked almost flat. But those few elements aside, this is a fantastic demo-worthy 3D movie that uses it's extra dimension in clever and creative ways that brings the world of this film to life. If you want to get the most out of Frankenweenie, 3D is definitely the way to go.
3D RATING: GREAT
Other sources that review this movie's 3D (the opinions in these reviews may not always match up with mine. But if you want a second opinion on this movie's 3D, these are some sources I recommend checking out):
High Def Digest's Review: https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/7984/frankenweenie_3d.html
FINAL THOUGHTS:
When Frankenweenie originally came out, it seemed get "buried" beneath more popular films at the time such as Wreck-It Ralph, the Hobbit, and The Hunger Games. It's a bit of a shame because the movie itself is actually pretty good. It shows how Tim Burton can still make a unique and surreal but also very charming and enjoyable film. After the mediocre Alice in Wonderland remake, it was nice to see Burton briefly return to form. While I can understand how not very many people talk about the film as it does require a certain mindset to be watched the right way, it's still a fun, quirky, freaky, and ultimately heartwarming experience. In fact, it seems to get better every time I see it. But it's not the film itself that's under appreciated; the 3D itself also desperately deserves more praise than it does. Sure, it's not the next Avatar or anything. But the way it uses the 3D to deliver a subtle but effectively immersive trip into the world of Frankenweenie is done right in so many ways it's a shame no one really talks about it more. So if you're looking for a new family-friendly fright flick this Halloween, I recommend checking Frankenweenie out. And if you have a display for it, do yourself a favor and pick up the 3D version. The extra dimensional experience is that "electrifyingly" good.
DID YOU LIKE "FRANKENWEENIE" IN 3D
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